Short review
Lounge (Finnair Business Lounge in Helsinki): 4/5
Cabin: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Food and beverages: 4/5
Pros:
- Enjoyable in-flight dishes
- Nice amenity bag and glassware designs
Cons:
- Service was not as refined as other premium airlines
- Small and low-resolution entertainment screen
- Not all seats had direct access to aisle
Long review
This was my return flight from Helsinki, Finland to Sydney, Australia with a transit in Singapore. I flew with Finnair AY82 in business class in the first leg of the trip. The flight was scheduled to leave Helsinki just before midnight for an arrival in Singapore at 16:40 for a total flight hour of more than 11.5 hours.
I arrived very early at the Helsinki airport, about 7 hours before the flight. After check-in, I went directly to the Finnair lounge. The business-class lounge was pretty spacious, capable to seat more than 400 people. There were different spaces for dining, relaxing and working. I liked the interior design and ambience of the lounge. It was very crowded from around 16:00 to 18:00 with barely any seat available, although it was fairly quiet afterwards.
The food and drink offerings were good enough. Fresh hot dishes were brought out right before dinner time.
There were six shower cabinets (the term used here) in the lounge. The light indicator above each door of the shower cabinet turned red when it was occupied. A useful feature to find out quickly how many shower cabinets were available. The amenities provided were very good. I had a wonderful relaxing shower here. I definitely needed it before the long journey.
The lounge was equipped with a GoSleep sleeping pod (I only saw this one pod available). The pod itself was fine for resting and sleeping. It was not placed strategically though as a couple of passengers conversed incessantly near the pod. Luckily, I had my ear plugs with me. Another issue was storage as there was a limited space inside the pod for personal belongings. I only had 1 bag pack with me, so I could squeeze it inside the pod. I managed to nap for about an hour here.
Soon enough it was time for boarding. It was the same A340 plane that I flew with in my previous trip from Singapore to Helsinki (review is here). I was wondering whether the cabin crew were the same people because they looked oddly familiar. I ordered a glass of champagne for my welcome drink which was served in the beautifully designed glassware, Ultima Thule, by Iittala. In my previous flight, there was no dining menu. It was provided in this flight. The options were shown below, and my choices are in asterisks. In addition, fresh fruit, potato crisps, noodles, nuts and almonds, and chocolate were available throughout the flight.
Midnight menu
Garden salad
Main course
- Pike-perch terrine, chanterelle sauce and potato with lemon
- Pressed beef neck, celeriac puree, herb butter and spring vegetables*
- Duck breast salad with fig, roasted hazelnuts and blue cheese
- Cucumber and dill soup, yogurt and cold smoked salmon tartare
Desserts
- Godiva chocolate pralines
- Finnish organic JYMY ice cream, vanilla or liquorice
Breakfast
- American breakfast: scrambled eggs, back bacon, poultry sausage, roasted potatoes and baked beans
- Sweet breakfast: Pancakes with cherry and mango compote, roasted almonds*
The beautifully designed Marimekko amenity bag and matching slippers were neatly placed around the seat along with a bright green and white blanket, which provided a burst of colours in the gently toned cabin.
Dinner began soon after take-off. As in the previous flight from Singapore to Helsinki, it was served on a tray, which was not as refined as business class services offered by some other airlines. As I ordered, the tray contained garden salad; pressed beef neck, celeriac puree, herb butter, and spring vegetables; cheese and condiments; and Godiva chocolate pralines. The beef was juicy and tender, while the puree was smooth. It was delicious; I liked it.
After dinner, I ordered a glass of Blue Sky signature cocktail, made from Lapponia Blueberry Liquer and Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Grande Reserve. Tasty! However, there was an incident when a flight attendant served the cocktail. The glass tipped over and wetted my side table. Fortunately, I had a blanket over me so my shirt and trousers were untouched. The flight attendant reacted very efficiently in cleaning the mess, changing my blanket, replacing my tablecloth, and getting me a new glass of the cocktail. She apologised profusely afterwards. She also said sorry when I was about to leave the aircraft.
I felt very drowsy afterwards, which was understandable since it was nearly 3 hours past midnight. I converted my seat into a fully flat bed and had a restful sleep for 6 hours or so.
I was woken up about 2 hours before landing for my breakfast. Again, my sweet breakfast, comprising pancakes with cherry and mango compote, roasted almonds, and fresh fruit, came on a tray. The warm and sweet dish was perfect to start the morning. I could eat more of that moist pancakes. The presentation perhaps could be better.
Soon my 11-hour flight came to an end when the plane landed in the Changi International Airport. It was a good flight experience overall, but nothing to be bragged about though. It certainly allowed me to rest quite well so that I felt relatively refreshed after such a long flight.
