Lets Tallinn that again! AY3126 London Heathrow to Helsinki in Business Class
In this 200 Tier Point Adventure:
- 155 Tier points to go (because my mathematical skills are as bad as my grammatical skills)
- To the Heathrow area
- The Holiday Inn Ariel, London Heathrow
- To Heathrow, Revisiting the Cathay Pacific Lounge
- AY3126 London Heathrow to Helsinki in Business Class
- Can you transit Helsinki airport in 20 minutes flat?
- AY107 Helsinki to Tallinn
- Another walk around Tallinn… and an iPhone 7
- The Hotel Ülemiste
- Back to Tallinn Airport, Tallinn Airport Lounge
- AY118 Tallinn to Helsinki (ATR72-500)
- A quick visit to the Finnair Non-Schengen Lounges
- AY831 Helsinki to Heathrow in Business Class with an A350
- A Train adventure home
- Silver: Done.
AY3126 London Heathrow to Helsinki Vantaa
Finnair Airbus A319
Seat 4F, Business Class
80 Tier Points Earned, 1,134 Avios Base, 567 Cabin Bonus, 567 Tier Bonus
I was welcomed aboard and headed to my assigned seat of 4F. Originally, I had assigned 1A to myself – but discovered someone was booked to sit next door to me the day before. A quick seat change fixes that… and allows a lot more room to stretch out
In the middle seat, a blanket and pillow awaited me.
Pillow and blanket
What you’re paying for in EuroBusiness – the empty middle seat
A full empty row. Always nice.
Legroom – not that bad.
The seat itself is another slimline seat that European carriers love so much. This being Eurobusiness, the middle seat out of the bench of three would be free. The seat itself – whilst slimline – is pretty comfortable.
Again, the plane was very had a Nordic interior – even if the plastics were starting to yellow a bit if you knew where to look
Hello Virgin A330!
Waiting patiently… the de-icer unit
Coats were collected, and a paper run was done. However, our time on the ground was ticking along as a de-icer unit was waiting in the wings.
And it waited. And Waited. Apparently, an engineering fault occurred, so line maintenance was being sent to do a fix. As a result, we had a drinks service on the ground.
See. Proper glassware on the ground. Can be done airlines.
Ah. The repair crew is here! Sponsored in part by Etihad.
Meanwhile, my 1 hour 15 connection at Helsinki was being gnawed away.
40 minutes after our posted departure time, we were given the all clear to be de-iced.
Let it flow… Let it flow..
Let the de-icer liquid flow!
With the de-icing done, the safety video was played, and our little Airbus A319 was cleared to taxi.
British Airways Boeing 747-400
American Airlines Boeing 777-300ER
Qantas Airbus A380
Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9
A Virgin Atlantic A330 on tow
Terminal 4
British Airways A320 going for the takeoff
It didn’t help we had a taxi all the way to the bottom of runway 27L… but soon enough, the engines spooled into life, and AY3126 took to the sky.
Up we go.
Climb
The A319 wing.
Event though we were in the air late in the morning, mother nature gave one her great displays to welcome to the world.
I never get bored with views like this. Those who close the window blinds really don’t know what they miss in life…
With the plane in the air, the usual service messages were played in English and Finish (with heavy play on the order ahead/duty-free element), with the plane settling down for a gentle ride to Helsinki.
Hot towels were handed out.
With the plane levelling off, it was time for breakfast to be served. What catering wonders would be loaded aboard? Well, it was again an omelette, some cooked ham, and the usual cheesy spinach stuff.
Tray.
The meal
Pear Yogurt
Melon
Gotta loves the Marimekko designed cups.
I swear Finnair has brought in bulk the green spinach thing for the next centenary ice age or something, as it’s been a constant feature every flight I’ve been on (and you won’t be surprised to hear it featured on the return flight).
Again, a reasonably nice breakfast that’s served hot, with fresh fruit and a pot of bacterial fermentation of milk.
Drinks were offered with the service – regulars readers who know, will know what I went for…. heck – I paid the business class fare, I’m taking advantage of it.
Drinks trolley.
The flight settled into a gentle crossing across the North Sea, Scandinavia before heading to Finland.
Heck – I even got some sleep on the flight – the in-flight pillow was comfortable enough for that. Shame it wasn’t a flat-bed, but I’ll take what I can get on a short-haul flight.
With the plane heading toward Helsinki, the cabin was cleared down and secured for landing, with AY3126 heading downwards, and breaking the cloud layer.
Skimming the clouds
Going through….
It looks awful cold down there.
The A319 continued on its glide-path, descending towards Helsinki Vantaa
With a bump, our A319 completed the short journey. Sadly for us, there was a taxi ahead of us to get to the gate. Whilst the connection wasn’t at risk, it would mean getting a move on when we landed to make the connection.
Finnair A350 sitting in the cold of Helsinki Airport
One previously loved A340. Seeks new owner and love. Likes Jet1A a bit more than other planes.
With the plane getting to the gate – everyone got up for the mad rush that was ahead of us.
Overall: A friendly service by Finnair aboard AY3126 that was marred by a mechanical fault, and some long taxis – which when on a tight connection is never welcome. But the crew were welcoming and attentive.
Next: Can you transit Helsinki Airport in under 20 minutes flat?
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