B (1)

THE FLIGHTWe took off at 0005, slightly behind the

2350 scheduled departure. The extra-quiet environment

on the A350 was immediately noticeable (although

this became a disadvantage when my neighbour

began snoring).

A detailed meal order was taken at 0030 from the

Nordic-inspired menu created by Michelin-starred chef

Sasu Laukkonen, featuring dishes such as pike-perch

terrine or cucumber and dill soup with salmon tartare.

However, craving a taste of home, I opted for the

sweet-and-sour pork, which was served at 0120. The

rocket salad was fresh and tasty, but the main dish was

rather bland and lacked texture – I should have stuck

with the Finnish offering.

The IFE system has been given a major overhaul

with a sleek, futuristic interface, a generous 16-inch

screen and improved content (although the film and

TV options still felt limited compared to other carriers).

The home screen displays a useful flight timeline – with

markers for things like landing and meal times. The

new wifi offering is good – fast, reliable and free for

business class passengers.

After the lights were dimmed I stretched out on the

flat bed and had a comfortable sleep, waking 1hr 40

mins before arrival.

Breakfast was

great: lingonberry

yoghurt, fresh

fruit and a main

dish with eggs

seasoned to

perfection.

ARRIVAL

We landed on

schedule at 1435

and disembarked

15 minutes later.

Immigration was a

painless affair.

Tamsin Cocks

Finnair A350 XWB BusinessHelsinki–Hong Kong

BACKGROUND

Finnair became the

first European carrier

to fly the A350 XWB in

October 2015 and was

also the first carrier to

fly the new aircraft to

Hong Kong.

CHECK-INWe arrived at T2 of Helsinki Airport at

2130 for the 2350 flight AY069 to Hong Kong. The

airport was a ghost town. I used the self-service check-

in machine before proceeding to the bag drop counter

and whizzed through security. From there it was a

10-minute walk to Gate 35, conveniently located next

to the Finnair Lounge (at Gate 36).

THE LOUNGEThe lounge is bright and spacious

with high ceilings and a split-level design. There’s

a variety of seating options, from group settings to

individual recliners and even a sleeping pod. The food

and bar area was large, although by 2200 most of the

food stations were deserted. The“lunch buffet”(served

until midnight) offered a mediocre salad selection,

plus baked potatoes and some cakes and biscuits.

Other facilities included three computer stations plus

a printer, a selection of international newspapers, TV

screens, shower facilities and, of course, a sauna.

BOARDINGThe boarding call came at 2320. I boarded

late, to discover I had missed the round of welcome

drinks, but I was offered a newspaper, and despite

being the last on there was plenty of overhead cabin

space left.

THE SEATBusiness class uses the Zodiac Cirrus III

product, with 46 seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration

giving all passengers direct aisle access. I was in seat

10A. The seats are spacious, comfortable and afford

a high degree of privacy thanks to the angled design

and additional privacy sliders. There are also plenty of

storage options, including a large footwell, concealed

storage in the side of the seat and a pocket for

documents. Other facilities include a universal power

plug and USB socket, fantastic noise-cancelling Bose

headphones and an easy-to-use seat control panel. The

seat slides forward and joins the footwell to create a

long bed, which is fine for sleeping, but I missed being

able to have my legs slightly elevated while seated.

WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE?Bulkhead seats offer

slightly more room (with a pitch of 81 inches versus

79 inches) and there was no disturbance from the

galley or lavatory traffic.

VERDICTFinnair’s A

business class product is

a vast improvement on the

A330 that also flies this

route. The cabin is sleek

and quiet, while the seats

are functional and allow

a good night’s sleep. The

cabin attendants were also

very friendly and helpful.

DEPARTURE TIME

2350

JOURNEY TIME

9 hours 35 minutes

CONFIGURATION

1-2-

SEAT WIDTH

21in/53cm

SEAT RECLINE

180 degrees

BED LENGTH

79-81in/201-206cm

PRICE

Internet rates for a return

business class flight in

July start from€2,

(US$3,282).

CONTACT

finnair.com

ECONOMY COMFORT

BUSINESS

ECONOMY

20 ITried & TestedFlight

JUNE (^2016) businesstraveller.asia