Finnair AirLounge no-recline business class review – A350 from Helsinki to Nagoya

This is our review of Finnair’s new long haul business class seat.

As you may remember, Finnair surprised us all when it announced an innovative brand new no-recline business class seat, as well as the introduction of premium economy, on its long haul fleet.

The existing business class seat was still considered relatively modern, although the very light grey interiors weren’t exactly inspiring. In contrast, the new seat was not just visually different thanks to its midnight blue upholstery but also a brand new concept, ditching the typical seat recline mechanism for a sofa-style seat.

Don’t worry – although it doesn’t, technically, recline, the seat still offers a full-length lie-flat bed, and as you will see below is arguably one of the comfiest beds in the sky.

Check in and ground experience

I started my journey in London with a connecting Finnair business class flight on one of their short haul aircraft, which I have reviewed here.

Just to recap, check-in was quick and easy (I was the only business class or status passenger when I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 3!) and I checked my bag through to my final destination, Nagoya.

You can’t fault Helsinki Airport for the transit experience. Like Dubai or Singapore, flights from many non-Schengen destinations such as the UK, US and Singapore are ejected directly into the terminal and there is no need to clear security or immigration again. This makes connecting far easier than any connection in the US or UK.

Finnair operates three lounges at Helsinki:

• The brand new Schengen Lounge and Platinum Corner, which I reviewed here
• The non-Schengen business class lounge which I reviewed here
• The non-Schengen Platinum Wing which I reviewed here

As oneworld Emerald, I would normally head straight to the Platinum Wing, Finnair’s top lounge, which features its own sauna. Unfortunately, it has very restricted hours and closes at 5:30pm so it is not suitable for any of the late departures to Asia.

Instead, I popped into the business class lounge next door: still a good offering but without the sauna, sadly! You can read my review of Finnair’s non-Schengen business class lounge here.

Onboard Finnair’s A350

Finnair’s A350s are the flagship of its long haul fleet, and Finnair has now finished the rollout of its new AirLounge and premium economy cabins, including to the A330s.

The A350 is a favourite of mine: I love the the big windows and improved cabin pressurisation and humidity, which make a noticeable difference on a long flight.

I was the first to board and was pleased to see Finnair using two jetbridges: one connecting to the forward door for business class passengers and a second door for other passengers.

At just after midnight it was dark outside, but the cabin was washed in a warm glow from the pink overhead LED lights:

As you can see, this is a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration with all-aisle access.

Finnair AirLounge sofa seat

As I am a BA Gold / oneworld Emerald member I was able to select a seat for free; otherwise, seat selection is chargeable, even at check-in, unless you are on a Business Flex ticket. This is a punitive policy as most airlines will let you select any seat for free at check-in, but does mean that having status is worth it.

I had selected seat 2A. Finnair considers all window seats ‘Preferred’ seats and charges £126 for these one-way; standard seats in the middle are ‘just’ £80.

2A is at the front of the cabin; there is no row 1 for the window seats, only for the middle pair, as the window seat are set back slightly. This means you are protected from the noise and disturbance of both the galley and passenger toilet. For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend sitting in row 1 at all: these seats were very close to the toilet.

The best seats on Finnair’s A350 are definitely those in the forward cabin (rows 1 to 8). Some A350s also feature a rear business class cabin which is smaller (and therefore more intimate), but its location behind the second doors mean that all premium economy and economy passengers board past you.

Apart from that all seats are the same: row 2 is not going to be substantially different from row 5 or 6, and you don’t get any additional leg room for sitting in the front row either.

Let’s talk about the AirLounge seat, which is manufactured by Collins. This innovative seat, as I mentioned in my introduction, features no recline mechanism. Instead, the idea is to create a more loungeable environment that you can adapt to your needs with cushions.

Although it doesn’t feature a door, it feels very private thanks to its spacious, padded cocooning shell:

The shell features a small storage cupboard that’s also home to a USB-A and USB-C port as well as your headphone port, plus a remote control for the in-flight entertainment:

Next to this is a flat console table in light wood effect with an integrated wireless charger:

Another storage unit is at seat level, and featured a bottle of water:

Mounted opposite the seat is an 18″ touch-screen that was responsive although not, I think, 4K.

Although the seat doesn’t recline, it still offers a 195cm (6’4″) fully-flat bed. Two surfaces flip up to create a full flat space with no bumps or ridges as you can often find in reclining seats. Here’s a photo during the day:

This makes it exceptionally spacious and comfortable: certainly one of the most comfortable business class seats I’ve ever slept in.

The foot coffin was also very spacious: tall and wide, again noticeably bigger than others I have seen recently.

Sadly, there were no personal air vents, a feature I value as I often find I run hot after dinner.

Depending on the size of the business class cabin, Finnair offers two or three business class lavatories and at least one features a window. All have SEES toiletries:

Finnair business class amenity kit and bedding

Waiting at the seat was the Marimekko-designed amenity kit which comes in a funky pattern:

The contents were simple: just an eye mask, ear plugs and bamboo toothbrush. However, you could also pick up lip balm, a shaving kit and dental kit from the business class lavatories, or request socks or a comb from the cabin crew.

To be honest, this is smart: how often do you really use these products? From a sustainability perspective offering these on demand is better, although the note inside the amenity kit could have made this clear.

Also provided is a set of slippers, but no pyjamas:

On my foot stool was a mattress pad and Marimekko designed blanket, whilst two pillows were also available to make yourself comfortable. If I am perfectly honest, I would have liked a large pillow to go with them for sleeping.

Finnair in-flight entertainment and wifi

Whilst the screen wasn’t 4K, that is irrelevant most of the time as airline content is rarely 1080p, let alone 4K.

