Many airlines have introduced premium economy products on their long-haul flights but Nick Walton finds Finnish flag carrier Finnair’s attempt a little short of the mark.

Check-In

Like many regular travellers, I’ve become very accustomed to checking in online. However, after repeated attempted, with different codes and ticket numbers inputted, I was unable to get past the login page on Finnair’s website, meaning I would need to get to the airport earlier than planned to get a decent seat on my long-haul flight from Hong Kong to Helsinki.

Fortunately, Finnair is among the airlines that travellers can check-in for at Hong Kong Station, home to the Airport Express train. Here, I was assigned an economy class seat and told to inquire about an upgrade to Economy Comfort through a Finnair call centre. Unfortunately, neither of the two numbers given were answered and I was told by the check-in staff to enquire at the airport. There, I was directed to the boarding gate, which in turn directed me to the flight purser, who ended up handling the €60 (US$66) upgrade fee during the boarding process.

Onboard

Finnair has taken more a half step than a giant leap into the premium economy scene. Welcoming but rather robotic crew directed Economy Comfort passengers through a ancient business class cabin filled almost exclusively with Finnish travellers (in fact very few passengers seem to be bound for destinations beyond Finland, despite the airline’s marketing slogan offering the fastest route between Asia and Europe), before dishing out the perks of the new Economy Comfort, which include an “amenity kit” (really a loose handful of toothbrushes, eye masks and earplugs in plastic sleeves), and “noise-cancelling” headphones that pale to those in most business class cabins. Fortunately, I brought my own of both.

Finnair amenity kit in economy comfort

The new class uses the same dated, narrow seats as the rest of the economy cabin on the A340-300 aircraft, except that there is between 7-13cm more legroom and a “comfier” headrest that looks pretty par for the course on many other airlines. While the legroom is certainly appreciated on long night flights (the front row facing the bulkhead had football fields of room compared to the rest of the comfort seats) the airline has overlooked a few things, including armrests which barely lift to 45 degrees, meaning even if you have a spare seat beside you, you’re not going to be able to do much with it.

Finnair, like a growing number of airlines, allows the use of smartphones and tablets in flight mode from gate to gate so I was well settled into a movie by the time we took off, wedged half under the rickety armrest to allow for the reclined chair in front.

Dining

After reaching cruising altitude, the crew announced dinner, with the option of “chicken with noodle” or “vegetarian option” and that spirits and champagne could be purchased to accompany meals. There were no menus, and no further description was available. Hmm, decisions, decisions.

I was quite happy to settle for a complimentary Carlsberg to go with my gelatinous but overall edible “chicken”, which was efficiently but unceremoniously served by a crew who cleared the cabin quickly, knowing passengers wanted to catch as many sleeping hours on the 10 hours 45-minute journey as possible.

Finnair breakfast

After hours of snoozing rather than real sleep, the lights came back on as we cruised over dark western Russia, and the crew served a simple omelet with chicken sausage, grilled tomato, and diced roasted potatoes. It was a vast improvement on diner’s ‘chicken surprise’.

Conclusion

The Finnish are famed for their minimalist streak and that national ethos has been extended to its flag carrier, which keeps their inflight produce lean and whilst not quite mean, a few smiles south of industry leaders. The new Economy Comfort product, at a reasonable price point, will prove popular with economy class passengers looking for a touch of yesterday’s coach experience rather than those travellers expecting a mid-way point between the back of the plane and business.  Unfortunately, it’s a half step in a direction than many airlines are already running.

Note: The author travelled on a fully-paid economy class ticket and paid economy comfort upgrade without the airline’s knowledge.

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