Hello and welcome to this exciting segment that features my first flight on Finnair's new A350 aircraft and some Oneworld first class lounge hopping - mainly AA, BA and CX First lounges.
I arrived in LHR on a cold and rainy day and couldn't wait to get to the Oneworld lounges at T3. The connecting bus from T5 to T3 was swift and security was painless. My first stop was AA's Flagship Lounge and after presenting my credentials the agent welcomed me into the Admirals Club side. I kindly reminded her that I was Oneworld Emerald and would very much like to go to the Flagship lounge. Upon realizing this she quickly directed me to the correct lounge situated to the right side of reception. Since I had plenty of time, the agent mentioned that I could access the BA and CX lounges as well.
AA Admirals & Flagship lounges.
The lounge is located in area H next to the famous Virgin Atlantic's Clubhouse.
Entrance.
There was an empty desk with a screen showing flight departures and a stand featuring American candies right after entering. The Flagship lounge is not that big, but there was plenty of space and the buffet featured a more generous selection of individually plated food compared to the Admirals' side. Overall I found it functional without being too impressive. As a matter of fact I thought the UA Club in T2 was vastly superior in terms of decor and food offering, and we are not comparing same level lounges.
Buffet.
My snack.
Beverages.
Interior.
WC.
I then decided to take a shower and headed to a hallway that was shared by the Flagship and Admirals Club. An attendant came right away to assist me and informed me that in order to get back to the Flagship lounge all I had to do was go back to reception and ask the agent there to allow me inside. The shower room was nothing to write home about, but it did its utilitarian job.
Shower.
After an invigorating shower I explored the more humbled side of the club and ventured into the Admirals Club. It was practically empty with lots of empty space and plenty of seating everywhere. There were a few hot dishes and salads in the buffet but I did not consume any food since I wanted to save room for the other lounges.
Admirals Club.
Buffet & dining area.
BA Galleries First Lounge.
The lounge is located in zone F and upon entering you turn left for the First Class lounge or continue right to the Galleries. After showing my boarding pass to the receptionist, I was invited to enter and straight ahead was the Champagne Bar. This area provides a welcoming first impression for anyone entering and it was surprisingly empty.
I find the periodical section a bit out of character with the lounge with those flashy lights.
Champagne Bar.
To the left there was another seating area with a self serve bar and a business center with computer terminals. I took a break and had a whiskey on the rocks.
Afterwards I ventured to the right side of the lounge where the self serve coffee bar, a kid's room, the sit down restaurant and the buffet were located. I did not eat at the restaurant so I can't comment on that aspect of the lounge experience, but I have read some disappointing reviews and instead helped myself to the buffet. I had a light afternoon tea snack and later indulged in some more robust fare.
Slow Cooked Pork with Prune Terrine on the left and Herb Crusted Cod Supreme with Tomato and Black Olives.
My snack.
CX First Class lounge
If you fly on AY J, this was your assigned lounge located in area C. I was lucky to experience it before its closure for renovation from 26 Nov 2015 - late June 2016. Out of the 3 Oneworld F lounges in T3, this is the smallest one, but what it lacks in size it more than compensates in view and Asian food, especially noodles.
I found this lounge to be intimate and well appointed.
Entrance.
Interior.
Buffet.
Beverages.
Dining area.
My snacks. Of course I had to have some noodles. ;)
Business class section.
At about 45 min. before dept. the gate was not posted yet but I decided to leave the lounge and check out the shops outside. After doing some browsing I noticed that the screens showed that the flight was delayed by 50 min. so instead of leaving at 1925 it was now leaving at 2015. The flight was leaving from gate 40 and I immediately headed that way. I was glad that I did this because the gate was quite a walk from where I was.
Arriving at the gate.
The plane was parked and agents made announcements to keep everyone informed. There was a VIP passenger that boarded with his companions ahead of J passengers before the announcement to board was made.
Plane at the gate. It reminds me of the lone ranger with that mask on the cockpit.
Finally the announcement was made inviting J passengers to board. While walking down the jetbridge I was thrilled to be on this flight for two reasons. The first was to ride on a new airplane and the second to experience a new airline. A couple of FA's were positioned at the door greeting passengers and after exchanging a few pleasantries with the crew I turned left and paused for a few seconds to admire the cabin and my seat.