I enjoyed Finnair’s in-flight entertainment system which I thought was simple and easy to use. The moving map in particular is very good and even tells you which large cities you have flown over towards the end of your flight.

There was a helpful timeline of the flight showing what to expect at different times:

Films and TV were put into different categories, including Clint Eastwood and Margot Robbie collections. The selection is tilted towards older films rather than brand new releases, although it had a range of more recent options. Annoyingly, there was no way to ‘favourite’ films and create a playlist – something I like doing at the beginning of a flight.

Seeking something a little mindless I could doze off to, I settled for five episodes of Absolutely Fabulous which I was surprised to find on board.

The IFE system also features the A350s iconic cameras, letting you get a birds eye view of the aircraft:

Wifi was available on board to purchase, although Business Classic, Business Flex and top Finnair status members get one hour for free. Pricing depended on whether you were a Finnair Plus member or not, with a small discount if you were. Since it’s free to sign-up there’s no point paying the higher price. Here is the member pricing:

• €19.95 for the full flight
• €12.95 for three hours
• €6.95 for one hour

It worked well when I tried it and I could easily browse the internet and load images, although I didn’t try loading any videos.

Finnair service and dining

The service was exceptional from the minute I boarded. I was greeted by the purser Ursula as a oneworld Emerald and told the flight time – just over 12 hours – as well as the routing we would take (Southern, rather than over the North Pole, now that Finnair is not overflying Russian airspace.)

A pre-departure drink of champagne or blueberry juice was offered, and unlike on Finnair’s short haul business class this is real fizz: Joseph Perrier. Both are served in the iconic, 1960s Ultima Thule glassware from Iittala – a Finnair signature.

The printed menu features images from Finnair’s heritage which I thought was cute.

After take-off, crew came round with hot towels. On these late departure flights, Finnair flips the meal service around, offering an express meal service straight after take-off and the main meal service before landing. You can choose from two main courses:

• Beef bourguignon stew served with rice, vegetables and mushrooms
• Spinach and ricotta cheese filled tortellinis with creamy nettle-pesto sauce, cashew nuts and parmesan

I went for the beef bourginon which tasted okay but would not pass muster in the Cordon Bleu:

The meal came with a shrimp salad starter and fresh fruit, whilst dessert was a chocolate marquise served with berry compote. Tea and coffee were offered after.

After dinner it was time to sleep and the cabin lights were dimmed. I managed to get three to four hours in but was conscious not to oversleep, as the flight arrives in the evening.

Throughout the flight crew were very attentive and proactive in offering drinks. They brought me coffee once they saw I had woken up as well as regular top-ups of water and a selection of snacks including chocolates, crisps and Haribo. They came round so regularly that I never needed to use the call bell to request anything, which is a sign they were on it!

An hour or so before the second meal they came round offering a fruit bowl and, some time later, a cheese platter.

About two and a half hours before landing the second, the main meal service was offered. I was expecting this to be a properly plated meal but no, this was also a single-tray service. This is disappointing on a 13 hour flight as it’s not as if the crew or passengers have anywhere else to be! You might as well (literally) make a meal of it.

The second meal is a sort of brunch service: in theory, it’s served after you’ve had a rest but as you land at 7pm you may not be in the mood for breakfast. I’m glad it’s done this way as airplane breakfast rarely impresses.

As this was the ‘main’ meal Finnair lets you pre-select your option in advance, which is what I had done. I chose the traditional Finnish meat pie from the following options:

• Traditional Finnish meat pie served with pepper sausage, roasted vegetables and gratinated cauliflwoer
• Pan-friend salmon served with scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, vegetables and hollandaise sauce
• Quark pancakes served wth berry compote, roasted almond, vanilla sauce and hazelnut crumble

It was served with gluten-free overnight oats with honey, blueberry, strawberry and granola as well as a plate of Finnish air-died ham, brie, walnut and grapes.

For dessert, options included a selection of cheese or fresh fruit.

Is the AirLounge comfortable?

This is the question everyone always asks when you tell them the seat does not recline. Here’s my take.

Just like any seat, the AirLounge makes compromises between space, seat and bed. Whilst most reclining seats are most comfortable in seat mode, the AirLounge is most comfortable in bed mode with a large, flat and well-padded surface.

AirLounge is still comfortable as a seat, but it obviously offers fewer different positions when seated. That said, I found the padding to be very good – far better than on recent BA Club Suite flights where the padding feels depressed in the middle. I was able to get comfortable with the aid of both pillows, although I think a third would have been nice.

What I ended up doing for most of the flight was flipping up the bed surfaces and simply sitting on it like I would in bed, occasionally moving my feet to be out in front of me or tucked to the side.

Overall, I was very happy with the comfort of the seat and wouldn’t hesitate flying it again.

Conclusion

Finnair has had a rough few years thanks to the closure of Russian airspace and the disruption of their entire business model of flying passengers between Europe and Asia via the most direct route possible.

Despite that, they have managed to refit their entire long haul fleet with an impressive and innovative new seat that features one of the comfiest business class beds I’ve tried.

Less impressive is the meal service, which is where cost cuts appear to have been made. Whilst I can understand that Finnair might not want to splash the cash when it comes to ingredients, having both meals as a single-tray service is unforgivable on a 13 hour flight. It’s not as if the crew have anything else to do! With a little more investment in the meal service I think Finnair’s business class could really shine.

That said, I did think the crew were excellent: cheery and attentive / even more attentive than on some of my recent experiences with Asian airlines, where people often rave about the service. I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable flights I’ve been on recently.

I loved Finnair’s new seat as well as the design and branding, which feels unique and sets it apart from other airlines. Sadly, the food falls short of these high standards. Spending just a little bit more in this area would elevate Finnair significantly and make it a truly world-class airline.

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