Bits: new Avios Toronto option with Finnair, new Hyatt promo, Play cuts US routes

New in brief:

Finnair launches a new route to Toronto

Finnair, which is an Avios partner, is returning to Canada after an 11 year absence.

The airline will launch flights from Helsinki to Toronto next year. Services start on 4th May and will operate on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday until 29th August.

The flight times are decent if you are connecting from the UK.

The outbound leaves Helsinki at 4.50pm, landing in Canada at 6.35pm. The return leaves Toronto at 11.40pm, arriving in Helsinki at 2.45pm.

Whilst travelling via Helsinki may be inconvenient if you are based in London, it is a better Avios option for anyone based in Manchester, Edinburgh or Dublin which also have Finnair flights to Helsinki.

Finnair is using an A330-300 on the route. All Finnair aircraft now feature the unique ‘no recline’ business class seat which Rhys reviewed here on the A350.

Finnair guarantees to open up two business class seats per flight for Avios redemption.

Do NOT book via ba.com because surcharges are substantially higher. Whilst Toronto seats are not bookable at the time of writing, Helsinki to New York – booked at ba.com – is 125,000 Avios return + £795 in taxes and charges. Book the same flight on finnair.com and it is 125,000 Avios + £239 return.

Hyatt launches a new promotion for its midscale brands

Whilst there is no overarching World of Hyatt promotion at the moment, Hyatt has launched an offer for its midscale Hyatt Place, Hyatt House and Hyatt Studios brands.

The offer runs until 7th September. You will earn:

• 3,000 World of Hyatt points for three nights

• plus an additional 5,000 World of Hyatt points for reaching five nights, for a total of 8,000 points

• plus an additional 8,000 World of Hyatt points for reaching eight nights, for a total of 16,000 points

This is lucrative, given that these brands are generally low cost. Reward nights also count. If you hit exactly eight nights, you’d be averaging 2,000 bonus points per night which we’d value at £24.

Hyatt Place and Hyatt House just opened in Leeds (review to come) and until 30th June those properties come with an additional bonus of 500 points per night via Hyatt’s long running ‘new hotels’ incentive.

Our other UK Hyatt Place and Hyatt House reviews include:

• Hyatt House London Stratford review (in Westfield)
• Hyatt Place London Heathrow Airport review
• Hyatt Place London City East review (by Aldgate East / Liverpool Street)

You must register via this page of hyatt.com.

Iceland’s PLAY drops its US routes

PLAY, Iceland’s low cost carrier, is dropping its flights to the United States after the summer.

PLAY served three airports – the little known New York Stewart, Boston Logan and Baltimore. Its strategy involved flying price-sensitive travellers from Europe via Reykjavik.

Flights to Washington and Hamilton (Toronto) were dropped earlier this year.

Of the 10 aircraft operated by the airline, the plan is for six to be wet-leased to other carriers. This means that we may see them popping up at Heathrow or Gatwick if British Airways continues to use third party airlines in peak summer months.

PLAY will operate just four aircraft under its own brand going forward, focusing on selected European routes to/from Iceland.

The airline is now a shadow of its former self. The management team has made an offer to take the company private and delist it, which will put long suffering shareholders – who have lost virtually all of their money if they invested at flotation – out of their misery.