The cabin was bright and the light colors used in the aircraft interiors gave it a peculiar Nordic feel that was soothing and relaxing.
A purser came by my seat and personally welcomed me onboard and thanked me for flying with AY which was really nice.
The second J cabin.
My seat 8A.
The seat is the Zodiac Cirrus one used by CX, AF and AA among others. It's a very comfortable product that offers direct aisle access and good privacy. There is plenty of space to put one's belongings and I appreciated the different compartments by the armrest and on the side.
One slight negative thing that I find is the surface for your feet which looks somewhat fragile and not able to withstand the frequent wear and tear of frequent use.
The plane still had that faint new airplane smell and one thing I noticed was the lack of overhead bins for the center rows. This gave the cabin a very spacious feel but I wonder if the airline sacrificed practicality for aesthetics in this case. If this was a full cabin, would the overhead bins on the sides have enough room to accommodate all the carry-on luggage for the J cabin? I must warn you that if you are seating in row 8, the overhead bin right above you is used to store cabin's equipment and blankets, so I ended up placing my stuff in the bin above row 7.
The J cabin is divided into 2 sections with seats 1-8 in the front cabin and 9-12 in the second one which seemed more private. On my flight there was a group of Finnish passengers that boarded at the last minute and seemed to know the crew. I assume that they were AY's employees on a familiarization trip. Later when I walked into the second cabin, it was practically empty. I noticed that the second J cabin has overhead bins for the center rows contrary to the one in the front.
The view across my seat.
IFE. The screen was big but some of the functions were not intuitive. My system was stuck in Japanese and I couldn't figure out how to change it to English. I called a FA for help and it took her a few minutes to figure it out.
Pocket contents.
Mood lighting.
Earphones were distributed.
Overhead signs.
Door closed and we taxied for take off. You could access the camera from outside and see your take off and landing.
Good bye LHR.
After leveling off, I visited the WC. The faucet is sensor activated.
Hot towel to start the service followed by distribution of menus.
The tray table was easy to fold out but it was not very big.
I started my dinner with AY's signature blueberry juice accompanied by some pretzels.
Flight map.
Crew was very friendly and attentive. There was no choice of meal but the pasta was very good. The appetizer was tasteless and the salmon was chopped and contained bones.
Main dish.
The berry compote was something that you could get from a grocery store. Good thing that we were offered a blueberry pastry a bit later.
Seat in flat position.
FA's clearing the trays and offering coffee or tea along with Fazer chocolates from a basket.
Duty free was offered and I bought a set of playing cards. After signing the receipt a nice FA told me to keep the AY pen as a souvenir which was a kind gesture.
We arrived into HEL 9 minutes later at 0029. Not bad at all.
–Amenity kits collected during this RTW trip– (per JonathanND's request) ;)
See more
Verdict
Finnair
8.6/10
Cabin9.0
Cabin crew9.0
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Meal/catering7.5
Cathay Pacific First/Business Class Lounge
9.0/10
Comfort9.0
Meal/catering9.0
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Services9.0
London - LHR
8.5/10
Efficiency8.5
Access8.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness8.5
Helsinki - HEL
9.8/10
Efficiency9.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0
Conclusion
It was a great experience flying AY's new A350 which is a very comfortable and quiet airplane. The seats in J strike the right balance between privacy and comfort and the 1-2-1 cabin layout ensures that everyone has direct aisle access.
AY offers a decent inflight service with a Nordic touch that is courteous and professional. The catering can be a bit basic but so far I have only flown them on European routes and my experience is very limited. I feel that not having a choice of meals when flying J is quite disappointing.
The entertainment system seems to offer a good selection of programs, but the control settings are not the most straight forward to use at times.
1 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
Why edit some of the pictures to black and white? - There are many other FR's on AY's A350 throughout this site (mostly in French) by other talented members of this community. I have decided to do my report differently in B&W because this type of photography tend to highlight details better and make them more salient. Since color is secondary, even a distraction to some purists, the eyes focus more on the textures and surfaces of the image. My purpose was to make this somewhat more evident with this new aircraft.
Some might like it while others might not. That is the risk that one takes when you experiment with something different. You can't win them all but personally I believe that the most important critic that one needs to satisfy is oneself.
