Time for another Snapshot this time focusing on the passenger experience aboard Finnair AY10 on their Airbus A330-300 between Chicago O’Hare and Helsinki Vantaa in Economy Class
Check-in
Online check-in was completed 24 hours beforehand, for both the Chicago to Helsinki and Helsinki to London Heathrow segments.
At the airport, Finnair is located towards the far-left end of Terminal 5, next to the Turkish Airlines desks. There were some issues with my baggage (one bag was overweight – which was rectified quickly), whilst they wished to charge for the other one. A reminder of the oneworld rules and check through the policies indicated that the second bag could travel free.
Security
It took 25 minutes to use the side-line at Chicago O’Hare T5. Gone are the days of quick security checks at this terminal.
The Lounge
Finnair uses the Swissport lounge near Gate M13 (opposite the Delta lounge – which was previously the Air France-KLM lounge.
It was… a little tired to put it mildly.
Boarding
Boarding was from Gate M20, requiring a walk from the lounge. Boarding was well in progress by the time I had arrived.
The Aircraft
It’s a Finnair Airbus A33-300. This A330-300 has been refitted to the new cabin interior standard.
The seat
This is a refurbished Airbus A330, featuring Collins Aerospace AirLounge in Business Class, The HAECO Vector Premium seat in premium economy and HAECO Vector in Economy Class.
The seat has the usual recline motion. In addition, the seat slides forward to give a deeper recline.IFE
Inflight Entertainment is powered by Panasonic Avionics NEXT system – the first time for me to see this in flight.
It featured a vairy of content, with Panasonic’s new mapping solution – ARC installed on it.
There were USB-A and USB-C ports in the IFE monitor installed, with no mains power for economy passengers.
Pushback and Taxi
The aircraft was on time pushing back from Chicago O’Hare International, with only a short taxi out to a runway.
Connectivity
Connectivity was offered on this flight via the Nordic Sky portal that Finnair offers (powered by Panasonic Avionics). Pricing varied depending on connection length. As this was a night flight, I chose not to connect to the system
No free messaging option was provided.
Food and Beverage
A post-takeoff beverage run was complete, with wines, beers and soft drinks offered.
This was followed by the dinner service, with the only option on the meal tray – Vegetable Chow Mein Noodles. This was served with a quinoa salad and a pre-packaged brownie.
For the breakfast service, a muffin and drinks were offered.
Landing
The aircraft landed around 10 minutes early at Helsinki Airport and taxied to the 40 gates. As the passenger load was light disembarkation occurred quickly
Other pictures
The full review of Finnair AY10 in economy class is coming soon.
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