My entire flight routing back to the United States was built around the chance to review the recently-reconfigured Finnair A330-300 in business class. My impression of the new seat was favorable, though I will need to try it on a flight longer than Helsinki to London to fully understand if it is comfortable or merely beautiful.
Finnair A330-300 New Business Class Review
This flight was booked with American Airlines miles as part of a one-way award from Doha to Chicago (details here).
With a 7:50 am departure time, I left Hotel St. George at 5:30 am. Oil prices spiked after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and I was surprised to see fuel at €2.25/liter and thus perhaps a little less surprised to be picked up by a Tesla Model 3 as my Uber X vehicle.
I arrived at dawn at the beautiful new Helsinki Airport passenger terminal and made my way to the gate. It was a very cold, but beautiful day.
Security lines were horrible at this early hour and there would be no time for the beautiful Finnair Platinum Wing or Business Lounge this morning.
Boarding began about 45 minutes prior to scheduled departure. I was giddy about the chance to try Finnair’s innovative new business class seat.
Finnair 1331
Helsinki (HEL) – London (LHR)
Thursday, March 10
Depart: 7:50 AM
Arrive: 9:10 AM
Duration: 3hr, 20 min
Distance: 1,151 miles
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
Seat: 3A (Business Class)
The jet bridge felt like it was a kilometer long, but I used that to my advantage to sprint down it and have a few extra seconds (minutes as it turned out) to take pictures of the new business class cabin.
Seat
As I stepped into the cabin, my first impression was that seat was as beautiful as the pictures. I loved the dark blue fabric over the chairs and the new AirLounge seat appeared wide and comfortable. The wood finishes in the cabin, including the main galley between business class and premium economy class, were also very attractive.
The cabin includes 28 AirLounge seats based on a Collins Aerospace platform, configured 1-2-1. These seats do not recline. Instead, they are designed like a couch or chair in which you can lean back (thus, the two Marimekko-branded pillows placed on each seat), but not recline the way most business class seats do.
Settling into my seat itself, 3A, I was impressed at the personal storage space, which included a large compartment on the side, a shoulder-level compartment for valuables (large enough for a laptop), and even space for items under the portion of the seat that flipped up to form the bed. Seats 1A and 1L have an additional storage cubby located to the side of the video screen. The potential downside is that 1A and 1L have a narrower footwell (though it is longer than other seats).
So how about that bed? I think many of us were concerned that it simply would not be large enough, especially because the cutout for your feet is angled. Keep in mind that unlike the Singapore Airlines business class seat, which flips down to create a bed, this seat truly does not recline at all. Instead, two leg rests flip up to create the fully lie-flat bed. You then slide forward to sleep, with the back of the seat never reclining.
I was concerned a reinforcement bar might also impede knee or ankle space as well, but it did not.
The seat is actually immensely large. I’m 6′ 1″ and had no trouble fully stretching out on my back or on my side. Even while stretching my toes there was plenty of room left over. I think this seat will receive high marks from taller people.
Here’s a video I took:
I expected the seat to be very comfortable while sitting and here is where it surprisingly fell a bit short. You simply lean back like you are sitting in a couch, but really need both pillows in order to be comfortable. Even then, I felt (like sitting on a couch for an extended period) that my neck and upper back were not properly supported.
By the end of the flight, I sat with my legs crossed (almost yoga style) in the seat. Now that’s pretty cool that the seat is large enough to make that possible. I’m not certain, though, that the seat is more comfortable overall than the current reverse herringbone seat on most of Finnair’s A350-900 fleet.
A thin blanket was provided. Expect a better blanket on longhaul flights.
Other features of the seat I quite liked included the very sturdy tray table (it flips out of the side) and the cell phone charging pad which made it so easy to charge my phone during the flight.
I also appreciated the spotlight reading light, easy-to-reach USB plug (both A and C ports), and a power port near the base of the seat, which was well-placed because it kept cords from your personal space.
Actual seat controls were limited: there was a button to extend the tray table, one to increase the brightness to the reading light, one to turn it off and on, and one to raise or lower the leg rest to create the bed.
Individual air vents are pleasant, which is always a positive thing, though the cabin was quite chilly on this flight and no further air was needed.
My only other complaint about the new business class seat was that the IFE remote control (technically called a passenger service unit) was located inside the side compartment and when in use, the door could not be closed (at least in my experience).
Lavatory
The reconfigured lavatory near door 2L includes a window overlooking the wing and plenty of room to move around. Hand soap and lotion were from L:A Bruket.
IFE + Wi-Fi
The IFE system was touch-screen and could also be controlled by a remote located in the side compartment. A library of selections including movies, TV shows, games, and audio, as well as information about Finnair, duty-free shopping, and a moving flight map.
Cheap disposable headphones were offered. On longhaul flights you can expect noise-canceling headphones.
Wi-Fi was available onboard, with business class passengers enjoying one hour of free service (which was more than enough for me during the short hop to London). I liked that the system indicated how many other passengers were online, which may provide a helpful indication of how fast your connection will be.
