Oneworld today launched with Sherpa a Journey Search-tool that tries to untangle the current travel requirements between popular destinations served by the alliance airlines.
Based on the searches I made and information displayed about Finland’s entry requirements, I would recommend anyone not relying on this tool due to incorrect information.
You can access Oneworld’s page for this product here.
Here’s the press release from the oneworld:
oneworld® has partnered with travel tech company sherpa˚ to offer the alliance’s customers the most up-to-date information on government entry and travel restrictions, making it easier to plan travel.
Customers may visit the portal at https://www.oneworld.com/covid-19/oneworld-together to retrieve information specific to their journey, including government entry restrictions, testing requirements, health documentation and quarantine rules at their destinations. The portal enhancement, powered by sherpa˚ data, will assist customers in knowing what to expect prior to embarking on their travel.
First launched in July 2020, the oneworld customer information portal has served as a customer resource for information on the various health and well-being measures implemented by oneworld member airlines and major airports in the oneworld global network. Customers may look up a specific flight to view information customised for their journey, as well as information on oneworld member airline lounges.
oneworld CEO Rob Gurney said: “We recognise that customers planning their travel will need to check government entry and travel restrictions. The portal enhancements that we have introduced will help customers access up-to-date information pertaining to government restrictions and COVID-19 measures.”
sherpa˚ Co-Founder and CEO Max Tremaine said: “Our data aggregates the most recent updates from thousands of sources such as Government websites, tourism boards and WHO, helping to reduce complexity for travellers. This launch demonstrates oneworld’s commitment to delivering a seamless and personalised customer experience for the members of their global alliance.”
Here’s London – Helsinki search:
Sherpa doesn’t disclose that leisure travel from the UK is currently banned, and passengers must provide proof of why travel is required.
Finnair requires a negative Covid-19 test to travel if the destination is Finland, but the government does NOT mandate this.
Finland entry requirements:
There is NO requirement by the government of Finland to have a negative Covid-19 certificate, albeit Finnair requires one. The information provider by Sherpa is simply incorrect.
Conclusion
Not sure why Oneworld has teamed up with a company, Sherpa, that puts out garbage information based on the simple search that I made?
I am 100% certain that there is no Covid-19 test required before arriving in Finland because the government would like to institute it, but it is unclear whether that would be constitutional. It is highly recommended that you have one, but there is a big difference between “highly recommended” and “required.”
Finnair does require a certificate for those flying to Finland, so I would suggest using another airline or booking a connection to Tallinn and simply not taking the connection (works without checked luggage).
You should consult IATA’s Timatic for most up to date travel information provided by several airlines (access here and here) and use their handy map (access here) for up to date entry requirements.
