CHECK-IN Finnair passengers can check-in online up to 36 hours in advance, however, when I tried to do so it would not allow me to because I was travelling in a group. Once I arrived at Zone G in London Heathrow’s Terminal 3, I went straight to the Finnair business class desk where there was no queue, and successfully checked in for my 1610 flight. (Business class passengers can check-in up to 30kg of luggage although I was only travelling with hand baggage.)
By 1410 I was upstairs and heading through fast-track security, which was also very quiet, with only one person ahead of me. Bags, belts and boots came off, and laptops came out. My plastic bag of liquids was also scanned. Before passing through into the airside shopping area I went through passport control.
THE LOUNGE Finnair is currently using the Cathay Pacific Oneworld lounge (A), which is accessed via a series of narrow corridors and then up in a tiny lift to level two, making it quite hidden away. I was told that a new Cathay Pacific Oneworld lounge will be opening in spring 2010.
Cathay Pacific’s first class facility is to the right and business class is to the left. The business lounge, which was very quiet when I was there on a Wednesday afternoon, has three separate seating areas with chunky armchairs and square coffee tables, a room with eight PC workstations, a couple of phone booths, a shelf with international newspapers, free wifi (password is “X8X”) and three showers. There is no natural daylight. Flatscreen TVs showed BBC News 24 and departure boards were on view in the main seating area.
A refreshment area was stocked with a few bottles of spirits, tea and coffee, cans of juice, Coke, beer and wine. Ice came from a dispenser but it was in little chunks, which meant it was difficult to drink your drink without getting a mouth full ice at the same time (there were no straws).
The food was very disappointing. In addition to cup noodles, small bowls of nuts, crackers and plastic packets of cheese, there were a few trays of very stale and old-looking sandwiches on cheap sliced bread. Even when a new batch was brought out they were equally unappetising, probably having been made at the same time.
BOARDING Flight AY840 to Helsinki started boarding at 1530, and I got to Gate 29, an eight-minute walk from the lounge, at 1540. There were only a few people ahead of me when I arrived and I was through quickly – there was a choice of newspapers (Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail) in the corridor leading to the plane via an airbridge. Despite the lounge and security being quiet, the plane was almost full, and there was a fair bit of congestion in the aisle as people struggled to stow their luggage and get to their seats. My coat was hung but there was no offer of a drink.
THE SEAT This Finnair A319 is configured 3-3 (A-B-C, D-E-F) in economy and 2-3 in business, and on this flight there were seven rows of business class divided from economy by a curtain. Seats are upholstered in bright blue fabric with flecks of red, and a number of small overhead in-flight entertainment screens are positioned throughout. On this flight, the safety demonstration video was shown on these monitors, as well as a travel documentary.
WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE? Seats D-E-F on the right-hand side of the cabin in business class have more storage space under them as they are wider than A-B-C seats. The fact that they are wider on this side also means that middle seat E is sold, whereas middle seat B is not. (Seats on the left-hand side of the plane have movable armrests that allow seats A and C to be made wider, reducing B to a seat that is effectively too narrow for anyone to sit in.)
The pitch is the same in both classes (33 inches), which means row one is the best for those wanting a little extra legroom. Choosing seats A or B means you will be guaranteed not to be sitting next to anyone else, but they are a little narrower than seats D-E-F, which have more under-seat storage space.
I was in window seat 7A, just in front of economy, which meant I was one of the last passengers in business to get served food and drink – if you are hungry, opt for one of the seats nearer the front.
THE FLIGHT Take-off was at 1630 – 20 minutes late. At 1650, hot towels were given out, and at 1700 the drinks trolley came round. I opted for a gin (Bombay Sapphire) and tonic, and this was accompanied by a bland packet of pretzel Sky Bites.
At 1730 I was presented with my meal – salmon fillet with linguini in cream sauce and roasted peppers, and potato and green leaf salad with pastrami. The tray also had metal cutlery wrapped in a disposable napkin, two glasses for wine/water, and a slice of coffee flavour mousse-like cheesecake.
Diners were offered a choice of warm white or granary rolls and another soft or alcoholic drink, plus tea or coffee. I was enjoyed the main course – the fish was cooked perfectly and the creamy pasta worked well with it. The dessert tasted rather synthetic and overly sweet, so I didn’t eat much of this.
ARRIVAL The landing was at 2055 local time (Finland is two hours ahead of the UK) and I was promptly off the plane, through passport control where there was no queue, and out of Terminal 2, from where I made the five-minute walk to the Hilton Helsinki-Vantaa Airport hotel. (For a review, click here.)
VERDICT The service from the very friendly crew made me feel relaxed and welcome, and the food was surprisingly tasty. With no queues at either airport to endure, the journey was pretty much stress-free. Finnair has a decent short-haul business class product that I would choose again.
PRICE Internet rates for a return business class flight from London to Helsinki in January started from £742.
CONTACT finnair.com
Jenny Southan
