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Finnair A320 short haul business class review from London to Helsinki

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This is my review of short haul business class on Finnair, the Finnish flag carrier.

Finnair now flies four times a day to London, with British Airways effectively ceding the route to its oneworld partner.

That’s not a bad thing, as two of these four are operated by Finnair’s long haul A330 or A350s, replete with its brand new business class, premium economy and economy cabins which I will review over the next few days. But this still leaves two daily flights on single aisle aircraft. How does the experience compare?

As I was flying to Nagoya (Japan) via Helsinki I thought it was the perfect opportunity to take a look and add to our growing portfolio of European short haul business class reviews.

Check-in and bag drop at London Heathrow

Finnair operates from Terminal 3 at Heathrow. Although this is now the oldest terminal at the airport, the good news is that you have your choice of some of the best lounges in the UK.

Finnair check-in and bag drop is operated from Zone C. If you’re flying economy then this is via self-service machines; if you are flying business or have oneworld status (eg. British Airways Gold, as I do) then you can use the staffed desks on the left:

Review: Finnair European business class on the A320

There were literally no other customers when I arrived so I marched right to the front and checked my bag in, before being informed that I had access to fast track security and the Cathay Pacific lounge.

Heathrow continues to replace its existing scanners with new 3D CT scanners so the Fast Track lane wasn’t where I was expecting it. Nevertheless, the three lanes were quiet and I put my bag straight on the belt.

Whilst the Cathay Pacific lounge is Finnair’s designated lounge, you can take your pick of any of the oneworld lounges which gives you quite some choice:

If you are oneworld Emerald then you can also use the American Airlines First Class Lounge, the British Airways First Class Lounge or the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge.

Don’t know where to start? You can see my ranking of the best Heathrow Terminal 3 lounges here. If you have time, you can pop into several lounges successively and do a lounge safari. If you don’t then you can’t go wrong with the Cathay Pacific lounge, which in my opinion is the most stylish of the lot and offers a noodle bar as well as staffed bar.

Onboard Finnair’s A321

The gate was announced about 40 minutes prior to departure and I walked down to Gate 3A, at the far end of the A380 pier. For whatever reason, most gates at Terminal 3 feature holding pens so once you’re beeped in it’s not the easiest to leave! It does mean that you don’t need to scan your boarding pass again, though.

Unlike the long haul fleet, which has been refurbished in deep midnight blue upholstery and warm wood (effect) touches, the short haul fleet sports the airline’s old branding. That means you are greeted with a sea of light grey seating:

Review: Finnair European business class on the A320

It does make you wonder who thought putting grey seats in a grey interior was a good idea! Thank goodness for David Kondo, the designer behind Finnair’s new branding.

I had seat 1F, in the bulkhead row. Like other European airlines, Finnair’s short haul business class is in a 3-3 configuration but with the middle seat blocked. As you can see, there is no special middle-seat table like you find on some BA aircraft: the only distinguishing feature between business class and economy is the curtain a third way down the cabin.

Review: Finnair European business class on the A320

In the front row your tray table is inside the armrest, which pops out into a bi-folding table:

Review: Finnair European business class on the A320

This features a clever tablet stand, too:

Review: Finnair European business class on the A320

As far as I could tell there was no in-seat power of any kind. A bottle of water was in the seatpocket in front:

Review: Finnair European business class on the A320

Food and service on Finnair short haul business class

Shortly after take-off an automated PA explained what both business class and economy passengers could expect – a hot meal in business and water or blueberry juice in economy.

As soon as the seatbelt signs went off the crew jumped up and offered us a drink from the bar cart. I went for the classic Finnair blueberry juice and a glass of sparkling wine – Finnair dropped champagne from short haul business class in early 2023.

Review: Finnair European business class on the A320

Both are served in the iconic Iittala Ultima Thule glasses by Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala. These have been a staple on Finnair for literally decades, since 1969. Whilst it originally stocked a wider range of this glassware on board, in 2022 it was replaced with newer, more modern and crucially lighter glassware for water and other drinks.

About 40 minutes later – delayed slightly by the onset of turbulence and the cessation of service – the meal service was offered. You don’t get a choice of dishes, unfortunately, and on my flight it consisted of an artichoke tartlet and some kind of chicken orzo with tomato sauce. You also get a choice of rye or white bread:

Review: Finnair European business class on the A320

The artichoke tartlet was surprisingly flavourful and delicious. The chicken dish, however, was nothing to write home about: the orzo was plain with a piece of cooked chicken, some tomato sauce and green beans on the side.

Notice the blue cup on the tray: this is for water. However, the size is a joke: it must hold less than 100mls. It is so small it is practically useless and the crew gave me an Ultima Thule cup of water instead.

After dinner, I was offered tea or coffee as well as a cinnamon bun. I went for Roobois tea and enjoyed the warmed bun with it – I like that dessert was a local touch. It’s a shame it wasn’t served on a plate; the napkin felt a bit economy.

