Finnair confirms fully-flat business class complete by Autumn 2014

Finnair, a partner airline of BA’s in the oneworld alliance, has confirmed that the remainder of its long-haul fleet will have fully-flat business class seating by Autumn 2014.

Four recent deliveries of Airbus A330 aircraft already feature the new seat, as can be seen here:

What is notable about these seats is that a full 1/3rd of the seats are solo, with no seat mate.  This gives you a level of privacy that most airlines, including BA, can only offer in First Class.

90% of seats in the new Finnair business class cabin also have direct aisle access.

Three of the A340 fleet will not receive the new seats, but these aircraft will be retired early in 2015 as the first Airbus A350 aircraft arrive.

For those who do not know Finnair very well, the airline has carved out a niche for itself in flying to Asia.  A quick look at a map will show the logic in that approach.  For example, Helsinki to Tokyo is timetabled at just 9 hours 45 minutes, compared to 11 hours 45 minutes with BA.  It is a viable alternative if you live in the regions, as Finnair also flies from Manchester to Helsinki to connect.

Once onboard, you can also enjoy Finnair’s Marimekko bedding!

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2023)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th January 2024, you will receive 30,000 Membership Rewards points (convertible to 30,000 Avios) with American Express Preferred Rewards Gold. You receive 25,000 points if you spend £3,000 in three months and a further 5,000 points if you hold the card for 15 months. You can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th January 2024, you will receive a huge 100,000 Membership Rewards points (convertible to 100,000 Avios) with The Platinum Card. You receive 75,000 points if you spend £10,000 in six months and a further 25,000 points if you hold the card for 15 months. You can apply here.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.