Finnair Business, London Heathrow – Helsinki Vantaa, Airbus A350-900 : Clean !

While our flight was “Go to gate”, we left the lounge at the initial boarding time whereas it was still not announced.

As a reminder, here is the itinerary followed:

#TypeReview
1DiarySummer vacations in Thailand
2LoungeCathay Pacific First Class Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal 3
3FlightFinnair Business Class, London Heathrow – Helsinki Vantaa, Airbus A350-900
4LoungeSalon Finnair Business Class, Helsinki Vantaa
5FlightFinnair Business Class, Helsinki Vantaa – Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Airbus A350-900
6HotelSheraton Grande Sukhumvit, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok
7HotelKimpton Maa-Lai, Bangkok
8DiaryBangkok J1
9DiaryBangkok J2
10RestaurantRestaurant Saneh Jaan, Bangkok
11LoungeBangkok Airways Lounge, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi
12FlightBangkok Airways Economy, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi – Koh Samui, Airbus A319
13HotelVana Belle, a Luxury Collection Resort, Koh Samui
14DiaryKoh Samui J1
15DiaryKoh Samui J2
16LoungeBangkok Airways Blue Ribbon Lounge, Koh Samui
17FlightBangkok Airways Economy, Koh Samui – Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Airbus A320
18HotelThe Peninsula, Bangkok
19RestaurantLe Normandie, Bangkok
20LoungeJapan Airlines Sakura Lounge, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi
21FlightFinnair Business Class, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi – Helsinki Vantaa, Airbus A350-900
22LoungeFinnair Business lounge non-Schengen, Helsinki Vantaa
23FlightFinnair Business Class, Helsinki Vantaa – Londres Heathrow, Airbus A350-900
Today’s itinerary

Boarding

It’s a pretty long walk from the Cathay Pacific First lounge to gate 36 where our flight to Helsinki leaves today.

Nevertheless, after a good 10 minutes walk to the gate, the boarding has still not started and we will wait 5 more minutes before the boarding starts.

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The procedure is simple and the boarding of the group 1 begins, and we proceed to the latter which will be carried out in a very courteous way.

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Cabin and reception

As always at Heathrow, the jetways are blind, and we quickly arrive at the gate.

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The flight attendant shows us the way to the left in the first aisle, where the window seats are located.

I’m surprised because I thought I’d see the new cabin deployed by Finnair right now, but it’s the old Business Class cabin, which is already very good, configured with Cirrus seats similar to those deployed on Air France on their Boeing 777-300ERs and their BEST cabins.

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But I prefer the tones and colors of the Finnair cabin.

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While boarding is underway, there will be no welcome service.

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The cabin is equipped for a medium-haul aircraft, so no comfort kit or blanket but a large comfortable pillow.

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We will leave about ten minutes behind schedule, but the taxi will be short and we will be in the air quickly.

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After the takeoff, I will benefit from the Wifi, the connection is simple.

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Service and catering

A few minutes after takeoff, the service begins.

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A first service of aperitif is proposed. I’ll have a blueberry juice, a Finnish specialty, and a mignonette of Joseph Perrier. No small snack with the aperitif, surprising.

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Once this stage is over, comes the meal itself. A meal, common to all passengers, is proposed.

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There will be no paper menu on this flight, nor even a presentation of the items on the tray.

I will have my meal with Joseph Perrier and Perrier but without Joseph!

As a starter, a potato salad accompanies a roasted meat (which I assume is pork).

For the main course, excellent beef cheek lasagna will be served, a real treat.

Warm bread is offered, I’ll use it with butter and sauce on my lasagna.

The dessert will be very basic since it will be a chocolate cookie in plastic that I will take on the next flight.

At the end of the meal, I will decline the offer of coffee or tea so as not to prevent me from sleeping on the next flight.

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Arrival and disembarkation

We arrive at the gate a few minutes ahead of schedule. Even though the jetway takes a few minutes to set up, we are perfectly on time in the terminal.

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London being considered as a “safe” destination, we can disembark directly in the non-Schengen boarding lounge, avoiding an additional security check.

Bottom line

An excellent flight for my first time on Finnair. Even if the crew is a bit robotic in its service and the interactions are cold and unsmiling, the service is very well done, and what a pleasure to have a wide-body aircraft for a medium-haul flight!

Finnair Business, Londres Heathrow - Helsinki Vantaa, Airbus A350-900 : Propre !

Siège et cabine
Catering
Service
Ponctualité
Rapport Expérience / Prix

Très bien

Un excellent vol pour ma première fois sur Finnair. Même si l’équipage est un peu robotique dans son service et que les interactions sont froides et peu souriantes, le service est très bien fait, et quel plaisir d’avoir un appareil wide-body pour un vol moyen courrier !

Olivier Delestre-Levai
Olivier Delestre-Levai
Olivier has been into airline blogging since 2010. First a major contributor to the FlyerTalk forum, he created the FlyerPlan website in July 2012, and writes articles with a major echo among airline specialists. He now co-runs the TravelGuys blog with Bertrand, focusing on travel experience and loyalty programs.
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