• Home
  • About
    • Where has GhettoIFE gone?
    • For PR’s and Agencies (Changes and Corrections)
    • Privacy Policy
  • Snapshots
  • Trip Reports
  • Travel Plus…
    • … Technology
    • … Photography

Economy Class & Beyond

You are here: Home / Trips / Helsinki 2 / TRIP REPORT: Doing it for the Tier Points – AY1332 London Heathrow Terminal 3 to Helsinki Airport (Business Class/A350)

TRIP REPORT: Doing it for the Tier Points – AY1332 London Heathrow Terminal 3 to Helsinki Airport (Business Class/A350)

22/09/2022 by Kevincm

AY1332 – London Heathrow Terminal 3 to Helsinki Airport
Doing it for the Tier Points

Doing it for the tier points cover image

  • And once again, welcome to the Tier Point Enrichment Centre
  • What can you do with about three hours and a bit of sleep? (Coach, Heathrow Airport and Lounge)
  • Finnair AY1332 London Heathrow to Helsinki (Business Class/A350)
  • Planes, Trains, Boats and Trams – Into Helsinki and slightly beyond
  • Crowne Plaza Helsinki
  • A Morning walk around Helsinki 
  • Back to Vantaa, Finnair Non-Schengen Lounge
  • Finnair AY1337 Helsinki to London Heathrow (Business Class/A350)
  • Heathrow wows, Euston moans, and Rugby looks pretty
  • 320 Tier Points, Done
AY1332 London Heathrow Terminal 3 to Helsinki Vantaa Airport
Finnair, 1A, Business Class
Airbus A350-900 
80 Tier Points Earned, 2,260 Avios Earned

I suppose this isn’t something you do every day of the week – board a wide-body aircraft from airstairs.

a man climbing up a plane
Up we go.

the engine of an airplane
I like my Rolls Royce engines large. And in pairs.

an airplane wing on a runway

a plane parked at an airport
It’s going to be a fine night tonight, it’s going to be a fine day tomorrow. 

I should be grateful that it was not raining that day – rather it was one of the hottest days of the year instead.

I was welcomed aboard and turned left to Seat 1A.

a white object in a plane

The cabin itself is still the first-generation Finnair A350 product, based on the Safran (Zodiac) Cirrus seats.

a seat with a pillow on it a screen on a plane a screen on the side of a plane a group of people sitting in an airplane

There’s nothing wrong with this reverse-herringbone seat – I find it to be pretty comfortable (even if it can be a little bit of a rocking chair some days). Again, it s finished in Nordic Greys, which makes it very cool looking.

Combined with Nordic blues during boarding it gives off a cooling effect.

I settled into the seat, with my passport going in the side bin and everything else heading up to the overhead bin.

a device on a wall
Seat console controls 

I should have changed the seat to 2A really for some more window coverage – for some angles, you end up contorted in different angles to get a photo.

No matter. 1A is still the first seat on the aircraft (behind those up front).

an airplane on the tarmac
The next-door neighbours

As the aircraft boarded, the captain apologised for the delay, reiterating there were delays for stand guidances and stairs to arrive. I could also see that whilst loading was going apace, there was no way we would be going to depart on time.

Eventually, boarding was completed. It was a matter of waiting for cargo and luggage to go.

a screen on a plane
Gotta love both tail-cam and wheel-cam.

With it loaded, our A350 got underway an hour and 2 minutes late.

a group of airplanes on a runway

a plane parked at an airport
All the different tails 

Thankfully considering its location, we had a quick taxi out to the main runway. Meanwhile, the crew conducted their safety briefing.

a screen with a picture of an airplane

a hand holding a poster of a passenger seat a hand holding a poster of an airplane
Safety Card

a screen on a plane

With that done, the aircraft taxied out on the runway and queued up to depart.

a group of airplanes on a runway

a plane on a runway
British Airways Airbus A320 

an airplane on a runway an airplane on a runway
Air Canada Boeing 737 MAX 8, heading to St Johns. 

With a roar, the A350s Trent engines powered up to commence the flight to Helsinki.

