Finnair is to roll out its fully-flat business class seat across its long-haul fleet by autumn 2014.
The carrier currently offers a fully-flat product on four of its newest Airbus A330 aircraft, featuring a 79-inch bed with 23 inches of shoulder room, individual reading light, adjustable head rest, mood lights and “a range of inflight entertainment options”. (For more details, published when Finnair originally unveiled the seat in late 2009, click here.)
The seat will now be rolled out across all of Finnair’s A330 and A340 aircraft, with the exception of “three older aircraft”, which are due to be replaced by A350 XWBs in 2015.
The rollout is scheduled to be completed by the autumn of next year, with Finnair investing a total of €29 million into the project.
Commenting on the move Anssi Komulainen, the carrier’s senior vice president, customer service, said:
“The full flat experience has been very well received by customers in business class. We believe that the key to Finnair’s success in a very competitive market is to differentiate on service, and this substantial investment in the comfort of passengers helps us in this long-term aim. Full flat seats are the new standard for quality-conscious customers, and for Finnair.”
Finnair will begin taking delivery of 11 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft in the second half of 2015, becoming the first European airline to fly the next-generation aircraft.
The carrier is also in the process of revamping its in-flight meal choices, and has commissioned Finnish design house Marimekko to refresh its aircraft interiors from this spring.
For more information visit finnair.com.
Report by Mark Caswell
