It’s time for a new series of Snapshots for a new trip.
This one will look at the passenger experience aboard Finnair 99 between Helsinki Vantaa and Hong Kong International in Business Class.
I’m sure you’re all aware of how I do this travel writing thing by now. But for those reading this for the first time, I have two major travel writing styles:
- Trip Reports – These are full deep-dive reports taking you into the experience, the small things… as well as the big things!
- Snapshots – These are bite-sized reviews that show you the product in some gentle headlines (and normally, only images shot on the phone)
We’re on the Snapshot in this post. I’ll be doing this series of posts a little out-of-order… mainly to entertain myself, but to concentrate on some of the more interesting bits first.
Booking
This ticket was part of a Tier Point run ticket with Finnair, taking me from Stockholm Bromna to Singapore. For this portion of the ticket, I was booked in business class.
Check-in
Online check-in was conducted earlier in the day, with issues with seat assignments. This was fixed by re-entering my BA frequent flyer number, which unlocked the seating for free.
I had picked up my boarding passes at Stockholm Bromma Airport. No bags were checked through for this flight.
Security
Upon arrival at Helsinki Airport, I was in the main terminal area. This meant a 20-minute walk from Gate 8 to the Schengen Border and a further 10 minutes to the Finnair Lounge.
Lounge
The Finnair Non-Schengen Lounge (located near Gate 50) was used.
I managed to use the lounge for just under 40 minutes before the lounge closed for the evening.
Food and Drink were available to obtain up to 15 minutes before the lounge closing.
Although the barperson makes a very mean Gin and Tonic.
With the lounge closing before the flight, I took the shortcut exit out of the lounge.
Boarding
Boarding was from Gate 46 with priority boarding enforced – one part of the gate for premium passengers, the other for Economy passengers.
The Plane
That night, a Finnair Airbus A350-900 would take me to Hong Kong.
This was configured in a three-class configuration with Business Class, Premium Economy, and Economy Class.
We’ve covered what Premium Economy and Economy Class look like in this post.
The Seat
Like the rest of the Finnair Airbus A350 and Airbus A330 aircraft, this is fitted with the Collins Aerospace Airlounge seat. This has one powered mechanical moving part and a manually controlled part. This has a deep leg area, allowing for a full flatbed experience.
IFE
A Pansonic IFE screen was installed. This had access to the content server, which had a mixture of films, TV series and so on loaded on the aircraft.
There was an earphone jack embedded in the seat side. USB-C and USB-A outlets were also located here, whilst a mains outlet was located at floor level.
An inductive charging point was also provided.
Connectivity
Finnair offers its Nordic Sky connectivity product. Business Class passengers had one of hour free connectivity. v
Food and Beverages
A full food and drinks service was provided, with dinner and breakfast for those who wanted it.
This started with welcome drinks.
A menu was at the seat. Two options were offered for the first service and three options for the arrivals service.
Beef Burgundy Stew
Panned Fried Salom with Scrambled Eggs
Arrivals and Transfer
The aircraft arrived at Hong Kong International a little later than scheduled. Upon landing, passengers were funnelled off the aircraft. For those who need a Cathay Pacific Transfer desk, head to W1, not E1 and E2 to transfer.
You’ll find the transfer desks a lot easier that way, especially if your boarding pass bounces.
Other Pictures
The full review of Finnair and its Business Class Suite product is coming soon.
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