FINNAIR - new Business Class AirLounge seat

Just had my first experience with the AirLounge and thought I would add some comments in case it helps anyone.

Seat: 9/10 (me), 5/10 (my parents)
The seat itself divided opinion amongst my family. I loved it - the extra width was really noticeable and I appreciated the ability to relax in different positions (sit cross-legged, curl up, sleep on my side etc.). The only issue for me was that the seat itself felt slightly hard when sleeping on my side.

My parents didn't like it. The main issue was lack of back support since the seat does not recline and Finnair only provide a couple of small pillows. My mum also felt the seat was very deep which made it harder to get comfortable.

So I think it is a good seat if:
- You tend to be 'restless' - relaxing or sleeping in various positions
- You value privacy, since the seat has very high walls

And a bad seat if:
- You like reclining or value back support (Finnair could fix this by providing a big cushion or ideally a wedge cushion for an "in-between" reclined position).

Other aspects of the service:

Cabin service: 9/10 - we were well looked after by two experienced FAs who were excellent, striking the fine balance between friendliness and professionalism very well.
Meals: 7/10 - for a 12 hour flight they served a light breakfast just after takeoff and a full meal around 8 hours in. Not ideal if you're hungry! But the meal itself was excellent and the FAs were proactive in offering drinks and snacks throughout the flight.
IFE: 7/10 - good selection of movies but I felt the TV offerings were a bit light for such a long flight (usually just 5 episodes of a few popular sitcoms).
 
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Helpful review, @Chrizztofa, thank you.

Did you see anyone asking for extra pillows and were they given? I wonder if they'd even help the issue your mother experienced (which I've read others say as well)...
 
They don't have spare/extra pillows unless there is an empty J seat. And I doubt they would provide any decent lumbar support as were very squishy.
 
Helpful review, @Chrizztofa, thank you.

Did you see anyone asking for extra pillows and were they given? I wonder if they'd even help the issue your mother experienced (which I've read others say as well)...
I flew Finnair from HND to HEL and witnessed someone being given an additional pillow. J wasn't full though and they could easily have been given a pillow from an empty seat.
 
Thanks @Chrizztofa. What route did you fly?
AY142 BKK-HEL. Departure was on time (0715) and we landed about 30 minutes ahead of schedule.

Connecting in HEL was very quick and easy, but one other area in which Finnair will struggle to compete with the ME3 is the fact that any connection is on short-haul aircraft without lie flat beds and IFE.
 
IME BA has the best J pillows, full size. Much larger than QF and AYs two small.

J was full when I flew AY and those who asked for another pillow were told sorry no spares on board.
 
AY142 BKK-HEL. Departure was on time (0715) and we landed about 30 minutes ahead of schedule.

Connecting in HEL was very quick and easy, but one other area in which Finnair will struggle to compete with the ME3 is the fact that any connection is on short-haul aircraft without lie flat beds and IFE.

Thanks - I'm on that flight in December; only a 1hr connection to AY to DUS (what was I thinking! - but not a critical connection). What lounge at BKK (for me to fill up at!)

Did you see anyone asking for extra pillows and were they given? I wonder if they'd even help the issue your mother experienced (which I've read others say as well)...

I'll be after those, too.

I thought the pillows on offer were quite adequate.

Young bloke! Just you wait a few years ... :)
 
Thanks - I'm on that flight in December; only a 1hr connection to AY to DUS (what was I thinking! - but not a critical connection). What lounge at BKK (for me to fill up at!)
AY will direct you to a 3rd party lounge(Plaza?). If you have status with Oneworld the CX or QR one is the way to go. I went on that flight in April, QR was shut and CX had just opened so not to busy as well.
 
AY will direct you to a 3rd party lounge(Plaza?). If you have status with Oneworld the CX or QR one is the way to go. I went on that flight in April, QR was shut and CX had just opened so not to busy as well.
AY use the Miracle lounge at BKK. They have both F and J lounges there and you'll get an invitation to the F lounge if you are OWE. Not sure if they are any good, most people seem to prefer the CX and QR lounges.

I believe the CX lounge opens around 3.30 as their website indicates they open 3 hours before a CX flight, and CX616 departs at 6.30. This is earlier than indicated on the OW website which may not be updated. It was open when we arrived at 5am.

QR opens at 5.30, but as noted in another thread you need to be on a full fare (not light) business ticket to gain access.
 
AY use the Miracle lounge at BKK. They have both F and J lounges there and you'll get an invitation to the F lounge if you are OWE. Not sure if they are any good, most people seem to prefer the CX and QR lounges.

