Finnair

WAW-HEL-NRT with A340. I have been flying with Finnair on this route for years as for me it is the fastest connection from Europe to Japan. However my current trip had more cons than pros. I have observed a gradual falloff in quality of catering during years. Now they reach the point that you should take on your own food with you. WAW-HEL not even a single sandwich. HEL-NRT two poor meals low quality and quantity. In addition a strike at the airport and decision that we'll fly without people's luggage. Waited 4 days for it to come. Lost connecting flight from Tokyo due to delay (separate ticket). Seat assigned next to the lady with infant (her husband was seated in business). No power outlets in this type of A340 what I always considered as their differential advantage in Y.

Helsinki to Shanghai A340-300. Clean cabin food was not good enough. AY did not serve free alcohol. IFE should be improved. Toilets were clean.

HKG-HEL-HAM and MUC-HEL-HKG in business class A343 and E190 in very good condition. Brilliant lounge/spa in Helsinki. Angled flat beds on long haul comfortable and managed sleep both ways. Missed dinner on both flights due to very late departure time of both flights. Breakfast of very good quality. Very friendly flight attendants on all flight but especially impressed by crew from HKG to HEL. After waking up approx 5 hours out of HKG for a brief toilet visit flight attendant immediately asked I would like dinner or some sandwiches as I had missed my dinner. Only negative aspect would be the business class seating on the European segments on the E190. Same seat and pitch as in economy and as I was seated in row 1 a very unstable tray table. Crew on European segments friendly and food of good quality. Will certainly consider AY for my next trip to Europe especially as they have recently introduced full flat beds on their new A330's between SIN and HEL.

HKG-HEL then back through Bangkok in economy. Flight was okay staff were very icy (except for one nice FA) and connections were good. Flight time to Europe for Australians is lessened so another good thing. Food was reasonably dire and drinks expensive. Not sure I would go with them again.

LHR-HKG PEK-LHR on Business via HEL. This is my second trip with Finnair and I still think they offer the best value for money in Business class. My main complaint is that the roll-out of flat bed seats is only beginning and the lie-flat on A340 to HKG was not very comfortable as I felt like sliding off my seat all the time even though I'm of medium build and weight. The 40 min connection in HEL to HKG was a concern for me but the flight attendants on the London flight assured me the flight would wait due to 20 passengers on the LHR-HEL leg waiting to connect on that flight. However it took a bit too long to de-ice the plane and some passengers who probably had short connections in HKG were getting quite agitated. Return flight from PEK was smooth and the Finnair lounge in Helsinki is always agreeable for a short layover though some warm food would have been appreciated like the Cathay Lounge in LHR which Finnair shares. Overall good value for money and they haven't let me down so far.

LHR-HEL-HKG return Economy. First experience of Finnair and overall impression is passable. LHR to HEL A320 on time. For a 3hr flight the onboard catering was miserly even by todays standards. HEL-HKG A340 departure on time which I understand is somewhat for a rarity on this route. Twice in the previous week this flight had been delayed by over 7 hours. Seat 43A recaro type seat with enough leg room for a 6 footer to get comfortable. Again catering was extremely poor with both option of main meal close to inedible. To add insult to injury 5 Euros for a G&T on a long haul flight was just plain greed. Staff efficient enough if not full of the joys. BA flight back from HEL-LHR reminded me of how good BA can be when they get it right. I would use again but only if cost was the main criteria.

A leisure flight Helsinki-Las Palmas in Comfort Class - new Business Class on A333 was a pleasant surprise especially the flat seats. A delicious breakfast was served though that was the only meal served. A modern AVOD system but the music/flim selection was rather limited. A friendly service.

CPH-HEL-HKG return. First leg of the flight was with Finnair A320 seats good with generous legroom and a free glass of juice. Pretty standard. The long haul legs were flown with A340-300 the seats had a good recline (more than my last experience with Aeroflot A332) but get a bit hard after a ten hour flight. Legroom good. The food was below average it felt very cheap and I have definitely tasted better. The AVOD have an OK amount of films and series but not a wide array like Emirates or Cathay.

LHR-HEL-SVX return. The trip began earlier in YUL on BA but from LHR on Finnair. The whole trip was booked on Finnair web site with codesharing OneWorld flights. LHR to HEL and back on a fully packed A320 nothing special plenty of drinks and a sandwich poor entertainment small screens most of them illegible no brightness/contrast. HEL-SVX started with a 1-hour delay waiting in the plane for de-icing. Embraer-190 was 20% full. Sandwich and plenty of drinks. I ordered special meals and got it 3 times of 4. However they have constructed the special meals of 3 different parts: rice cakes sliced veggies and cheese and wrapped each part separately with the plastic wrap than all three together with a plastic wrap again and put a big sticker on the top. So it was nearly impossible to unwrap the whole assembly. Also I have selected the exit row seats and those have been granted 3 times of 4 every time the questions have been asked if I spoke English etc. and a FA verified. The 4th time from SVX to HEL those seats were given to somebody else without any verification. Because the different airlines as a part of Oneworld Alliance were involved in my whole trip there were some inconveniences like it was impossible to check-in online for all legs of travel or to print all boarding passes at once or to select seats for each leg.

ZRH-HEL-HKG-HEL-ZRH before and after Christmas. Price for this season cheap. Feels like a tale of two airlines. Within Europe friendly staff (some more some less but still good). Sandwich nowadays in Europe normal but fine. Neighbour asked for second round and was willing to pay. Was given additional one for free and even asked if he liked another one. Transit from Europe to Asia easy even with only short transit time. Long haul seatpitch ok. IFE good but very limited choice. Food okay. However still weird that one has to pay for everything between the meal services. Even crew seems a bit embarrassed about that. Cabin crew (except for one FA on the way back) is reserved some clearly showing that they don't like their job. One already knows when advertising states that water bottle in seat pocket in Y means no or only one drinks service during the flight. Transfer coming from Asia a bit longer which is clear due to Schengen but some of the screening staff is borderline racist if one is not Caucasian looking. Still think value for money as one gets what one pays for.