Finnair reveals timetable for fully-flat seats on your Avios flight redemptions
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A few days ago, I published some images of the new Air France fully flat business class seat. This will not be rolling out for a while, with the final 777 not being done until 2016.
Finnair, a partner airline of BA in the oneworld alliance, has moved more quickly. It has just published the launch dates for its new seat on the majority of its routes.
If you thinking about redeeming your Avios points for a flight to Asia, these are the date to focus on:
April 1st – Tokyo, New York
May 1st – Beijing
June 1st – Hanoi, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Nagoya, Osaka
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 existing 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.
Sadly this roll out was too late for my wife, who flew to Asia on Finnair last week. BA was too expensive and she needed the tier points to retain her BA Silver card, so I told her to take Finnair over a direct flight with Asiana. She’ll thank me for it when we next get all the kids into the Terminal 5 lounges …..
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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)
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:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
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 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
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, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.
Capital on Tap Visa
NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
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.
American Express Business Platinum
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
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