Review of Finnair flight from London to Helsinki in Business

Sir, this isn't school. Any flight report boasting some originality is worth posting.

Thank you for your comment Skyteam_iran.

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.

Good day.

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.

Cheers then and safe travels. ;)

Thank you. I am flying Ryanair soon on a morning flight- might grab a beer for breakfast ;)

Thank you Jett Tyler for your kind words. If our paths ever cross, I will treat you to champagne. ;)

Thank you Christophe.

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.

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..

- 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

- 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 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?...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.

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.

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.

Another one that I didn't see

- 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.