Travelling on the renowned Finnair AirLounge A350, from Helsinki to Singapore offers a refined and innovative experience for Business Class travellers. We recently had Jim, one of our airfare consultants, travel to Finland for a conference with Finnair in Rovaniemi. With the flight departing close after midnight, we were in for a 13 hour journey ahead.
Finnair Business Class Cabin Layout
Finnair AirLounge A350 Business Class Cabin Layout
Experiencing Finnair’s AirLounge, a hard fixed shell-around seat, more akin to a lounge, the phenomenon is that the Business Class seat doesn’t recline. Although this sounds unpleasant and far from ideal for a typical long-haul Business Class journey, these seats are fully flat beds. Confused? We’ll explain in more detail a little later on.
The Finnair AirLounge A350 Business Class cabin is arranged in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration, ensuring every passenger has direct aisle access. The high curved walls of the seats create an intimate and private space, perfect for both relaxation and work.
It is important to note that seats 1D and 1H are close to the front galley and bathroom, which may be a drawback for some passengers due to increased foot traffic and worth mentioning to your airfare specialist during seat selection preferences.
The seats are wide and designed without electronic controls, transforming into fully Flat Beds with a simple lever mechanism. This design is user-friendly and less prone to malfunction which is a bonus. The bed is spacious and comfortable, providing ample room for a restful sleep on the long-haul flight, especially for a 6 foot individual.
Finnair AirLounge Business Class Seat
Finnair AirLounge A350 Business Class Storage & Amenities
Storage in the Finnair AirLounge A350 is well thought out. Each seat offers various storage options, including a deep chest for larger items like laptops and books, a small compartment for personal items such as phones and headphones, and space under the TV/footwell for shoes.
Finnair Business Class Entertainment Screen
However, managing cables for headphones and chargers can be slightly cumbersome due to the layout of the storage unit behind the seat.
The amenities include a large in-flight entertainment screen with a variety of entertainment options, though its fixed position might be inconvenient when reclining fully.
Finnair Business Class
We loved the innovative wireless charging part of our seat, it made it very simple and convenient when it came to charging devices.
Finnair Business Class Table
Finnair Business Class Controls
Finnair Business Class Storage Space
The amenity kit, provided in the Marimekko designed pouch were an eye mask, ear plugs, as well as the option to request socks, comb & shaving kit if required.
Finnair Business Class Amenity Kit
Finnair AirLounge A350 Business Class In-Flight Dining
Our dining experience aboard Finnair AirLounge A350 felt quite rushed overall due to the short taxi time. From gate to runway, the cabin crew tried squeezing in a departure drink, warmed towel as well as trying to get our meal choices for the flight ahead.
Finnair Business Class Welcome Drink
Unfortunately for the cabin crew, they only made it halfway through the Business cabin so once in the air, dinner service became a priority which left us to having to choose a second preferred option for breakfast. Although not major, it was slightly disappointing.
Finnair Business Class Menu
Finnair Business Class Menu
Finnair Business Class Menu
Overall, the food itself was great. We opted for the spinach and ricotta cheese filled tortellini with creamy pesto, cashew nuts, pine nuts and parmesan cheese for our take off meal.
Finnair Business Class Dining Options
For the main meal service, our chosen entree was the Finnish air-dried ham, brie cheese,walnut & grapes salad. It was refreshing and decently sized.
The main meal was the traditional Finnish meat pie served with pepper sausage, roasted vegetables and gratinated cauliflower. This was our favourite meal on board!
Dessert options were pretty simple – only a selection of cheese or fruit and we opted for the fruit as more of a palate cleanser.
Finnair Business Class Dining Options
One recommendation, is when choosing your pre-departure drinks, we suggest trying the Finnair Blueberry Juice which is served in elegant Littala glassware, setting off the long journey ahead on a very positive note.
Our Final Thoughts:
Overall, our journey from Helsinki to Singapore was a comfortable, spacious and unique Business Class passenger experience. Highlights of the Finnair AirLounge A350 seat was the flexibility of being able to sit however you please, exactly how you would on your own lounge at home.
While there are areas for improvement, such as managing electronic cables and an inconvenient IFE screen, the innovative seat design in our opinion was a highlight.
We also highly appreciated the quality dining options, and attentive service overall from cabin crew – making it a noteworthy choice for long-haul travel.
Overall, the journey between Helsinki and Singapore with Finnair is both comfortable and efficient, making it a strong choice for both business & leisure travellers.
To book your next Business Class trip with Finnair, visit our latest deals page or get in touch with an airfare specialist today!