I will have my first flight report on Suites from Singapore to Auckland on Singapore Airlines! - Then congratulations are in order for flying in such style. I see that you are a new member so hopefully you can contribute with your own FR and translate this experience visually and verbally for all of us to enjoy. Credibility is a very important attribute along with commentaries.
Thank you for your comment. It's easy to get spoiled flying up front, but the back is just as fascinating if you are a true aviation geek. ;) It's great to read reports about both Y and J cabins.
Thanks for sharing this report with us. Like you I really enjoyed this plane and it's a great addition to the Finnair fleet. The opportunity to fly this aircraft on Europen routes before the plane being scheduled on Long Haul was a brilliant idea and I see that many of us enjoyed doing so.
I agree with you 100% and it's great to be inspired by the experiences of other FR members such as yourself. We each see things in our unique way and in order to see the whole picture sometimes you need to look at the individual pieces.
What an incredibly disappointing trip report. I open expect to seeing pictures of a brand-new airplane, but instead easily 75% of the report is pictures of lounges and food and most of the (relatively) few pictures about the flight itself are in black and white. What gives?!
The old phrase what is one man's trash is another man's treasure is one of the greatest truths indeed.
We live in a free society and everyone can express their own opinions. For some of us, the lounge experience is an integral part of the whole flight experience and tend to give this aspect of the journey more weight than other areas. Having said that, I think that I have covered the new features of this new A350 adequately by presenting all the components of the cabin. When it comes to FR's, I feel that they are a matter of individual style and this can be subjective. Luckily there is a variety of reports covering this new plane from other prolific contributors that perhaps can offer a perspective that is more suitable to your preference.
Perhaps in the near future you can grace us with one of your own FR's and share your own experiences.
Call me weird if you like, but the only reason I opened this FR was Kgpm_flyer's very negative review... and maybe also my own rating of the author's previous FRs, too.
Granted, I am not a lounge geek and I used my mousewheel at a brisk pace (I did halt and found the BA Galleries First Lounge glittery magazine shelves downright tacky). Granted, there are no pictures of the landscape en route, but the flight's schedule did not help. Granted, the masking of the faces of the FAs is an amateur's job not worthy of the author. Granted, colors go a long way towards hiding imprecise focusing, wobbly hands and insufficient depth of field in other FRs.
Call me weird if you like, but I wish I could produce such a good report.
Call me weird if you like.. - M. François, I think your eccentricity is enlightening. It is flattering to receive such comments from the #1 FRiste of this site. Thank you!
I was really surprised that the real flight just starts after 2/3 of the report. Everything above is the most detailed 'lounge review' I have ever seen here, even though this might be interesting for certain people some don't like it. That is a really nice gate design in LHR. On board: That are a lot of buttons and sockets on the seat you can use, but the position of the seat controls don't seem so good to me. To operate them you almost have to perform contortions.
I was really surprised that the real flight just starts after 2/3 of the report. Everything above is the most detailed 'lounge review' I have ever seen here - I had several hours to kill so I indulged in some lounge hopping. ;)
On board: That are a lot of buttons and sockets on the seat you can use, but the position of the seat controls don't seem so good to me. To operate them you almost have to perform contortions. - It's actually not too bad since they are all located in one area. On the other hand I found that in order to access the small storage areas you need to have some flexibility.
Thank you for sharing this FR with us onboard this fantastic aircraft!
The cabin has got quite a Nordic/Finnish feel to it! The cabin looks good visually with the Cirrus seats, I really liked their choice of mood lighting on this flight.
The meal looks pretty decent, would have been nicer if you had more options.
The A350 is truly a great aircraft to fly with, I can confirm that after trying the QR A350 in Y even though this is a report in J.
Thank you for having some pics in B&W, it helped me observe some details.
The cabin looks good visually with the Cirrus seats, I really liked their choice of mood lighting on this flight. - It felt very soothing and relaxing.
The meal looks pretty decent, would have been nicer if you had more options. - It could be better but at least it was hot. The bone that I found on the salmon is a no-no.
The A350 is truly a great aircraft to fly with, I can confirm that after trying the QR A350 in Y even though this is a report in J. - Only the seats are different. The quiet ride and spaciousness is evident whether you are in Y or J. I love this aircraft and wouldn't mind flying it again. It's nice that you experienced QR. I have never flown with any M.E. carriers yet.