 

a large airplane on a runway
American Airlines Boeing 777  a row of airplanes on a runway
A line of British Airways tails 

an airport with a plane in the background
Up we go

an aerial view of a city

With the aircraft in the air, the cabin crew came to do a hot towel service. They then disappeared behind the curtains to prepare for service.

a hand holding a white towel in front of an airplane

I took the time to get online and reconnect with the world. Finnair uses the Pansonic Avionics connectivity service, with custom branding over it.

a screen on a plane

a screenshot of a phone a screenshot of a phone a screenshot of a phone

The speed of the service was more than passable, as the speed tests show. Using online was passable – though posting images and media was not a pleasant experience.

a screen shot of a phone

As for streaming media, that is a no-no on the Nordic Sky platform.

Eventually, the cabin crew came out to do their lunch service. They also combined the drinks service due to the flight length – with a 2-hour 20-minute flight being quoted by the captain.

The fact that most flights on this segment have been under this raises an eyebrow or two.

Lunch today was beef lasagna. If you are feeling a sense of deja-vu, this is the same main meal I had last time. The side salad had been changed to a sliced beef cold salad, however.

a tray of food and a bottle of wine on a table
The tray

a plate of food on a tray
Lasanage

a plate of food on a table
Beef side.

a spoon and bowl of soup on a tray
Karl Fazer’s best. 

I think the caterers must have a bulk deal on beef from the looks of things.

A cookie was served as dessert. I also took gin and tonic because this rye gin is the bee’s knees.

a glass of water and a can of soda

With the service complete, I tried to get a bit of shut-eye, as the few hours of sleep were catching up on me.

All too soon, however, the cabin was being prepared for landing, with the aircraft 20 minutes out from Helsinki.

aerial view of land and blue sky people sitting in a plane a white airplane with a tv and a screen

I put the seat back into the landing position and re-stowed my stuff and settled in as the aircraft made its way to its home base

an aerial view of land and water an aerial view of a landscape an aerial view of a city aerial view of a landscape

With ease, the Airbus A350 landed at its home base at Helsinki Airport.

Conditions looked a lot nicer than they were previously when I was in Helsinki last, with it sunny all over.

a view from a window of an airport

Whilst I suspect a few people were connecting flights here, no announcement was made for connections.

an airplane on the runway a group of airplanes on a runway an airplane on the runway

The aircraft taxied over to Gate 48, where the engines were powered down.

With the engines off, both of the jetbridges attached, I grabbed my things. The jetbridge on 2L first attached, allowing people off, and then the one at 1L joined too. I was invited by the crew to exit the aircraft that way.

I thanked the crew and headed off into Helsinki.

Overall: A little disappointing to see the crew compress the service, dropping the welcome drinks service and squeezing the service in the name of “it’s a short flight” when this segment has been a constant 2-hour and 20-minute leg.

The quality of the onboard food was good, along with the beverages when offered. The lack of connections announcements too was a little concerning – considering Helsinki can handle tight transfers too.

Whilst the hardware is more than passable, it was not Finnair’s best foot forward on this flight.

Next: Trains, Boats and Trams – Into Helsinki and slightly beyond


Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond. Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, featuring in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.

Follow me on Twitter at @EconomyBeyond for the latest updates! You can follow me on Instagram too!

Also, remember that we are part of the BoardingArea community, bringing you the latest frequent flyer news from around the world.

Related

Filed Under: Helsinki 2, Trip, Trip Reports, Trips

  • Bluesky
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Mastodon
  • RSS
  • Threads

Recent Posts

  • Cathay Pacific to return to Adelaide for the winter
  • Aer Lingus to set off to Cancún, Mexico
  • STARLUX Airlines to connect Tapei to Phoenix Sky Harbour
  • Wizz Air takes delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR, with Pratt & Whitney Engines
  • TRIP REPORT: The Other Shoe Drops. Was it Worth it? Springtime Transatlantic Adventures

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates daily and to hear what's going on with us!

Privacy Policy
Copyright © Economy Class & Beyond All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Economy Class & Beyond with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.