Review: Finnair European business class on the A320

A final round of drinks was offered about 40 minutes before landing whilst a little chocolate was also offered prior to descent.

Conclusion

If I am being honest, there is little to differentiate Finnair’s short haul business class offering from other European airlines. These days, it’s about small details such as the Iittala glassware, blueberry juice or cinnamon bun.

For better of for worse, 3-3 seating with an empty middle seat is now the standard. That said, with two daily A330 or A350 departures you can obviously do a lot better (ie a flat bed!), and if you have the time it is worth booking yourself onto one of these.

But back to the A321. The lack of in-seat power was disappointing, although fortunately I didn’t require it on my trip and knew I could charge my phone in the lounge later. Ditching champagne in favour of (French) sparkling wine is also a shame.

However, I can’t fault the service which was attentive and friendly from both crew at the front.

Stay tuned for reviews of Finnair’s new no-recline sofa seat business class, its new premium economy cabin and lounges in Helsinki, as well as a couple of hotels in Japan. It was a busy week ….

Head for Points made a financial contribution to the Woodland Trust as part of this trip. The Woodland Trust creates and manages forests in the UK in accordance with the Woodland Carbon Code.

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Finnair and Finnair Plus

Comments (73)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Paul says:
    23 Sep23 September 08:04

    Interesting use of the word “ceding”
    BA don’t fly the route but do share its revenue. There is therefore no competition on the route (and many others) which probably explains why the service is so mediocre, indeed poor. Joint ventures and legal cartels have done much for profit and little for customers.

    • Alex G says:
      23 Sep23 September 08:20

      We flew from HEL to LHR on an A350 in June.

      The service, from FAs who appeared to genuinely care for their passengers, was far superior to BA. The breakfast on the short flight from HEL to LHR was actually much better than the adequate one we had had a few hours earlier before our arrival into HEL from HND. And I’m pretty sure that we got an hour of free WiFi (this may be exclusive to the A350).

      Looking forward to Rhys’s review of the A350. We loved the seating – best nights sleep I have ever had on a plane, and more comfortable than F on BA. The service was great. And the espresso was good.

      • daveinitalia says:
        23 Sep23 September 08:35

        The business class seat on the 350 really is very comfortable. I was a bit doubtful about a seat that doesn’t recline but I slept so comfortably with this seat.

    • Barry says:
      23 Sep23 September 08:20

      Is this true? Does BA share revenue on point to point passengers on LHRHEL?

      • Alex G says:
        23 Sep23 September 08:40

        Good question. BA and Finnair are in joint ventures for Japan (along with JAL) and Transatlantic (along with AA, EI and IB). But does this extend to UK-HEL only tickets?

        • Rhys says:
          23 Sep23 September 08:55

          I think they only share revenue on flights to Japan or transatlantic, not UK-Finland.

      • JDB says:
        23 Sep23 September 08:44

        @Barry, yes I think it is incorrect that revenues are shared on the point to point and the same would apply on routes such as BCN-LHR not operated by IB but effectively ‘ceded’ to BA for pragmatic reasons – easier of course when you are part of the same family, even if they aren’t too friendly.

        • Nick says:
          23 Sep23 September 12:10

          Correct, there is no JB for point to point itineraries. BA and AY are not permitted to share or discuss revenue, schedules or profit – there is no competition authority filing for this and you won’t find one if you look. Where the customer is travelling on a JB itinerary (US or Japan) they do share it.

  • Travel Strong says:
    23 Sep23 September 08:38

    “But what fun things are there to do in Helsinki?” is the pressing question for me, now that I have booked and have 24hrs to burn before onwards transit.

    Some ideas have been made in the forum, but I find myself uninspired to date! https://www.headforpoints.com/forums/topic/what-to-see-and-do-in-helsinki/

    • Alex G says:
      23 Sep23 September 08:55

      Get naked and sweaty and have someone beat you with birch twigs?

      Or more mundanely, if you have not been before, enjoy just walking around looking at the architecture and soaking up the atmosphere.

    • Rhys says:
      23 Sep23 September 09:03

      24 hours really isn’t that much time when you factor in getting to and from the airport and sleep! You’ll be plenty busy exploring the town, and Löyly is a very good sauna on the Baltic (but not naked). The train station, the new library, the Temppeliaukio rock church are all worth seeing.

    • Paul says:
      23 Sep23 September 09:44

      This is a difficult one to answer. It all depends on what you like to do.

      Last month I had a 20 our layover in HEL with my incoming flight from MAN arriving at 2230. I chose to stay at the hilton at the aiport, and had a good sleep. Then breakfast in the morning and hired a bicycle from the hotel. I then did a 30 mile bike ride north west of the airport, stopping off at several little villages on the way for coffee and cakes. Then shower, Sauna in the hotel and headed to the airport for Dinner in the lounge before the long flight East. For me that was a nice relaxing way to spend the day before a long flight.

