Information on Finnair Flights

Finland’s official flag carrier is among the world’s oldest airlines and celebrated its centenary in 2023. Over that 100 years it’s grown from a few seaplanes (Finland had no airport when Finnair was founded!) to a fleet of 79 aircraft flying to 103 domestic and international destinations.

In 2023, Finnair flew around 11 million passengers to all four corners of the globe. I’ve flown it many times around Europe as well as long haul to and from Tokyo. It’s one of my favorite European airlines, based at one of the best airports, and is one of the few I’ve had only good experiences with.

Fleet and network

Headquartered at Helsinki Airport, Finnair’s biggest market is Europe, including flights into the Arctic Circle. It also flies 15 routes to North America and many more to Asia, Australia, the Middle East and South Africa. That network extends massively to some 900 destinations in 170 territories through its membership of the oneworld Alliance alongside the likes of American Airlines, British Airways and Qantas.

Its fleet consists almost entirely of Airbuses and is one of the most modern of any European airline. That includes 17 Airbus A350s, which it uses for its longest-haul flights mostly to Asia but also to some destinations in the US, namely LA and, sometimes, New York. Most mid-range routes including the majority of North American destinations fly the Airbus A330. Its short-haul routes are handled by the narrow-body A319, A320 and A321.

Much of its long haul fleet has been refurbished with new cabins, business class in particular garnering lots of media coverage for its novel non-reclining Collins Aerospace AirLounge seat. Finnair is not afraid of a little publicity – it's known for its fun airplane liveries, in particular those featuring characters from the iconic Finnish cartoon, The Moomins.

Fare classes

Finnair offers three classes – Economy, Premium Economy and Business. It offers economy and business across almost all of its routes, although business class in particular is a very different experience from short haul to long haul. Premium economy is long haul only.

Alongside this, as is the modern norm, it offers a range of ticket types for each class – Super Light, Light, Classic and Flex. These include the usual varying combinations of carry-on and checked baggage allowances, seat allocation, ticket changes and more. More interestingly, they’re fixed across all classes, which makes them much easier to understand than many of the more complex mix and match offerings from other airlines.

Short-haul

Most European and domestic flights offer economy and business class options with Super Light, Classic and Flex ticket types. My view on this is no different for Finnair than any other airline. Unless you’re desperate for lounge access, I don’t see any point in paying for a business class ticket.

Economy is roomy enough, seats on the modern Airbus planes are as comfy as you’ll find on any short flight, and the ticket types cater to any amount of add-ons you want. Business class seats are undoubtedly roomier, particularly as the middle seat is kept empty, and include a snack or light meal. But for a two or three-hour flight, the cost outweighs the benefit.

Finnair isn’t as cheap as many of the budget carriers flying the skies of Europe. It has adapted its model to challenge them through its Super Light and Light tickets but offers a far superior service for the money. In particular, its flag carrier status means you’ll always fly to the major airports rather than the remote strips favored by Ryanair, easyJet et al. If you’re flying around Northern Europe in particular, Finnair is the best short-haul carrier, and economy class will serve you fine.

Long-haul

It’s on long-haul flights that the class differences come to the fore. Upgrades to both the Airbus A330 and A350 interiors have improved things across all classes, but it’s in business that Finnair really shines.

Economy class

The 3-3-3 economy class layout doesn’t feel too cramped and the muted Nordic-influence Finnair colors are more calming than the colorful patterns some airlines opt for. You’ll find a thin blanket, synthetic pillow and near-useless earbuds on your seat, but no amenity kit.

Seats are wide enough at 18.1 inches and the surprisingly chunky memory foam cushions help keep things comfy. Pitch (legroom) is 31 inches, which certainly isn’t as generous as some airlines. There are, however, no fewer than five seating upgrades to get extra legroom and faster deboarding – at a cost.

All seats house an excellent 11 or 12-inch touchscreen for film and TV watching, with USB-A ports for charging your devices. Curiously, I’ve never had a seat with a power outlet though, so charging laptops isn’t possible.

Premium economy class

The recent cabin upgrades have dramatically improved Finnair’s premium economy experience. The main difference is in the seats, which are wider and roomier than before. Pitch is a perfectly acceptable 38 inches, while the eight-inch recline is complimented by a very comfy leg rest that makes the entire seat comfy enough to sleep on. Those deep memory foam cushions work wonders after hours of inactivity.

Premium comes with nicer extras too. A thick blanket, neck cushion that works well with the flexible headrests and a basic but stylish amenity kit add to the comfort. Touchscreens expand to 13 inches and seats here do have power outlets alongside the USB charging ports. One thing to beware is the 2-4-2 layout. Unless you’re traveling as a family, book a window seat or seats lest you be hemmed in on both sides in the middle of the plane.

Business class

Finnair is the first airline to offer lie-flat yet non-reclining business class seats. Non-reclining admittedly doesn’t sound so comfy, but there is a method to this madness. Called AirLounge seats, they replace the traditional recliner with a cocooning almost cabin-like lounge space.

The result is a game changer – much more space to move, spread out and get comfy. And when you want to sleep a padded mattress gives you a full length bed stretching to 78 inches. The tapered foot space isn’t perfect, but the layout makes it easy to sleep on your side, for example. It gave me the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had on a business class flight.

Business class layout is 1-2-1 and Finnair charges a premium for its ‘preferred’ window seats. All come with nice duvets, several pillows, 16-inch touchscreens and nicely designed but still quite basic amenity kits. WiFi is free and alongside all the standard sockets and ports, there’s wireless mobile charging (that actually works), which is a great touch.

On board – entertainment, food and service

Finnair’s entertainment system is built with Panasonic and is head and shoulders above most airlines for its user experience. There are enough options to keep you entertained but it can’t compare to the mega entertainment offerings some airlines go for. One quirk I noticed on my last economy flight was that my screen didn’t tilt. Fine until the person in front reclines their seat and the viewing angle becomes less than ideal.

In-flight meals tend to straddle Nordic and Asian cuisines with some interesting specialties like reindeer pate and traditional Karelian pasties. As usual there’s a gulf between economy, premium and business. Unusually, unless you order in advance you’ll get only one meal choice in economy, which Finnair says massively reduces its food waste.

Premium economy and business both serve three course meals on chinaware. I’d describe it as good enough, but nothing compared to some rival upper class offerings. One thing not to miss is Finnair’s blueberry juice, its signature onboard drink that has taken on a life of its own. Thirsty passengers drink millions of liters of the juice a year and it even fuels the jets of the in-flight Finnair Aviation game!

The cool calm aesthetic of the planes carries through to the service, which is friendly and ultra-efficient without being over the top. The most passenger disrupted flight I’ve ever experienced happened to be with Finnair, including several screaming passengers and some very questionable behavior. The cabin crew remained unruffled and professional throughout, which is more than I would have been able to do.

Lounges

Finnair passengers with the right rewards levels get access to lounges around the world through its oneworld Alliance membership. But the best are its two relatively new Helsinki Airport Schengen and Non-Schengen lounges. If you’re traveling between the US, you’ll be on the Non-Schengen side, which is better equipped as it typically handles longer layovers.

Both are dressed in gorgeous minimal but comfortable Scandinavian design and come with warm food, cold drinks and good showers. I was lucky enough to spend a few hours on a layover to Japan in the Non-Schengen Platinum Wing lounge where I sipped freshly made cocktails at the bar, lazed in a semi-soundproofed private pod and spent way, way too long in the Finnish sauna. And that’s about as civilized as air travel gets.