Oh Finnair, what have you done? You’ve introduced a truly unique airline seat and it is interesting to say the least. I specifically went on this trip to finally get a flight in the AirLounge, after a friend of mine remarked they are, “THE most comfortable seats on any plane I’ve ever been on. Seriously good. Cannot fault them.”
After a previous trip where I got the old seats on the Finnair Airbus A350, I was really hoping to land them this time around. On my outbound flight, the aircraft was swapped to an unexciting Airbus A321, but on the return I finally got to try this new seat.
The Platinum Wing and Boarding
As I still have oneworld Emerald status, I was able to use The Platinum Wing before flight. Once again, the sauna and the reindeer burger did not disappoint. It is a great lounge to hang out in, that’s for sure.
AY1337 – Helsinki to London Heathrow (HEL-LHR)
21 April 2024
Airbus A350-900 – OH-LWF
Seat: Business Class 03A
Departure: 16:00 Arrival: 17:05
There are no overhead bins in the centre of the cabin, but due to the seats being so large, there are just four seats across the cabin, which you can see on the seat map here. Due to this, there was plenty of overhead space for all.
An AirLounge Tour
For me, the main event was the seat and I was not disappointed. It is very spacious, looks wonderfully sleek, and has some really tactile finishes that make it just such a fun place to be.
Cameras and Lounging
The Airbus A350 has both a bottom camera and a tail camera, which are great for unusual views when flying. For me though, it was all about the seat, and I tried various positions to sit and lay down and found it easy to get comfortable. The two pillows provided are handy – and I quite naturally and without thought had them under my arms as arm rests at one point.
Onboard Service
Finnair could have ladled out a dipper of gruel from a dirty tureen into a rough pewter bowl and I wouldn’t have cared. However, it is 2024 and I received the standard European business class meal and drinks, which on Finnair are always satisfying.
Overall Thoughts
Wow! Just wow! I found Finnair’s AirLounge to be seriously impressive. In actual fact, I think I like it more than the Qatar Airways Qsuite business class. It’s far more spacious, and on long flights there is something to be said to not be hemmed into a seated position. It turns out that my friend was right, it probably is the best seat in the sky today.
Coupled with the cheerful and friendly Finnair service, good meals and a generally pleasant vibe, I can’t fault anything about it. Do yourself a favour and fly Finnair to try this seat. You won’t be disappointed!
Have you flown in Finnair’s AirLounge? What do you think of it? Even if you haven’t flown in it, what are your impressions? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Will you also be reviewing the Dublin – London – Dublin flights? If so what airline(s) did you fly with?
I hadn’t really planned on it, but I can. I flew British Airways – one way in EuroTraveller and one way in Club Europe.
If you could, that would be great!
Sure, I’ll do that soon!
Great review. I’ve been curious about this product since it came out but haven’t read a review that I trusted as truly independent.
The lack of air nozzles is rather disappointing. My wife and I flew a Singapore A350 a few days ago in business class and the cabin was sweltering which made sleep quite difficult. How was the cabin temperature?
It was really good – I expected it to be, but I was also a bit concerned it might not live up to what I had heard. Cabin temperature – albeit on a three hour flight – was fine. I really don’t like it when it’s too hot on board, because I can’t sleep in the roasting heat some airlines think is acceptable on board. I would have noticed had that been the case. Once again though, it wasn’t an overnight flight but on a couple of previous long-haul Finnair services, I never noticed it to be too warm, for what that’s worth!