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Finnair new long haul menus
I have flown Finnair long haul a number of times and generally enjoy the food. I would rate it as on par with BA, sometimes better and above KLM.
Finnair has now launched its summer menus, and there are some delicious-sounding dishes, although I am not sure slow-cooked beef is a summer dish!
The summer menu, running until October 29, 2024, is inspired by Nordic summer flavours. Business Class guests travelling long-haul can choose a starter from salmon sashimi, shrimp tartlet, and summer vegetables.
For the main course, Finnair’s Business Class customers can choose from three dishes: beef and fish, or a third option that depends on the route. The beef option is a slow-cooked beef in a dough crust with mushroom duxelle, root puree, roasted vegetables and red wine sauce. The fish dish will be a panko-coated rainbow trout, sauteed leek, and roasted vegetables with horseradish and mustard. I have had the previous trout on board a few times, and it is very good.
The drinks menu has also been updated for the new season, with a summery rosé wine.
Sami Oksava, Finnair Development Chef, said: “When planning onboard dining, we take into account route destinations, flight times and schedules, and the typical customer demographic of those flying on particular routes.
“On our long-haul flights from Helsinki to Singapore, Nagoya, Hong Kong and Shanghai, our in-flight service concept has been renewed to account for the late departure time of the flight and to benefit our customers.
“On these routes, we first offer a light meal in Business Class and a delicious brunch before the flight lands. Business Class brunch consists of breakfast-style starters and dessert selection, as well as three main courses to choose from. We also offer in Premium Economy and Economy classes brunch style lighter meals on these routes before landing.”
Business Class customers – and Premium Economy travellers on flights departing from Helsinki – can select their preferred main course in advance when flying long-haul via Finnair’s Manage booking service.
Premium Economy Class customers on long-haul flights can opt for a high-quality main meal and a lighter second meal or snack. Complimentary hot and cold refreshments and alcoholic beverages (excluding sparkling wine) are also available throughout flights.
More information about Finnair’s summer menu can be found on their Nordic Kitchen page.
IHG Sale 20% off
IHG Hotels & Resorts has just launched a limited time summer travel sale across UK, Ireland Europe, Asia and Pacific islands.
The sale is on until 27 June with up to 20% off hotel stays until the end of September 2024 at select properties across a range of IHG Hotels & Resorts brands including their luxury brands as well as the more budget conscious ones: Hotel Indigo, Kimpton, InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, voco, Vignette Collection and more.
IHG is offering up to 15% off on bookings with participating hotels across hundreds of locations in the UK, Ireland, Europe, Asia and Pacific islands. IHG One Rewards members will receive an additional 5% when booking. It’s free to join, so you may as well get the extra 5% off. Make sure you are logged into IHG Rewards to see the extra discount.
You can stay between 16 June – 30 September 2024.
The catch is that bookings must be made at least three days in advance of arrival and are non-refundable and cannot be changed, with full payment for the entire stay to be made at time of booking.
You can find all the details on the offer page here.
New Virgin Hotel London
It was announced yesterday that the Mondrian Shoreditch will transform into a Virgin hotel on 1 August 2024 with reservations opening in early July. Virgin Hotels have a distinctive look for their hotel rooms, so I’m guessing at some point the hotel will undergo a renovation. This means that instead of being part of Ennismore and Accor, the hotel will have its own Virgin Hotel loyalty scheme, and you will be able to earn Virgin points on your stay at some point in the future.
The hotel already has a Virgin hotels vibe with its outdoor rooftop pool and modern rooms. Plus trendy Shoreditch is the ideal location for a modern brand such as Virgin Hotels.
Sir Richard Branson said, “I’m absolutely delighted that Virgin Hotels Collection will be opening a Virgin hotel in London. Since the inception of Virgin Hotels, we’ve had our sights set on London; a place that so many of our customers either call home, or name as one of their favourite destinations – and of course is where Virgin’s story started.
“At Virgin, we’ve been smartly disrupting the travel industry for more than 40 years, from land to air to sea – our success comes from identifying where we can make a difference. London is a natural addition to the Virgin Hotels Collection, and I can’t wait for our customers to experience it.”
You can sign up for updates on the hotel on their official page here.