Thank you for having some pics in B&W, it helped me observe some details. - Glad that you were able to appreciate them. Thank you very much for your support and comments. Stay tune for more to come.
First of all, what is up with all of these people with unappreciative comments? As a reporter, we are not paid, this is purely an amateur expressing their personal opinions and experiences. Some people like lounges, some people like spotting, and some people like being ungrateful commentators that have never written a report themselves (and in fact only joined the site to write a negative comment).
Can’t say that I’m particularly impressed by the AA lounges. The Flagship Lounge doesn’t even come close to the UA Club (please don’t quote this statement in the future ;) ). The salmon looked good, but the rest didn’t really seem F. BA seems to have the best alcohol selection and CX has the best food options (at least for my tastes).
“I find the periodical section a bit out of character with the lounge with those flashy lights.” - They are getting into the holiday theme :) Also, where did they find those chairs that were lining the hall, a garage sell at the local manor?
“took a break and had a whiskey” - Blue or Red… tough call.
I have very little experience with European J, but I find the presentation atrocious in these reports (IB and AY). I do not want to be served a main that has the aluminum still on top; looks very long-haul Y. Not even US domestic F serves mains with foil on top. No linens are laid? No option is a disappointment, but at least the only option looked good. It’s a risk since CX gives you 3 options that look worse than AY’s 1 option ;) I was going to comment that the portionsize of salmon looked really small, but it also contained bones? That's a lawsuit waiting to happen...
I really like the Merimekko tableware that AY has gone with. Spotting the Merimekko planes at NGO is always a pleasure :)
Now that you have been on both AY and CX in the same trip, maybe you can comment on the size of AY’s Cirrus seat. It looks small in the pictures; I noticed this in fernousdu972’s report. The tray table is clipped in the corner and the ottoman looks smaller relative to CX.
When I flew SK, I was also surprised by the “Nordic” feel to the service in J (Y was a completely different story, lol). These carriers have very unique identities that are inspired by their countries. This is also evidenced in the cabin’s décor. AY has a real clean, simple ambiance.
Thank you Adan, your reports are always appreciated.
First of all, what is up with all of these people with unappreciative comments?...Some people like lounges, some people like spotting, and some people like being ungrateful commentators that have never written a report themselves (and in fact only joined the site to write a negative comment) - Perhaps some form of sadism. Anyways one should heed criticism according to its source.
The Flagship Lounge doesn’t even come close to the UA Club ... The salmon looked good, but the rest didn’t really seem F. BA seems to have the best alcohol selection and CX has the best food options (at least for my tastes) - Spot on my friend. The AA Flagship lounge, being a F product, it's really mediocre and lacking. As for BA, the alcoholic drinks are really top of the line. CX might not have an extensive buffet like BA, but the food is well chosen and flavorful. Regardless, if you are into Asian food, the CX is definitely the one for you. I had some noodles and a beef rendang over steamed rice that just hit the spot nicely.
Also, where did they find those chairs that were lining the hall, a garage sell at the local manor? - Shabby chic?
Blue or Red… tough call. - Blue for me. ;)
I find the presentation atrocious in these reports (IB and AY). I do not want to be served a main that has the aluminum still on top; looks very long-haul Y. Not even US domestic F serves mains with foil on top. No linens are laid? - Yep, that's the European way. I think you have been too spoiled by Asian carriers. ;) On second thought, TK's presentation on my CPH-IST flight was the complete opposite and this was still an intra-European flight. You shall see later.
I really like the Merimekko tableware that AY has gone with. - A stroke of genius from a marketing perspective. I think their partnership with Merimekko gives AY a truly distinctive and special character.
Now that you have been on both AY and CX in the same trip, maybe you can comment on the size of AY’s Cirrus seat. - I felt more comfortable on the CX seat. The tray table on AY is not too big, the seat's width is about the same as CX, both are 21 or 53.34 cm and I did not perceived any major difference. The ottoman is a different story and it felt a bit narrower than CX. Also, I wasn't too crazy about the plasticky surface for the feet.
These carriers have very unique identities that are inspired by their countries. This is also evidenced in the cabin’s décor. AY has a real clean, simple ambiance. - Minimalist and stylishly clean. In a way it is somewhat similar to Japanese approach to aesthetics (correct me if I'm wrong).
Thank you Michael for your encouraging words and support.
