I flew on Finnair A350 from Helsinki to London Heathrow. This flight features the new Finnair Business Class and Premium Economy cabin. Currently, you can try out the new Business Class on flights between Helsinki and London or Amsterdam.
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Finnair Business Class Lounge Helsinki
My flight departs at 8am so I went to the Finnair Business Class Lounge early. The lounge was quiet with few passengers arriving early from the Far East (Singapore, Tokyo etc).
The Finnair Business Class Lounge has a really nice Nordic decor. It was not crowded on a Saturday morning. The food tends to be Nordic as well. Unfortunately, the Finnish Sauna in the Platinum Lounge is currently closed and unavailable.
Helsinki to London Heathrow
The New Finnair Business Class
The new Finnair Business Class occupied the entire front section of the A350, with an additional mini cabin of 12 suites after door 2.
The leg room is limited in the up right position. You sit quite close to the TV screen. There are a few storage compartments.
There is a wireless charger combine with Nordic wood table.
The new Finnair Business Class seat is a bit odd from the start, there was no recline function so you have to slide down yourself.
The sit has no recline and came as a shell with no seat back cushion apart from 2 pillows though the privacy is excellent even without a door.
Later, I found out the seat is one of the lightest in Business Class. I felt quite comfortable being in a “Z” position.
I think the seat resembles the old Singapore Airlines wide Business Class seat but with more of a Nordic feel.
Flight time to London was 2 hours 22 minutes, cruising at 43,000 ft. Given the A350 is light, we climb straight from the ground to FL430 in one go! Watch the video of the takeoff
The Rest of the New Cabin
Once we reached cruising altitude, I walked around the plane to explore more. The middle galley is completely closed and tucked away during the takeoff. It has nice wood decor and a mirror with light.
Finnair also features their new Premium Economy Class on this A350. This is the first time Finnair has introduced Premium Economy. It has 38 seat pitch and looks quite standard to other airlines' offerings.
Back to Business Class, a simple breakfast is served.
After breakfast, I tried out the bed.
When in full recline, your feet slide into a box. This may limit your leg's movement and make sleeping on the side a bit challenging if you're a big guy like me. However, the bed is long enough for me. I'd say it is long enough for a 6"3 person.
Given I had a short flight to London, it is hard for me to say whether one can sleep comfortably on a long-haul flight without my own expereince. Other than that, privacy is excellent. You have your own private cocoon. The best position I found was "Z" or lounging position with the leg rest up.
We landed in London on the Easterly runway. It was a sunny morning at London Heathrow.
My Verdict
I feel that there are some pros and cons of the new Finnair Business Class. Although these are all subjective depends on your personal preference.
Pros
- Good privacy, nice Nordic decor gives a calm feeling
- Comfortable enough with a pillow to support the back in upright position and in lounge 'Z' position
- Lighter weight Business Class seat
Cons
- Limited space in the odd footwell may restrict leg movement.
- Limited legroom in fully upright position during takeoff/landing, you sit close to the IFE screen.
Finnair newly refurbished A330/A350 will be flying long haul from May. The airline plan to complete the upgrade of the cabin by end of 2023.