Surprise! Finnair’s new Business Class seat is not reclining. Instead, the seating position is optimised by cushions. What is it like to travel for 12:35 hours in this revolutionary „AirLounge“ seat? Our review after 11,633 kilometres in the A350-900 between Helsinki and Osaka
Finnair, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in November 2023, has completely redesigned the cabins of its long-haul fleet. These were implemented between 2022 and 2024 on all long-haul flights with Finnair’s Airbus A350s and A330s to Doha, Hong Kong, Osaka, Tokyo, Singapore, Seattle, New York, Chicago, Seattle and Seoul. The introduction of Premium Economy is by no means the only noticeable innovation.
Finnair’s New Business Class. The Cabin
A quick look at the first eight rows as we board: Business Class is seated in a 1-2-1 configuration. An elegant dark blue dominates, creating a calm, pleasant atmosphere. The materials are of high quality and the lighting concept creates a good mood.
Everything has a beautiful Nordic design, just like the new terminal in Helsinki and the lounge. Understated elegance with a touch of chilled Zen aesthetics. No bling, no frills.
Depending on the configuration (321 pax or 278 pax), Finnair’s new Business Class has a total of 43 seats in ten rows or 30 seats in seven rows. The rear galley offers self-service snacks and drinks. The overhead bins are large enough for larger trolleys.
With beautiful designs by Marimekko, IITTALA tableware specially designed for Finnair by Harri Koskinen and elegant minimalist surfaces, Finnair’s new Business Class is a showcase of classic Nordic design – with the necessary Finnish eccentricity thanks to the extraordinary new Business Class seat from Collins Aerospace…
Finnair’s New Business Class. The Seat
I feel a little apprehensive as I sit down in the huge seat shell. I usually have a strong back. But long flights are different. And unfortunately, nine-hour flights between Helsinki and Tokyo or Osaka are a thing of the past. The war in Ukraine has made detours with three and a half hours extra flying time necessary.
The so-called AirLounge for Finnair’s New Business Class is an unprecedented, innovative and bold new development. It looks more like a Bretz lounge chair than a typical airplane seat. Only the lower leg support is electrically adjustable, not the backrest or the seat. The lack of electronics saves weight and creates plenty of space for a phone, laptop, tablet or small carry-on, both in compartments around the seat and under the footrest.
Kondo says the designers were also influenced by Japanese culture, where sitting on the floor is common. You can sit on the wide seat with your legs crossed, lie comfortably and flat, slide into a more relaxed position or use the cushions to sit upright and work at the movable table.
A reading lamp and a larger light provide illumination. If you want to sleep, you get a mattress topper, two pillows (more on request) and a cosy blanket. Although this is not a suite with a door, the seat gives me plenty of privacy and also has connections for USB-A, USB-C and PC power.
„We have created a shell that offers more living space and a larger seating area,“ says David Kondo, Head of Customer Experience and Product Design at Finnair, in the Blue Wings blog. „There are many positions and ways to use our seat that are not possible with other business class seats.“ The project to develop the new aircraft furniture and redesigned cabin began in 2019, according to Kondo
What I miss during my travel in Finnair’s New Business Class are proper, comfortable armrests. If you build them up with cushions, it’s almost a bit cramped in the seat.
Finnair’s New Business Class. Onboard Entertainment
The choice of films is varied. There are many classics, studio films and blockbusters from all over the world. Cool: an overview page shows the service schedule during the flight on a timeline. When is the meal served? When does it get dark? The timeline shows what happens when.
The Active Noise Rejection headphones from Phitek suppress aircraft and ambient noise very well. You have to pay extra for WiFi even in Finnair’s new Business Class: €24.95 for the whole flight, but you can only use one device per code. This results in a deduction of points.
Finnair‘ ’s New Business Class. Little Extras
Päivyt Tallqvist, Vice President of Communications, explains that Marimekko’s amenity kit is deliberately kept slim for sustainability reasons: Toothbrush, toothpaste and sleeping goggles. Socks or body care products are only available on request. Great idea.
We give extra points for something else: When it comes to the punctuality of connecting flights, Helsinki has several things going for it: „Last year we were 99.5 per cent punctual,“ says Päivyt.
Finnair’s New Business Class. Wine & Dine
The menu on long-haul flights from Helsinki is also new. Business class customers can choose their meal in advance via the app, up to 24 hours before departure. The culinary credo is Modern Nordic. „Ingredients and preparation methods are chosen according to how well the dish will keep in a cool place until it is warmed up and eaten,“ explains Finnair’s new development chef Sami Oksava.
On our flight, we have the choice between salmon tataki (pictured below) and feta marinated in nettle pesto.
Our main courses include veal cheeks, Wallenberg-style pike and grilled chicken with shimeji mushrooms. For desserts, we choose the small cheese selection instead of the cinnamon apple cake and chocolate mousse. All served on crockery from IITTALA.
Lounge with Sauna: Helsinki Airport
The new central terminal, which opened in June 2022, is bright, Nordic chic and saves transit passengers long journeys between terminals. The old T1 and T2 have been deactivated or converted into staff areas. There are three lounges in the Schengen area (gates 5-36) and two in the non-Schengen area (gates 36-60), including one Finnair lounge with 450 seats at gate 52 and one at gate 22. PS: Eco travelers can book „off peak“ access for 55 euros.
The Finnair Platinum Wing is particularly elegant. In addition to 155 seats, it has its own sauna. The Finnair Platinum Wing is exclusively for Finnair Plus Platinum Lumo Members, who may bring four guests with them, as well as for Platinum Members and for oneworld Emerald Members with one companion.
You can find more airline reviews here: on KLM’s new World Business Class for example, on Turkish Airline’s Business Class and on Eva Air’s Business Class of Boeing 787 787
Further information, ticket rates and bookings at finnair.com
This article was originally written in German. It was translated into English with the help of Artificial Intelligence