Wow! Quite a long and interesting journey, I´m following you. AY always seemed to me an unique carrier in every way. I like your originality so please do not waste it away. What I would like to see is a picture featuring your amenity kit collection from this journey. Good impression of A350 but have to say that I do not like the vents on the ceiling because you can find it n almost every Airbus. Thank you very much Adan, take care mate.
Thank you very much for your encouraging words Jonathan. Unfortunately there was no amenity kit for this intra-European route and the only amenity kits that I received from all these trips were on TK IST-HKG and CX HKG-SFO. I will add those pics at the top for you.
I agree with you that Airbus should have designed more special vents on the ceiling.
I don't have any problem with detailed visits of lounges, on the contrary I rather like it. Lounge access is a big part of flying in a premium cabin and is therefore an integral part of the flying experience. I would have a problem with it if a report were mostly lounge and almost no onboard pictures, but this report features a lot of detail on the actual flight experience itself. If you ONLY had just the flight parts of the report, it would still be quite a substantial and detailed report.
We all express our AvGeek-ness in different ways and that's what makes this site interesting. How boring would it be if everyone did the same reports? I personally enjoy seeing planespotting in trip reports, but many would argue that this is not a real part of a flight report.
To all the negative commentators I say, if you don't enjoy a report, that's your deal--no one should have to conform to your personal standards of what a report should be. There are surely plenty of other reports on the site that will be more to your liking. There's absolutely no need to be rude or insulting. Anyone is free to post reports here, so there will always be some you will like better than other.
Ok, back to the actual report:
AA Flagship lounge = meh BA First Champagne bar = YAY! AY Euro J catering = meh
And leaving the foil/cover on is not acceptable in a premium cabin.
Glad you enjoyed your Finnair A350 experience and thanks for this unique report.
Hey Kevin, you forgot to rate the CX F lounge ;) I'd love to find out what you thought of it.
AA Flagship lounge = meh BA First Champagne bar = YAY! AY Euro J catering = meh
Yes, AA Flagship which is a F lounge is very meh. On the website they say that showers are available with exclusive toiletries. Well, I should have known better. Here I was expecting to find something a bit more exclusive in the showers and WHAM! I find out that the showers are shared with the Admirals Club and about that exclusive brand? It's Red Flower of course. Personally the food at the UA Club was better than what I saw here. Did I just say that?
BA takes the crown for having the best liquor of all lounges, no contest. Just the fact that they carry Johnny Walker Blue label says it all. I was very impressed. There was a sit down restaurant section but I did not use it. I thought that the variety of food was very decent.
The A350 is a great plane - very quiet and spacious. A negative point on the AY version is the lack of overhead bins, especially for the middle seats in J and row 8 which was mildly annoying.
Thank you Kevin for your kind words and comments. I am very grateful for your support.
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30 Comments
I will have my first flight report on Suites from Singapore to Auckland on Singapore Airlines!
- There are many other FR's on AY's A350 throughout this site (mostly in French) by other talented members of this community. I have decided to do my report differently in B&W because this type of photography tend to highlight details better and make them more salient. Since color is secondary, even a distraction to some purists, the eyes focus more on the textures and surfaces of the image. My purpose was to make this somewhat more evident with this new aircraft.
Some might like it while others might not. That is the risk that one takes when you experiment with something different. You can't win them all but personally I believe that the most important critic that one needs to satisfy is oneself.
I will have my first flight report on Suites from Singapore to Auckland on Singapore Airlines!
- Then congratulations are in order for flying in such style. I see that you are a new member so hopefully you can contribute with your own FR and translate this experience visually and verbally for all of us to enjoy. Credibility is a very important attribute along with commentaries.
Good day.
I agree with you 100% and it's great to be inspired by the experiences of other FR members such as yourself. We each see things in our unique way and in order to see the whole picture sometimes you need to look at the individual pieces.
We live in a free society and everyone can express their own opinions. For some of us, the lounge experience is an integral part of the whole flight experience and tend to give this aspect of the journey more weight than other areas. Having said that, I think that I have covered the new features of this new A350 adequately by presenting all the components of the cabin. When it comes to FR's, I feel that they are a matter of individual style and this can be subjective. Luckily there is a variety of reports covering this new plane from other prolific contributors that perhaps can offer a perspective that is more suitable to your preference.
