a man sitting in a chair in an airplane
Finnair A350

Trip Report: Finnair’s New Business Class on A350

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.

Finnair Check-in at Helsinki Airport
Finnair Check-in at Helsinki Airport
a room with white and black furniture
a room with a bar and a round table
a kitchen with a man standing behind a counter
a buffet table with plates of food
a group of bottles of wine in a bucket of ice

Helsinki to London Heathrow

a large white airplane parked on a tarmac
an airplane at an airport

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.

an airplane with rows of seats
a seat in a plane
a seat in a plane
My seat 6L from behind
My seat 6L from behind.

The leg room is limited in the up right position. You sit quite close to the TV screen. There are a few storage compartments.

a hand holding a black plastic container

There is a wireless charger combine with Nordic wood table.

a bottle of water and a napkin on a 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.

a man sitting in a chair on an airplane

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.

a man sitting in a chair in an airplane

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

a plane on the runway
an airplane on the runway
an airplane on a runway
an airplane engine above a snowy landscape
an airplane wing and a landscape

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.

Finnair A350 Economy Class. Best leg room is in row 31 (bulkhead).
Finnair A350 Economy Class. Best legroom is in row 31 (bulkhead row).

Back to Business Class, a simple breakfast is served.

a row of white chairs on an airplane
a tray with food and drinks on it
a cup of coffee and a glass of liquid on a tray
Flight attendant told me the Finnair juice/wine glass was designed 40 years ago, first used from Helsinki to New York in 1976.
a screen on a table with food and drinks
watching the camera tail view while enjoying breakfast at 43,000 ft.
a man sitting in a chair with food on it

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.

a man sleeping in an airplane
a person sleeping under a blanket
clouds and clouds in the sky
an airplane at an airport

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.

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