Revealed: Finnair’s New Business Class, Premium Economy (Routes Revealed)

Finnair has revealed all new cabins for its long haul aircraft, including the A330s and A350s. This includes the introduction of a new business class seat, the addition of a premium economy cabin, and some updates to economy class. Let's go over the details.

Finnair’s new business class seat

Finnair is the launch customer of the Collins Aerospace AirLounge seat, which is in business class. This isn't a traditional aircraft seat, but rather it takes inspiration from lounge furniture. The seat has been designed to maximize comfort, space and freedom.

The key features of the seat are described here.

• The seat’s fixed contoured shell with no recline enables a wide variety of sitting and sleeping positions
• You can sit at different angles, rest your feet on the ottoman, or use infill panels to create a large flat surface
• A mattress and duvet turn the space into a comfortable bed, and you can use the cushy pillows to relax in a variety of sitting positions
• The high cocoon shell of the seat provides privacy, while the divider between central seats can be lowered when traveling with a companion
• The lighting options in the seat allow tailoring the ambiance of every customer’s own “nest”
• Along with a customized lamp that doubles as a reading light, a do not disturb light is included if privacy is desired
• The cabin will feature new mood lighting intended to combat the impacts of jetlag
• The design scheme is inspired by Nordic nature, complete with the northern lights as the cabin is dimmed for sleep
• There are various storage options, including spaces for personal items, laptops, and all pillows and blankets, and they can all be used for taxi, takeoff, and landing
• The flexible table can be used to read, dine, or work, and each seat comes with USB-A, USB-C, PC power, and wireless mobile charging
• The inflight entertainment system comes with a new, more user-friendly and customized interface with a wider 18″ screen

Finnair has a new business class product.

The new seat is very unusual, as it doesn't recline, which is why the video is so useful.

Finnair’s new premium economy product

Finnair is refreshing its business class product and is also introducing an all-new premium economy product, which is a cabin the airline doesn't currently offer. Finnair will be the launch customer for the new premium economy cabin, which will feature the Vector seat from HAECO.

Finnair has a new premium economy.

• The seat will feature 50% more space than economy class, and there will be at most 26 seats in the cabin
• The seat will feature memory foam cushions, 8″ of recline, waterfall leg rest, and a six-way headrest
• There will be dedicated storage for laptops and small personal items
• There will be a large and sturdy single leaf meal tray for work and dining, as well as individual reading lights
• There will be USB-A and PC power outlets
• Each seat will feature a redesigned inflight entertainment system with 13″ wide screens
• In terms of service, premium economy will feature two meal services as well as a selection of drinks throughout the flight; the first meal service will be three courses, while a lighter meal will be served before landing

Finnair has a new premium economy product.

Finnair’s economy class refresh

There are some minor changes coming to Finnair's long haul economy class experience. Finnair has ordered three Finnair A350s but haven't put them into service yet. We can expect these planes.

• New lighter seats
• Enhanced ergonomics, personal stowage options, USB-A and USB-C connectivity, and a larger inflight entertainment screen with an updated user interface

New seat covers and an updated IFE experience will be given to Finnair's existing A350s.

When will Finnair’s new cabins be introduced?

The new cabins on the A330 and A350 will be introduced by Finnair around the same time. The first planes with the new cabins should be some of the A350s that Finnair has ordered. Finnair has changed one A330 with the new cabins.

Finnair has been offering new cabins between Helsinki and London, but the planes haven't started operating long haul routes. Soon, that will change. New York, Singapore and Dallas will be the first three long haul destinations to get the new cabins.

• The Helsinki (HEL) to New York (JFK) route will be operated by an A330 with the new cabins as of May 2, 2022
• The Helsinki (HEL) to Singapore (SIN) route will be operated by an A350 with the new cabins as of May 11, 2022
• The Helsinki (HEL) to Dallas (DFW) route will be operated by an A350 with the new cabins as of May 12, 2022

As of now, that seems to be the plan, despite the fact that this remains subject to change. It is easy to tell if the seat features the new cabins based on the seat map.

If business class is in a 1-2-1 configuration the whole way through, the new cabins are for you.

If the forward business class cabin has seven rows of seats along the windows, it's the new cabins for the A350. There are three rows of seats on the left side and four rows of seats on the right side in the rear business class cabin.

My take on Finnair’s new cabins

Finnair has new cabins. Let's start with business class.

• It’s always exciting to see an all new seating product introduced, as Finnair is the launch customer for this seat
• This seat is truly revolutionary, for better or worse, as it doesn’t offer recline; I’ve gotta be honest, I’m highly skeptical of this in terms of being able to find various positions in which to comfortably sit (what if you don’t want to sit upright or sleep?), but I guess I’ll have to reserve judgment
• On some level I imagine a non-reclining seat is a cost saving measure, as this seat must be significantly lighter (meaning it leads to less fuel burn), and also potentially require less maintenance (since there’s less that can break)
• I love the Nordic design of the cabin; while minimalist, it has a bit of personality too
• It sounds like the cabin is pretty thoughtfully designed, between all the storage compartments, the wireless charging, etc. (though again, I’m skeptical about the lack of recline)
• This seat does remind me a bit of Singapore Airlines’ business class seat, as it appears that you have to sleep at an angle, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not; I question how comfortable these seats will be
• For context, Finnair’s A350s currently have reverse herringbone seats, while Finnair’s A330s currently have staggered seats; this will be a particularly big upgrade for A330s

Premium economy goes as far as it can go.

• Premium economy is becoming an increasingly popular seating offering, so it’s nice to see Finnair finally introduce this
• This looks like a pretty standard premium economy product, though I do like the finishes

When it comes to the economy.

• The new “lighter seats” probably aren’t good news, as I imagine they’re not going to be particularly comfortable
• While it’s nice that Finnair will offer USB-A and USB-C connectivity, why no PC power?!

Bottom line

Finnair is introducing a refreshed business class product, an all new premium economy cabin, and some minor changes to the economy. The first long haul flights with these products will launch in May 2022.

The economy and premium economy cabin updates are what you would expect, but Finnair is going with a revolutionary new business class product that doesn't feature recline. We have never seen an airline do that before, so I am curious to see what the seat comfort is like. I can't wait to try the new class.

What do you think about Finnair's new long haul cabins?