Background & Booking
I needed a flight from Helsinki (HEL) to Oslo (OSL), and the two carriers operating were Norwegian and Finnair. Since the Finnair time was better, I opted for Finnair. Also, there was another flight at the end of the day, so if there was a cancellation at least there was another frequency, whereas Norwegian only offered one flight a day.
There are three fare types for Finnair Economy: Superlight, Classic, and Flex. Superlight comes with just a personal item under the seat in front of you, so I booked Economy Classic which comes with a carry-on to put in the overhead bin, as well as a checked bag.
I was excited to try Finnair in Economy on a short-haul flight, as I just tried my first Finnair flight in long-haul business and really enjoyed it.
Flight Details
Finnair Flight 915
Helsinki (HEL) to Oslo (OSL)
Scheduled Duration: 1 hour and 25 minutes
Aircraft: Airbus A320
Cabin: Economy
Seat: 19A (Window)
Online Check-In
I didn’t want to pay to assign my seat ahead of time since the flight was so short. However, it was only about 9 EUR for most seats.
Online check-in opens 36 hours before departure (24 hours before departure for flights to/from the United States). At check-in, is when you get assigned a seat, and thankfully I subconsciously woke up 36 hours before my flight (which happened to be at 4 am, since my departure was at 4 pm). I was traveling with my parents, so thankfully we got sat together in the middle of the aircraft (Row 19). There were a good number of seats available at check-in with empty rows closer to the front of the plane, but if I wanted to move I would have to pay the 9 EUR for a standard seat, so I stayed put.
At the Airport
There was no line to do self-service bag drop, and we were off to security. Security was quite fast, and I was surprised that that security agent saw me trying to gulp down my water bottle and he said it was totally fine and that I could bring it through. Though, I think this rule just changed due to EU regulations this month.
I had about 1.5 hours before my flight, so I did some shopping in the terminal and also visited the Aspire Lounge at Gate 27 courtesy of my Priority Pass Membership. It was a bit crowded and the food selection was a bit limited, but I had a great Cauliflower Soup. You can check out my review of the lounge here if you’re interested.
Boarding
Boarding started as scheduled, 40 minutes before the scheduled departure. The boarding process was a bit slow, as we needed to take shuttle buses to the plane. This is one of my least favorite things to have happen when boarding a plane.
Since we had to board shuttle buses (I think we all fit into 2), they didn’t adhere to the “Group” zones as it would be all mixed up anyway once squeezed into the buses. Interestingly enough, I have American Airlines Gold which equates to oneworld Ruby and I had “Priority” stamped on my boarding pass, but I had the same “Group 3” boarding as my parents with no status. I guess it would just give me priority check-in at the airport, but not boarding the aircraft?
It was funny the plane was connected to a gate via jetbridge but it was in the non-Schengen part of the airport. So it must have come from somewhere out of the Schengen, or they ran out of gates which is why we had to take the shuttle bus to this gate. Boarding was quite quick and efficient once we got off the shuttle buses as we boarded from the front and back doors. Those sitting in the front half of the plane boarded from the front of the aircraft, and vice versa.
The Seat & Flight
Our plane was 22 years old, and while the seat was cloth, the seatback was somewhat modern and I appreciated the light colors. It had a hook for clothes on the side, and the tray table was large and clean. According to aeroLOPA, the seat width is 17.7″ with a pitch of 31″. It felt a bit bit on the tight side but fine for a 1.5 hour flight.
The pilot let us know that the flight would be 1 hour 15 minutes, and we left the gate about 15 minutes past our scheduled departure time. We then took off about 10 minutes after leaving the gate.
I was surprised they still had a beverage service during the short flight. Water and blueberry juice were complimentary, while other drinks were available for purchase. Of course, I had to try the blueberry juice, and it was quite good.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi was available on this aircraft. The package gives you full internet access including audio and video streaming as well as VPN. They say that speeds are up to 15Mbps. For the full flight, it was 9.95 EUR for Finnair Plus Members (11.95 EUR without) or one hour of access for 5.95 EUR for Finnair Plus Members (6.95 EUR without).
They did have complimentary messaging for Finnair Plus members, which is on short-haul flights – including this one! Unfortunately, even after following all the prompts, I kept getting the same message: We cannot find complimentary internet access in your booking. Oh well, it’s just an hour and a half with no messaging.
Also, there was no in-seat power, which would have been a nice touch to have.
The flight went by quite quickly, and we landed in Oslo just a tad late.
The Verdict
Overall, flying economy on the Finnair A320 from Helsinki to Oslo was perfectly acceptable. I enjoyed the blueberry juice, and the plane was nice. Though it would have been nice if the free messaging worked, and if we didn’t have to take a shuttle bus to the aircraft.
Have you flown on the Finnair A320 in Economy? How was your experience? Comment below!
Cheers,
Ty
Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!
