Finnair Business Class Review

It was 8 years ago on my first ever trip to Europe that I experienced Finnair. I was travelling with my father who had not yet left the country, so we based our air ticket decision on the most affordable fare with a reputable airline (for a 30 hour journey, you want to be comfortable!)

On that trip we flew economy class and had no complaints about the fuss-free service en route to Helsinki, with a prompt connection on to Rome when we landed on the continent from Australia via Hong Kong.

Fast-forward eight years and I’m living the life I always dreamed of, travelling the world for a living and seeing new countries + cities every other day.

On this trip to Europe I was fortunate enough to experience Finnair’s business class product, as they were kind enough to support my trip to Europe whilst here promoting my book, World of Wanderlust, which has recently been translated and publish in Dutch (still can’t believe this is real life!!!)

Business Class with Finnair: The Seat

When purchasing a business class seat you will often pay more than double of an economy seat, so you want to know what you’re getting before you book. The good news is Finnair is up there with the top of the class in terms of their base product, offering very spacious BC seats with plenty of rom to move and the privacy you need to have a good nights rest (I slept 7 hours out of 10).

The seat converts in to a fully lie flat bed, complete with a pillow and doona to keep you comfy overnight. While not quite as fancy as the likes of Emirates or Qantas with their mattresses, the Finnair lie-flat bed still does the trick, and I’m sure my 7 hours of non-interrupted sleep can attest to that!

Business Class with Finnair: The Entertainment

As soon as I took my seat and got comfy I began to flick through the entertainment system. Although I planned to sleep the majority of my red-eye flight, I wanted to sneak in one film before bed to allow enough time to sample the food on offer for dinner. While the system itself was one of the most user-friendly I have experience in Business Class (very responsive, simple design, touch screen), the selections left a lot to be desired. I found a total of one movie I was slightly interested in, with most of the films being old releases and being the movie buff I am, I had already seen most of them.

Business Class with Finnair: The Food 

Prior to boarding my flight I flicked through other reviews of Finnair Business Class to see what would be on offer in terms of food, incase I would be better off to eat in the terminal before boarding. The food on board was extremely basic for business class – served in one single hit, no entrée, and very simple food (not something I would usually expect to be outstanding when in the air, but some other airlines really excel in this department so it was a bit of a non-event!)

My dinner meal consisted of pasta with a tiny portion of sauce, a bread roll and a simple salad of lettuce and tomato. I ate only the bread roll before requesting dessert (typical, I know!) The dessert choices were two flavours of Hagen Dazs ice cream: either vanilla or cookies n’ cream. While I loved the idea of ice cream (who doesn’t), it arrived rock hard and took at least 30 minutes at room temperature before it was edible.

My breakfast was delivered as requested: the express breakfast with a croissant, yogurt, muesli and a coffee. This was all I could stomach after just waking up and while it was all I needed, I’m sure the breakfast in economy would have been along similar lines.

Business Class: The Service

This is an area I would have to say Finnair absolutely exceled in. The staff on board were very friendly, approachable, and responded to call requests like a fairy in a puff of smoke (seriously, it was so instant I could hardly believe it). The crew on my flight were really accommodating with all guests and this made the Finnair experience a really memorable one. My breakfast was served 1 hour before touch down, on the minute, as requested earlier in the flight. The faultless service combined with the privacy and space on offer in business class would make it worth the while, but in terms of entertainment and food I would suggest eating in the terminal beforehand and bringing a book or laptop along with you to keep busy, especially if you don’t sleep on flights!

Thanks to the moon and back to Finnair for welcoming me on board and supporting my trip to Europe. I would highly recommend Finnair as a reliable and affordable choice when flying to Europe, especially as they have such great connections to the rest of Europe.