summary
- Booking your trip at the last minute may limit your airline choices, but trying a new airline can be a surprising experience.
- Finnair’s A320 leg offered comfortable seats and a personal touch, despite the lack of charging stations.
- Finnair’s Embraer flights feature standard 2-2 seats, specialty drinks and emphasize friendly and fun service.
On April 10th, I booked a last-minute return trip to Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city, and found out just two days before departure. Readers will know that if you book your trip at the last minute through a third-party website, you may not be able to find your preferred airline. As an AF-KLM status holder, I usually fly with SkyTeam Airlines. But it turns out Finnair has some seats left. It was an airline that I had heard a lot about and wanted to fly at least once. I made a reservation right away. My journey will take me to cities in Sweden via Helsinki.
First leg: 1562
Photo: Benjamin Cooper | Simple Flight
The first leg started at Charles de Gaulle’s 2B/D terminal. As explained in a recent Delta Airlines review, this new complex is divided into two sections. Gate B is for flights outside the Schengen area. Airlines flying there include Air Tahiti Nui, Air Canada, JetBlue, and Air Austral. D gates are for flights within the Schengen area (it’s easier to remember if you think of D as being for domestic flights).
Security was fine, but wait times were around 20 minutes, typical for European hubs during peak hours. Therefore, if you are planning to travel between 08:00 and 12:00, please allow extra time.
Helsinki is within the Schengen area (as is Gothenburg) so we didn’t have to go through passport control. I went to gate D51 for his 10:50 flight to the Finnish capital.
Always bring your passport (or government-issued ID) with you when traveling from France, even if your flight is within the EU’s free movement area. Local security laws require it.
My plane today is OH-LXF is an Airbus A320-200 built in 2002 and newly delivered to the airline in February of the same year. Boarding began approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled off-block time of 10:50. Even though I didn’t have one, I somehow got priority boarding. Oneworld status. Is it because I bought a carry bag? Maybe it’s because I checked in first. The real reason will never be known, but this action was welcomed.
according to Aerolopa.com, Finnair’s A320 is configured with 174 rows of flexible economy/business Recaro 3510 seats. Some readers may be confused by the word “flexible.” Basically, within Europe, economy class and business class seats on regional flights are the same. The operator will separate the rooms with curtains according to your request. For business, the seats in the middle of the row are blocked off.
It was a 2 hour and 30 minute flight and I was seated on the 20th floor, next to the window where I could see Airbus’ unique star-shaped wingtip device in the center. The Recaro 3510 surprised me for several reasons. Even though I hadn’t yet booked a seat with extra legroom, there was extra legroom. Secondly, with airlines phasing out tissue fabric as seat pads, I was really surprised to see it being used on these new seats. It was comfortable. However, the only downside for me is the need for a charging station. This is what most conventional airlines currently carry on medium-haul routes.
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We turned back almost 30 minutes late. The captain was making a PA in Finnish and English, but he didn’t always translate and I’m still trying to understand why. But the good thing is, which is not something most airlines do, the captain gave us the taxi time after takeoff and the total flight time. That’s useful information if you ask me!
Service has started.
Service began upon reaching cruising altitude. The first flight attendant arrived with a drink cart and began serving the airline’s signature drinks, blueberry juice and water. Of course I also tried the juice!
In economy class, other drinks were available for a fee. If you use AY, please take that into account.
Photo: Benjamin Cooper | Simple Flight
It was fresh, sweet, and the perfect drink to start the day. However, I did appreciate the free coffee as I had a fairly early flight.
Photo: Benjamin Cooper | Simple Flight
Then a crew member arrived with a food cart. If you pre-order (for a fee) through the app, you can receive your meal with drink service, so we recommend it. Instead, I waited until my flight and ordered instant carbonara (sorry, Italian readers). The price is decent, at only 6 euros ($6.44), which isn’t too expensive for an in-flight meal you can buy within Europe. Here is a photo of the menu so you can judge.
The plane was soon ready for landing at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. The landing was incredibly smooth and I was surprised to see snow piled up in the corners of the fields in the area. Unfortunately, my smartphone battery was dead so I couldn’t take any photos. This is a photo of Tsubasa, who went through many twists and turns before entering this early spring wonderland.
Second flight: AY 865
Once we arrived at HEL, we had a one-hour layover and spent that time sitting and charging our phones for the second leg. To be honest, that was the whole reason I booked this flight. Her E190 from N°RRA, operated for Finnair, bears that brand.
EJets are my favorite airplane. The engine sound during takeoff is very powerful for such a small jet aircraft. My Embraer was boarding from the Schengen area gate in Helsinki, specifically gate 26. It was E190 14 years ago. I got lucky during check-in and was randomly assigned a window seat in the emergency exit row on the 11th floor. A safety briefing was given in English, and after a 30-minute delay on the ground due to a no-show, we turned around and headed to Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city.
Why do I like Embraer planes so much? Now, it’s the seating arrangement. All Brazilian planes are the same no matter where you are. 2-2. This makes it considerably less cramped, which is good news considering that some Finnair e-jet flights can be extended. In my case it was 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Shortly after takeoff, a flight attendant arrived with drinks and snacks. I wasn’t hungry but still thirsty, so I drank the airline’s signature juice (yes, again) and the signature Northern Blush cocktail, which is gin with orange peel and lingonberry. . So sweet and refreshing!
The cocktail was 8 euros ($8.59), which was the typical price for cocktails on the ground, so I wasn’t shocked.
Shortly thereafter, the cabin was ready for landing. It was so much more “stoppy” than the flight to Helsinki that I thought we might take a detour. But that was not the case and we arrived at the gate 40 minutes late. not bad!
Photo: Benjamin Cooper | Simple Flight
Final thoughts.
Finnair is a quirky and fun airline. The free juices are delicious, and the menu is reasonably priced. But of course I prefer free services. The best thing about Nordic operators is their crew. On both flights they were personable and very professional. If you decide to fly to the Nordic countries, definitely give it a try.
