NEWS: Finnair unveils their new business class for long haul

Even though Finnair has a modern business class currently in a 1-2-1 configuration, they have been hinting for weeks that something new would be unveiled. Today they have made a host of announcements about their long haul aircraft. All this is good news if you are a oneworld devotee. Currently, Finnair has some amazing prices on flights to Asia, so hopefully, they don’t rise massively when they get the new business class. 

Finnair’s new Business Class cabin will have the spacious new Collins Aerospace AirLounge™ seat. Finnair is the launch customer for this new seating concept that is to be rolled out across Finnair’s entire long-haul fleet of A330s and A350s.

The AirLounge is not a traditional aircraft seat but takes inspiration from lounge furniture. The seat is designed to maximise your comfort, space, and freedom to move during a long-haul flight. The style and colour scheme are in keeping with Finnair’s Nordic design style that is visible also in Finnair’s lounges in the non-Schengen area at Helsinki Airport. I really like the colour scheme. It feels very elegant but modern too. 

David Kondo from Finnair’s Customer Experience team, who led the design work for the new Finnair long-haul experience, said: “We wanted to rethink business class and create more of a residential environment, emulating the comfort you would expect at home. By doing away with complicated seat mechanisms and using 3D curved shells, we’re able to provide a larger flexible living space. This allows you to move more freely and take up different positions that traditional aircraft seats do not allow.”

The seat’s innovative fixed contoured shell with no recline enables a wide variety of sitting and sleeping positions: you can sit at different angles, rest your feet on the ottoman or use infill panels to create a large flat surface. A mattress and duvet turn the space into a comfortable bed, and you can use the cushy pillows to relax in a variety of sitting positions. The high cocoon-like shell of the seat provides privacy, while the divider between central seats can be lowered when travelling with a companion.

The lighting options in the seat allow tailoring the ambiance to your liking. Along with a customised lamp that doubles as a reading light, a do not disturb light is included which I always like. The in-seat lighting complements new cabin mood lighting designed in partnership with Jetlite to combat the effects of jetlag. The design scheme is inspired by Nordic nature, complete with the northern lights as the cabin is dimmed for sleep.

The various storage options within the seat include spaces for personal items, laptop, and all pillows and blankets; all certified for taxi, take-off, and landing, so customers can settle in right away and have their essential items conveniently at hand right from the start of the journey.
The flexible table can be used to read, dine or work. Each seat comes with a range of connectivity, including USB A, USB C, PC power, and wireless mobile charging. All of Finnair’s long-haul aircraft are equipped with internet connectivity. It’s a shame they didn’t include HDMI like Qatar which is great for watching your laptop content on a larger screen. 

The Inflight Entertainment System comes with a new more user-friendly, customised interface and a wider 18-inch screen, making time onboard fly.

All meals are served on new chinaware from Finnish design house Iittala. The Kuulas dining collection is designed by Harri Koskinen and inspired by the contemporary home environment. Each item in the collection is carefully designed with aviation in mind, making the collection efficient and lighter to support aircraft weight and CO2 reduction targets.

Although there will  be some new tumblers, I’m very glad that the iconic the Ultima Thule glass will still continue to be used in Finnair’s business class champagne serving. The new Kuulas tumblers, which are made in the Iittala Glass Factory in Finland, will also be later available for consumers to buy

Business Class customers will enjoy new meal and drinks offerings, including an up to six-course meal in modern bistro-style and another lighter meal.

In between meals customers can enjoy the new refreshment area located at the main entrance of the aircraft.

The Finnish fashion house, Marimekko has created unique pillows and a duvet for the Business Class, with Maija Isola’s iconic designs in soothing dark colours.

My opinion

With so many airlines going for suites in business class it’s interesting to see a new seat that breaks the mold. I personally like suites but this definitely has plenty of privacy even without doors. The whole cabin looks very elegant and modern too. I like the sound of the 6 course bistro menus, it reminds me of when BA used to do the tasting menu in First on the A380.  From the photos, it looks like there will be plenty of options for how you sit given the width of the area which is good to see so you can get comfortable. The lack of recline seems rather odd but I am guessing that they have trialed it so it’s comfortable. I guess the idea is with the large space you can maneuver yourself into whatever position you want. 

My only other concern so far is around sleeping. It looks like you sleep at an angle that will please those who didn’t like the current design due to its “coffin” like space for your feet. It remains to be seen how much room there is for sleeping as it’s hard to tell from the photos. It certainly looks like there is plenty of room in the shoulder area which can sometimes be a little cramped on other business class seats. There’s a mattress topper but the pillow looks pretty small to me which is a bit disappointing given most other airlines have gone to larger pillows.

Overall I think they have done a great job with the design and it sounds like they have put a lot of thought into the details, It’s also good that they are taking the time to reinvent the food and drink experience. I can’t wait to try the new business class seats so hopefully they don’t take too long to roll out.