Perhaps in the near future you can grace us with one of your own FR's and share your own experiences.
Granted, I am not a lounge geek and I used my mousewheel at a brisk pace (I did halt and found the BA Galleries First Lounge glittery magazine shelves downright tacky).
Granted, there are no pictures of the landscape en route, but the flight's schedule did not help.
Granted, the masking of the faces of the FAs is an amateur's job not worthy of the author.
Granted, colors go a long way towards hiding imprecise focusing, wobbly hands and insufficient depth of field in other FRs.
Call me weird if you like, but I wish I could produce such a good report.
- M. François, I think your eccentricity is enlightening. It is flattering to receive such comments from the #1 FRiste of this site. Thank you!
That is a really nice gate design in LHR. On board: That are a lot of buttons and sockets on the seat you can use, but the position of the seat controls don't seem so good to me. To operate them you almost have to perform contortions.
I'm looking fwd to your next publication.
- I had several hours to kill so I indulged in some lounge hopping. ;)
On board: That are a lot of buttons and sockets on the seat you can use, but the position of the seat controls don't seem so good to me. To operate them you almost have to perform contortions.
- It's actually not too bad since they are all located in one area. On the other hand I found that in order to access the small storage areas you need to have some flexibility.
Thanks for your comments Jetset.
The cabin has got quite a Nordic/Finnish feel to it! The cabin looks good visually with the Cirrus seats, I really liked their choice of mood lighting on this flight.
The meal looks pretty decent, would have been nicer if you had more options.
The A350 is truly a great aircraft to fly with, I can confirm that after trying the QR A350 in Y even though this is a report in J.
Thank you for having some pics in B&W, it helped me observe some details.
See you!
- It felt very soothing and relaxing.
The meal looks pretty decent, would have been nicer if you had more options.
- It could be better but at least it was hot. The bone that I found on the salmon is a no-no.
The A350 is truly a great aircraft to fly with, I can confirm that after trying the QR A350 in Y even though this is a report in J.
- Only the seats are different. The quiet ride and spaciousness is evident whether you are in Y or J. I love this aircraft and wouldn't mind flying it again. It's nice that you experienced QR. I have never flown with any M.E. carriers yet.
Thank you for having some pics in B&W, it helped me observe some details.
- Glad that you were able to appreciate them. Thank you very much for your support and comments. Stay tune for more to come.
Can’t say that I’m particularly impressed by the AA lounges. The Flagship Lounge doesn’t even come close to the UA Club (please don’t quote this statement in the future ;) ). The salmon looked good, but the rest didn’t really seem F. BA seems to have the best alcohol selection and CX has the best food options (at least for my tastes).
“I find the periodical section a bit out of character with the lounge with those flashy lights.”
- They are getting into the holiday theme :) Also, where did they find those chairs that were lining the hall, a garage sell at the local manor?
“took a break and had a whiskey”
- Blue or Red… tough call.
I have very little experience with European J, but I find the presentation atrocious in these reports (IB and AY). I do not want to be served a main that has the aluminum still on top; looks very long-haul Y. Not even US domestic F serves mains with foil on top. No linens are laid? No option is a disappointment, but at least the only option looked good. It’s a risk since CX gives you 3 options that look worse than AY’s 1 option ;) I was going to comment that the portionsize of salmon looked really small, but it also contained bones? That's a lawsuit waiting to happen...
I really like the Merimekko tableware that AY has gone with. Spotting the Merimekko planes at NGO is always a pleasure :)
Now that you have been on both AY and CX in the same trip, maybe you can comment on the size of AY’s Cirrus seat. It looks small in the pictures; I noticed this in fernousdu972’s report. The tray table is clipped in the corner and the ottoman looks smaller relative to CX.
When I flew SK, I was also surprised by the “Nordic” feel to the service in J (Y was a completely different story, lol). These carriers have very unique identities that are inspired by their countries. This is also evidenced in the cabin’s décor. AY has a real clean, simple ambiance.
Thank you Adan, your reports are always appreciated.
- Perhaps some form of sadism. Anyways one should heed criticism according to its source.