    • Richard says:
      23 Sep23 September 11:46

      Far and away my favourite thing in Helsinki was Suomenlinna, the fortified island. When I was there in Spring, there were ferries every 20 minutes right through the day (part of the transport network, you just need a zone A&B travelcard). Plan on a picnic though, all the cafes there are overpriced and disappointing – there is a well-stocked supermarket right by the ferry (on the island).

      In the city itself, I’d suggest focussing on the area east and south-east of the railway station. The orthodox cathedral is stunning and worth going into even if you don’t normally go to churches. The square in front of the Lutherian cathedral is striking too, though the cathedral itself is expensive to get into and there’s not much to see. The harbourside area between the two is fun in a shambolic kind of way, and is where the ferry to Suomenlinna goes from.

      If you’re interested in architecture, then as Rhys says the railway station and “Oodi” (the central library) are both worth seeing – very different from each other and within a few minutes’ walk. Walking north from Oodi, into a modern estate also gives the best views of Finlandia Hall. The Olympic stadium with its iconic tower is cool too, but much further away. Similarly the rock church, though in the centre, is away from everything else so takes a bit of commitment to go to.

    • acewoking says:
      23 Sep23 September 20:24

      We’ve been five times and always look forward to going back. As well as the tourist churches (2 cathedrals, Kallio church, and church in the rock) and the shopping (hi-end Artek, Marimekko and Iittala stores) there are also great bargains to be had at the Arabia outlet for glass and tableware, and the Marimekko outlet in Herttoniemi. The three food halls, the harbour market, the walks around Katajanokka and the lake, the ferry to Suomenlinna, honestly so much to do. Check out our travel guide at https://b.link/traveltheworld

  • Lumma says:
    23 Sep23 September 09:10

    Pricing seems to be bit strange for avios on Finnair LHR-HEL. Economy is 24k+£75 return but it’s only another 12k+£13 extra for business class for the highest points/lowest cash option, although it doesn’t seem to change much at any level if you assume 1 avios = 1p

  • David S says:
    23 Sep23 September 09:49

    What was the overhead storage like in Row 1? I’ve given up on Rows 1 and 2 on BA. On our flight to FAO from LGW last week, the side above the D/F seats was used to store the tops for the drinks trolleys and the other side had crew bags.

    • Rhys says:
      23 Sep23 September 10:34

      I used the bin on the other side of the aisle as the one above me was used for operational purposes. Fortunately there were just two of us in row 1.

  • JeanVal says:
    23 Sep23 September 09:53

    One thing to note is that the 2x wide-body (A330s and A350s) flights per day are not a guarantee. They are scheduled for cargo reasons.

    They are not available at every dates. I just recently booked flights on the 26th of December, for example, and it’s only A320s that day.

    • Nick says:
      23 Sep23 September 12:14

      The morning one operates very consistently, holiday seasons (e.g. Boxing Day) aside. The afternoon one has become pretty consistent, but has more occasional gaps. It also varies between A350 and A330.

  • SteveCroydon says:
    23 Sep23 September 10:16

    @Rhys
    Hover, the size is a joke:
    I think you meant – However, the size is a joke:

  • Stuart says:
    23 Sep23 September 10:20

    Is Finnair flying polar routes to North East Asia? Otherwise with the closure of Russian airspace to European etc. airlines then Finnair would route southwards. So what is Finnair’s advantage now, or is only highlighted a lot here because it is in oneWorld? Why head over to Helsinki just to fly southbound along with all the others. It’s only the Chinese airlines flying between China and Europe that have the more direct routes now.

    • riku says:
      23 Sep23 September 10:27

      The last time I went from Helsinki to Japan we went out via Turkey and came back over the north pole. For me it makes sense because I live near Helsinki. If you live in the UK then it’s somewhat of a detour. When the plane flew from Helsinki to Japan it took four hours of flying before the distance to Tokyo started going down rather than going up!!

    • meta says:
      23 Sep23 September 10:31

      Advantage is less Avios and low taxes. 62.5k Avios one-way in business to anywhere in Asia ICN is only cca £25 in taxes for example. It takes about the same time as going via Doha. Also who wants to play lottery between equally bad Club World and Club Suite?

      • Alex G says:
        23 Sep23 September 10:41

        … and more reward flight availability.

        And better service than BA.

        And a much more comfortable bed.

    • Rhys says:
      23 Sep23 September 10:37

      Typically South on the way there, Polar route return.

  • Terry Butcher says:
    23 Sep23 September 10:47

    Personally, I find the grey rather relaxing and conducive to a calming experience. Quite the reverse to whichever idiot decided to use orange which is the most aggressive colour and increases people’s anger levels.

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