It was a beautiful day for flying so there was also great IFE right out the windows.
Food + Drink
Breakfast was served after takeoff, with no choice offered, just a scrambled egg dish served with fruit and a hot croissant or bread roll. The eggs had tomatoes and basil inside and were served with a fried potato and cooked spinach on the side. A hot towel was offered prior to breakfast.
As always on Finnair, I enjoyed a glass of blueberry juice and had a couple cups of coffee, which was strong, as well as a bottle of water.
Note that while you can expect the same type of meal if you take this route today, Finnair recently refreshed its tableware and (sadly) removed both the Iittala Ultima Thule glassware and the Marimekko crockery. I have no idea why, but that’s a topic for another time…
Service
I think many people just do not understand Nordic people because I consistently find the service to be excellent on Finnair while I often hear complaints from others. It was the first time this particular crew had flown with the new business class seat and so they were also acquainting themselves with the new product.
Drink refills were frequently offered and as the crew saw me take pictures of the cabin, several flight attendants offered to take my picture as well (I never let on that I am a travel blogger).
CONCLUSION
We landed to a fleet of British Airways planes at London Heathrow.
For a shorthaul flight, you cannot ask for a better seat. But on a longhaul flight I really question how comfortable this seat when sitting up for several hours. I liked the space of being able to sit cross-legged and stretch out when sleeping, but I tend to think the reverse-herringbone product Finnair is ripping out (on the A350, not A330) is slightly superior.
I am still very skeptical about sleep comfort in this seat.
Interesting. My sister and brother in law have just flown HEL-SIN with Finnair on the A350 and got the new seat. My sister thinks its amazing and it’s the only seat she now wants to fly long haul with. My brother in law hated it and never wants to see it again, let alone have to sit in it! She’s hoping on their return they will get it and he’s hoping for the older seat.
I haven’t seen it yet but will in a couple of months but only HEL-LHR but by their views, it’s a bit like Marmite.
Very interesting. I really need to try it on a longhaul flight to get a better personal sense for how I like it.
Nice review. One question about the seat. In sleeping position it looks like the seat belt would fasten across one’s throat. Is there another seat belt for sleeping? If not, what to do about turbulence?
Other than that, it looks like an interesting seat.
There’s a second seatbelt around where the seat flips up to form the bed. So when you are in the lie-flat position, you can use the lower seatbelt.
Have flown this seat from JFK. Location of seatbelt is not an issue. I do like the privacy and space. Was able to sleep without a problem but would note the extra space along the wall is a harder padding than center sleeping area. Definitely notice the the difference. Agree, sitting cross legged is most comfortable. Fine for young. Not sure about older folks.
I have flown this twice and can tell you the only more comfortable seat I’ve flown on is British airways first class which at 6 foot 3 is very comfortable. This Finnair seat has beaten EVERY other businesss class seat I have ever flown. Highly recommend
This is the first time I’ve ever read your blog. I’m an instant fan! Your review on the Business class seats on Finnair was excellent loved every word and the pictures were great. I’ve Flown with Finnair since the late 90’s and early 2000’s and they never disappoint. One thing though, the checking in process, would it be helpful just arriving several hours ahead of flight time so one can enjoy the lounge or was it too early for you to do that.
Unfortunately, the lounge opened just a few minutes before boarding for my flight began. Thanks for reading, Jack. Feel free to check out some of my older reports.
Why did you share old pics of the security queue?
Note the date of my flight – this trip was from spring.
I flew in this seat from Helsinki to BKK and back in December and I found it extremely comfortable.
It felt like holiday started the moment I sat in the seat. It was comfortable to work on my laptop and also I found many ways to sit with comfort playing on my steamdeck. You can also charge your devices in just about any way possible.
Sleeping was perfectly fine for me even though I am alightly above average hight and weight.
Just my 2 bits.
Appreciate your comment – thanks for sharing your experience.
There is a Priority Lane for Business Class at Helsinki Airport, when you go up the escalators.
I did use that, thankfully. There was still a huge line that wrapped all the way out to the escalator going upstairs.
I’ve read many of your reviews Matthew and always enjoy them and the pictures. Especially when you visit Helsinki 🙂
I agree that Finnair has fantastic service, especially in my own experience on long haul, in Econ and business classes. Generally speaking, the Finnish (or perhaps Nordic) approach is based on the value of personal space, so while you won’t have the overly chatty types of people in every interaction, I’ve found that when you do show an interest in engaging in chitchat (and the situation allows), that flight attendants and others can be very warm and friendly.
One note is that the airport has undergone a massive renovation, and the security lines are now very fast and efficient (including newer scanners that allow liquids to be kept inside etc.).
Thanks for the update RE: security. The new terminal is very beautiful. I look forward to flying through HEL again this year. I want to return for a spa day in the Platinum Wing!
This looks like a copy cat of the old SQ business class seat.