Review: Finnair A350 NEW Business Class Helsinki to Singapore

How I booked this ticket

This one-way Business Class ticket was booked with 70,000 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles + US$90 cash in taxes/fees (just US$42 if originating from Singapore).

As I had transferred miles/points from my Singapore card with a 10% bonus, I’ve effectively used just 63,636 miles nett for this booking.

This Business Class flight typically costs around S$4,000 (US$2,900).

How to fly Finnair’s new A350 Business Class seat

Finnair’s new Business Class seat can be found in some of its Airbus A350-900 aircrafts. Many (not all) Finnair flights between Singapore and Helsinki feature aircrafts with this seat.

To check if you are getting the new seat, check the seat map as described in a previous article.

Here’s how the old and new seat maps compare:

Because Asia Miles and Finnair have low mileage requirement and taxes/fees on award flights to/from Singapore, it is one of the cheapest ways to fly between Asia and Europe in Business Class.

All good credit cards in Singapore allow transfers to Asia Miles.

How to find Finnair award space

The easiest way to search for Finnair award availability is on American Airlines’ website, aa.com (registration required). This is because, you will be able to set filters like “non-stop flights only” and “business class only” and have a lovely calendar view of award availability.

Use aa.com only as a reference and always cross-check on asiamiles.com.

Pro tip: Search one segment at a time to/from Helsinki and search non-stop flights only, so that you only see Finnair award availability.

Pre-flight

Shortly after boarding, I was offered a refreshing hot towel and a beverage of choice.

Finnair’s new A350 Business Class seat

So, here it is! Finnair’s new Business Class seat was announced in March 2022 and started flying in April 2022.

I was really keen to try out this seat as it is one of the cheapest ways to fly Business Class between Singapore and Europe AND also to find out how uncomfortable it could be in a seat that does not recline!

On top of that, as I am not a fan of Business Class seats that transforms into beds that forces you to sleep at an angle. I wanted to see if it is at least tolerable.

Related: Business Class beds visualised

As a seat, I thought it was fantastic. Furnishing felt premium and it is wider than most Business Class seats that I’ve been in and I was given 2 soft pillows that can be positioned anyway I want to support my neck and back.

Bed mode

Here’s the ultimate test: Bed mode.

Unfortunately, it was disappointing for me. Although the footwell may appear larger than what you get in Singapore Airlines’ long haul seats, it is MUCH deeper.

This means that the entry to the foot well is somewhere around your mid-thighs, when you are lying down and about half your body will be in the tunnel, leaving no vertical knee room.

If I am exaggerating, it felt like half my body was in a coffin.

Here’s the thing, if this was a daytime flight, it wouldn’t have mattered one bit. But unfortunately, both Finnair flights to/from Singapore are red-eyes.

Solution (sort of): Select the bulkhead seat if it is available

I was complaining about how bad the foot well was to a fellow traveller and he shared a photo of what he got in seat 9L. Although the vertical space remains the same, you’ll notice that the entry point to the foot well is substantially wider.

I would have chosen one of those seats but unfortunately, none of them were available on my flight.

Choose seats 2A, 1D, 1H, 2L, 9L, 10A, 10D or 10H for a larger foot well.

Amenity kit

Finnair Business Class passengers receive Marimekko amenity kits on longhaul flights.

Dining

Food quality and presentation was great on my Finnair flight. However, with only 2 choices of mains, I felt that the food menu lacked variety.

Like most other airlines, food onboard Finnair Business Class is served at fixed timings; no dine-on-demand.

Service

Almost the entire cabin crew team were fellow Singaporeans and service was fantastic throughout my flight. Unlike my experiences flying in other top airlines, all the cabin crew that I interacted with during my Finnair flight were very casual in conversing and I absolutely loved it.

If you are one of those uptight high-class travellers who thinks that passengers flying in premium cabins should dress to impress and cutlery must be placed in the 4-o’clock position after a meal, Finnair is probably not for you.

Airport lounge access

Flying Finnair Business Class from Helsinki to non-Schengen destinations gets you access to Finnair Business Lounge.

My ratings

This is how I am rating my Business Class experience (vs other airlines):

Bottom line

I really wanted to like this seat. In truth, the only thing I disliked was its Bed Mode. While I appreciate the innovation, I wish that airlines will stop throwing practicality out the window when designing these premium seats.

It is a real pity that Finnair does not have any daytime flights between Singapore and Helsinki. However, considering that Singapore Airlines is now charging a whopping 48% more miles for a similar route in a much older seat (that also forces you to sleep at an angle), I would fly Finnair’s new Business Class seat again in a heartbeat on my next trip to Europe.

Remember to aim for one of those bulkhead seats!