I believe the CX lounge opens around 3.30 as their website indicates they open 3 hours before a CX flight, and CX616 departs at 6.30. This is earlier than indicated on the OW website which may not be updated. It was open when we arrived at 5am.

QR opens at 5.30, but as noted in another thread you need to be on a full fare (not light) business ticket to gain access.
QR denies access for AY light tickets??

How do the staff know you’re on a light ticket from another airline?
 
So I managed to book 4 * AY J SIN-HEL-LIS awards on QFF points for July next year. I was pleasantly surprised that AY offers 4 * J classic awards on QFF points.

I have never tried AirLounge so want to check which are the best seats for SIN-HEL leg on A350 for all 4 of us?

HEL-LIS is on their A321s. Are there any picks on seating for this route?

Finally, which lounge should we use at SIN? I never used OW lounge at SIN, always SQ SilverKris lounge in the past.
 
I have never tried AirLounge so want to check which are the best seats for SIN-HEL leg on A350 for all 4 of us?
I'd say take those by the window if wanting to sit solo and in the middle if wanting to sit together.

HEL-LIS is on their A321s. Are there any picks on seating for this route?
This will be euro business meaning normal economy seats in a 3-3 config however they leave the middle seat free and only sell window and aisle seats so kind of 2-2.

Finally, which lounge should we use at SIN? I never used OW lounge at SIN, always SQ SilverKris lounge in the past.
Qatar is probably the best pick:

Otherwise the Qantas business lounge is still good:

Finnair at check in may point you towards the Average Marhaba lounge. You technically also have access to the BA lounge and can visit all the above. If oneworld emerald then the Qantas First lounge is an option.
 
So I managed to book 4 * AY J SIN-HEL-LIS awards on QFF points for July next year. I was pleasantly surprised that AY offers 4 * J classic awards on QFF points.

I have never tried AirLounge so want to check which are the best seats for SIN-HEL leg on A350 for all 4 of us?

HEL-LIS is on their A321s. Are there any picks on seating for this route?

Finally, which lounge should we use at SIN? I never used OW lounge at SIN, always SQ SilverKris lounge in the past.
Similarly we have QFF reward flights next year for 2 people from SIN to AGP , have opted for solo seats to one side 2A/3A; as we have no status with AY the seat selection is showing as "preferred"; so suspect we may get bumped ? As a foursome you might prefer the to select one entire row 1/2/1 or opt for 2x2 in the centre. As @henrus has suggested the Qatar lounge looks to be the best option in SIN, which is the lounge we intend to try first. On the A321 Euro business flight we have opted for 2A/2C. (guided by Seatguru on this one)
 
I'd say take those by the window if wanting to sit solo and in the middle if wanting to sit together.


This will be euro business meaning normal economy seats in a 3-3 config however they leave the middle seat free and only sell window and aisle seats so kind of 2-2.


Qatar is probably the best pick:

Otherwise the Qantas business lounge is still good:

Finnair at check in may point you towards the Average Marhaba lounge. You technically also have access to the BA lounge and can visit all the above. If oneworld emerald then the Qantas First lounge is an option.

Which seats would have the most legroom? Given it is overnight flight I think I will sleep most of the time. Unfortunately my 2 kids will attempt to watch TV all the way .....

Will check out both QR and QF lounge if time allows. I just need to book a flight from SYD-SIN to connect to this flight sometime down the track. Hopefully QF will open up SYD-SIN flights, even if it is Y only.
 
Which seats would have the most legroom? Given it is overnight flight I think I will sleep most of the time. Unfortunately my 2 kids will attempt to watch TV all the way .....

Will check out both QR and QF lounge if time allows. I just need to book a flight from SYD-SIN to connect to this flight sometime down the track. Hopefully QF will open up SYD-SIN flights, even if it is Y only.
We had the middle seats for our flights. The seat itself should be long enough for most people - I'm 180cm and had no issues with legroom. I can't speak for the window seats but I imagine they aren't too dissimilar.

In case you aren't aware, the opening hours for the QF lounge vary depending on the day of the week. At the latest it opens at 1.50pm (as KLM use the lounge for KL835 to DPS at 4.50pm). I believe the QR lounge opens at 6pm.

If you can't get your bags through-checked and need to collect them in SIN, you can also use the early check-in facility at the Jewel from 12pm onwards for Finnair (and all day with Qantas if you're flying them on the way back).
 
We had the middle seats for our flights. The seat itself should be long enough for most people - I'm 180cm and had no issues with legroom. I can't speak for the window seats but I imagine they aren't too dissimilar.

I agree. The seats/legroom seem to be longer than most. I'm 178cm and had heaps of room to spare. I think @Princess Fiona said the bulkheads had wider foot wells too?
 

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