Finnair it seems is cutting pennies across its passenger experience, with cuts in its catering service. Time to dive in to see where the axe will swing – and when you need to pack your own food.
Finnair Airbus A350-900 Marimekko – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
Long Haul Routes
In business class, two meal services will be offered. Depending on the flight schedule, the main meal is either breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Dinner comes with two starters, a main course with three options, cheese, and dessert.
On late-night departures, the first service is a lighter one and the main meal before landing is served before landing to maximise rest time, with drinks offered. For long-haul flights departing from Helsinki, you can pre-select your main course in Manage booking.
In Premium Economy Class, there will be two meal services: a main meal and a light meal or snack, depending on the route, as the second service. The main meal comes with a starter, a hot main course with two options, and a dessert. Complimentary beverages excluding sparkling wine, are included throughout the flight.
In Economy Class, one or two meal services will be offered depending on the route. On all long-haul flights, a set meal service with beverages, including a complimentary glass of wine or beer. On longer flights, the airline will also serve a light meal or a snack later.
However, if you’re flying on the New York and Dubai routes, no second service will be offered. A buy-on board offering will be available instead via an onboard menu. In addition, whilst blankets will be provided by the airline, pillows will not.
European Routes
Finnair Airbus A319 at Dublin Airport – Image, Economy Class and Beyond.
In Business Class on European flights, the meal service depends on the route. On short flights, we offer you a sandwich with a selection of beverages. On longer flights, we provide a hot main meal, a sweet and beverages.
For those who love Champagne, there will be unwelcome news, as Finnair replaces this with sparkling wine.
In Economy Class on European routes, the airline will continue to offer complimentary water and blueberry juice. Anything else will require purchasing – either by pre-ordering or buying onboard.
On very short flights (eg Helsinki-Tallinn), no service will be offered due to time allowances.
Going live…
Finnair will be taking these new options live from the 19th of April.
In Quotes
Eerika Enne, Head of In-flight Customer Experience at Finnair explained the changes
“Changes in our in-flight services are part of the many actions we are taking to restore Finnair’s profitability,”
“On long-haul flights, the main service in all travel classes is a filling meal, but the second service is lighter, either a light meal or a snack depending on the route and the flight time. On the shortest long-haul flights, New York and Dubai, there is no second meal service in Economy Class, but snacks and drinks are available for purchase from the onboard menu.”
“On European flights, Business Class meal service depends on the route, like before. The salads served on some flights will be replaced with a hot meal. In Economy Class, we continue to serve complimentary water and blueberry juice. You can purchase drinks and snacks from the onboard menu and pre-order meals before the flight,”
Penny Wise, Pound foolish.
8 hours and 5 minutes is a long time for just a single meal service – as a certain British Airline found out some time ago (and even faced my wrath) on a long haul service – and having the option of a buy-on-board.
And it leaves a sour taste for passengers who board hungry and are confronted with a buy-on-board menu after they’ve had their main meal.
The other cuts are… petty at best. Removing pillows, whilst arguing passengers bring their own is a weak argument. As for switching champagne for sparkling wine, whilst most won’t care (for bubbles in the air are bubbles in the air), it seems to be cutting for cutting sake, rather than delivering a passenger experience improvement – at least try to dress it up
I’m sorry. Whilst I do love Finnair (especially at the front of the aircraft), cuts are never welcome that will impact the passenger experience or passenger impression.
And trust me – it will leave a negative impression on customers.
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At the risk of sounding old, I can remember when airlines stocked vast numbers of pillows, even in economy, and you could ask for a second one (even a third sometimes) anytime you wanted.
As for the “sparkling wine”, did they say what kind and from where? I’ll happily drink a good (not Korbel) California product all day, but there’s some out there that are better suited to stripping paint off old cars before they’re refinished.
Your term is perfect for all this: petty