The Flagship Lounge doesn’t even come close to the UA Club ... The salmon looked good, but the rest didn’t really seem F. BA seems to have the best alcohol selection and CX has the best food options (at least for my tastes)
- Spot on my friend. The AA Flagship lounge, being a F product, it's really mediocre and lacking. As for BA, the alcoholic drinks are really top of the line. CX might not have an extensive buffet like BA, but the food is well chosen and flavorful. Regardless, if you are into Asian food, the CX is definitely the one for you. I had some noodles and a beef rendang over steamed rice that just hit the spot nicely.
Also, where did they find those chairs that were lining the hall, a garage sell at the local manor?
- Shabby chic?
Blue or Red… tough call.
- Blue for me. ;)
I find the presentation atrocious in these reports (IB and AY). I do not want to be served a main that has the aluminum still on top; looks very long-haul Y. Not even US domestic F serves mains with foil on top. No linens are laid?
- Yep, that's the European way. I think you have been too spoiled by Asian carriers. ;) On second thought, TK's presentation on my CPH-IST flight was the complete opposite and this was still an intra-European flight. You shall see later.
I really like the Merimekko tableware that AY has gone with.
- A stroke of genius from a marketing perspective. I think their partnership with Merimekko gives AY a truly distinctive and special character.
Now that you have been on both AY and CX in the same trip, maybe you can comment on the size of AY’s Cirrus seat.
- I felt more comfortable on the CX seat. The tray table on AY is not too big, the seat's width is about the same as CX, both are 21 or 53.34 cm and I did not perceived any major difference. The ottoman is a different story and it felt a bit narrower than CX. Also, I wasn't too crazy about the plasticky surface for the feet.
These carriers have very unique identities that are inspired by their countries. This is also evidenced in the cabin’s décor. AY has a real clean, simple ambiance.
- Minimalist and stylishly clean. In a way it is somewhat similar to Japanese approach to aesthetics (correct me if I'm wrong).
Thank you Michael for your encouraging words and support.
I agree with you that Airbus should have designed more special vents on the ceiling.
We all express our AvGeek-ness in different ways and that's what makes this site interesting. How boring would it be if everyone did the same reports? I personally enjoy seeing planespotting in trip reports, but many would argue that this is not a real part of a flight report.
To all the negative commentators I say, if you don't enjoy a report, that's your deal--no one should have to conform to your personal standards of what a report should be. There are surely plenty of other reports on the site that will be more to your liking. There's absolutely no need to be rude or insulting. Anyone is free to post reports here, so there will always be some you will like better than other.
Ok, back to the actual report:
AA Flagship lounge = meh
BA First Champagne bar = YAY!
AY Euro J catering = meh
And leaving the foil/cover on is not acceptable in a premium cabin.
Glad you enjoyed your Finnair A350 experience and thanks for this unique report.
Keep on rockin' Adan!
AA Flagship lounge = meh
BA First Champagne bar = YAY!
AY Euro J catering = meh
Yes, AA Flagship which is a F lounge is very meh. On the website they say that showers are available with exclusive toiletries. Well, I should have known better. Here I was expecting to find something a bit more exclusive in the showers and WHAM! I find out that the showers are shared with the Admirals Club and about that exclusive brand? It's Red Flower of course. Personally the food at the UA Club was better than what I saw here. Did I just say that?
BA takes the crown for having the best liquor of all lounges, no contest. Just the fact that they carry Johnny Walker Blue label says it all. I was very impressed. There was a sit down restaurant section but I did not use it. I thought that the variety of food was very decent.
The A350 is a great plane - very quiet and spacious. A negative point on the AY version is the lack of overhead bins, especially for the middle seats in J and row 8 which was mildly annoying.
Thank you Kevin for your kind words and comments. I am very grateful for your support.
Another one that I didn't see
It seems that you are attracting the trolls(those who don't like the lounges at least) lol
Great lounges hopping : I can never get rid of reading lounges reports :)
AA flagship : better to forgive
BA : great because of the alcohols offer
CX : great because of the food offer
So you were right to report all this lounges : it's nom possible for everybody to choose one of these following our taste for food or beverages
On board the seat is of course comfy and the aircraft certainly one of the best with the Airbus A380 (sorry for the Boeing fans)
The catering is poor as often with an European airline
Thanks again for this great lounges/flight report
See you soon
- Age is catching up with you. You never miss a beat and are always alert when it comes to new FR's. ;)))
Thank you for your comments. Better late than never as the saying goes. ;)
Bonne journée M. 007.
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