CHECK-IN I was booked on domestic flight AY447 from Helsinki to Kittila in Lapland, which was departing at 1110. The Finnair check-in desks are on an upper mezzanine level of Terminal 2, and three of them were open for this flight (206, 207 and 208). As I was travelling in a group, I couldn’t check-in online, so joined the short queue at one of the desks at 1000. I was processed quickly but was not issued with a boarding pass – my passport was enough, apparently.
BOARDING Boarding began at 1035 from Gate 22, which is located a short walk away. Being a “VIP”, I went through the congress centre on the floor above the check-in area, through a private security lane where all the usual procedures were in place – coats and belts off, laptops and liquids out. There was a huge scrum of people waiting to board at the bottom of the stairs leading down to the gate, but I was given priority access through a separate channel, where my passport was scanned.
THE SEAT Seats on this flight were not pre-assigned but I managed to get a window seat just behind the wing (24A). The A321 is configured 3-3 (A-B-C, D-E-F) throughout in a single economy class cabin, and seats are upholstered in turquoise blue fabric with red flecks. The cabin looked clean and in good condition, and there were small in-flight entertainment screens overhead.
WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE? Measurements: Seat pitch is 30-31 inches, width is 18 inches and recline is three inches. If you need more legroom, opt for seats in exit rows 22, eight and one. Seats 9A and 9F also have more space as there is no seat in front. Beyond this, seats are all pretty much the same, so just try and get your preferred position by the window or aisle. (Avoid middle seats B and E if you are travelling alone.)
THE FLIGHT Take-off was at 1115 and at 1145 the snack service started. As I was sitting further back in the aircraft, the trolley took about 15 minutes to get to me, and when it did I had a choice of tea or coffee and a cheese roll. It was a nice enough gesture for a short flight such as this, but the roll wasn’t particularly nice – greasy bread with far too much butter inside. Passengers do also have the option of paying for cold and alcoholic drinks, and the guys next to me took full advantage of this, buying a can of beer and a brandy miniature each to start the day on.
ARRIVAL We started out descent into Lapland at 1220, landing on the tiny, snowy airstrip at Kittila airport at 1250. I noticed that the air traffic control tower had Christmas lights strung on top of it. We disembarked via steps from the front and back of the plane and walked across the tarmac to the terminal. (If you are arriving in winter, make sure you wrap up warm before getting off the plane as it can get up to -30°C out here.) As I was travelling only with hand baggage I walked straight through baggage reclaim, and out to the car park to meet my pick-up, which took less than five minutes.
VERDICT A punctual short-haul domestic flight with friendly crew and decent economy seating.
PRICE Internet rates for a return business class flight from Helsinki to Kittila started from €181 in January.
CONTACT finnair.com
Jenny Southan
