Flight review: Finnair Business class A350 London to Helsinki
Flight Review Finnair Business class on the short haul route to Helsinki operated by the A350 once daily.
Boarding
Business class passengers could board separately and the boarding process was fast, also because not too many passengers were on board.
Flight
The 3-hour flight was operated by a A350-900.
Amenities
On-board WiFi was available which is nice. No real amenities were given for passengers, as it was a short haul flight only.
However, everyone had a pillow, a blanket and some basic headphones.
Seats
Seats are lie-flat and in a 1-2-1 configuration. The entertainment screen is of a good quality and size. What I really liked is that the USB port, power socket, the remote and the headphone connector are directly accessible at the side of your seat. Furthermore, the built-in cup holder is also good as you could place your drink or a water bottle there, which was easily accessible during the flight.
A drawback with many business class seats these days is the storage space. Only one very small closet is available and a small open compartment with a hook. Definitely not enough to store all your belongings.
Another thing which would really annoy me during a long haul flight is that in the lie flat position, somehow there is a spot of unevenness in the back where the seat slides together. Appropriate bedding might resolve this issue, however I found this to be really disruptive already after trying the lie flat position for a couple of minutes.
Food & Drinks
Upon boarding, a pre-departure glass of water was served.
Before the meal, a first round of drinks was available, and we opted in for the traditional Gin & Tonic.
The lunch consisted of a cold starter plate, a chicken main dish and some cake as dessert. We have to say that everything was very tasteful and real good for a short haul flight like ours was. With the lunch, we had a glass of delicious red wine.
After the meal, another round of drinks was served, and I bet you could have got even more if in the mood.
In terms of food and drinks, it was probably the best quality/service mix I encountered so far in Europe.
Service
Very positive in our Review Finnair Business class, was the service. Staff was very friendly and attentive. A couple of drink rounds were offered, the staff asked numerous times if everything was okay and if we would like to have something else.
Big compliment to Finnair’s staff on this occasion.
Conclusion
Flying with an A350 on a short haul 3 hour flight in a real business class seat is somehow luxurious in Europe, compared to the usual business class.
Drinks and food were good, and the staff very friendly. The seat has some drawbacks, mainly the unevenness in the lie flat position, which can be very annoying on a long haul flight without appropriate bedding.
To summarize our review, for an intra Europe flight, you do not have many options where you can fly as comfortable as in Finnair’s business class.
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