intuition

OK, some more pictures, now from the return PVG-HEL. First some food picture, then some more of my "issues".

Amuse bouche on the PVG-HEL


Starter



Main dish on the PVG-HEL


Here is how uncomfortable dining is, if you move the chair to get closer to the table. In that position the table is too high and wrists must flex to max. Making the table fixed is IMHO a big mistake. If you were able to slide table forward and back some 10 cm like on other aircraft, then it would have worked fine.



Here is why I say you can't sleep on the right left side. The angle of the foot rest works perfectly when knees are facing the wall, because then the heavy slant of the space works along your bended knees. On your left side, you would have had to overstretch your knees if legs are to fit...


On 2L we had the squeaking solution, but in row 3 and others, the panels are properly screwed. Go figure.


When seat is in leaned a bit for comfortable movie watching, then the space to next seat is very narrow, in this picture approx 10 cm. It is difficult to manoeuvre your feet though here.


And for a plane that only have been flying for a month, there are plenty scratches already



Finally, this is what slippers size L looks like... Nordic people beware.

intuition

Timings
Service was much quicker on this flight than on the inaugural, and the delay aside, there was a decent flow in the service. There was still only 2 FA in the cabin at any given time, however it seemed they were on a rolling schedule, ie all 4 of them seemed to be dedicated to business class, but just on different tasks at different times.

For anyone trying to manage jetlag, the timing of the service is not very good. Service ending at approx 07.30 Finnish time means you've missed the chance of adjusting sleep. It would have been much better to start with a brunch kind of service, and serving dinner at the end of this flight. Then you could easily skip first service and sleep 2-3 hours and get up at normal European morning time.
Or better yet, they could start offering dine-on-demand.


Observations

• The wifi code is show upon boarding. However you can't use it until system is up. Wifi is turned on shortly after takeoff, unless you are in chinese airspace
• Wifi code can only be used once, and it seems you are limited to one device (at least I wasn't able to use multiple devices) So plan accordingly!
• Things are better attached in 3L than in 2L
• EVERYTHING needs to be stowed before take-off, including cabin flower arrangements. Shoes are not allowed in footrest area, must go in overhead. Headphones are not allowed in the headphone stowage. Purser explains "There are some things they didn't get certified just yet!"
• Purser did not come around the cabin for chat/introduction. This is clearly still a individual initiative.
• Some pax were denied a PDB (bad). As soon as captain announced 20 min delay though, FA returned to the couple and took their drink order (nice touch!)
• FA offers "Blue Wings" magazine separately. Apparently it cannot fit in the tiny magazine holder in each seat!
• The delay was used for taking food orders (which is clever). However, I am asked twice for my food preference, despite I did preorder!
• When engine spools up after puschback there is a very strong fuel/fume smell in the cabin. Same thing on last flight, so even if ventilation removes the fumes in 10-20 seconds, it is strange a brand new plane works like this.
• IFE - movie sound is heavily processed / compressed and there is a limiter to cut the volume peaks - resulting in typical low dynamics sound with background sounds changing rapidly in volume. (Anyone familiar with sound engineering will cry)
• The toilet lights got stuck on "Occupied" for several hours. It turns out not to be 2 pax simultaneously passing out but a malfunction...
• And by the way, toilet doors are pretty flimsy. Are you used to put some pressure on the door in order to latch it? Don't. It will bend and budge!

miikka

Some observations from my flight (and I cannot have more because A359 stops flying for one day and that day happens to be exactly that day when I will return from PVG).

WiFi is up already in the ground so if your phone remembers the connection, it will try to attach there but you cannot authenticate just like intuition mentioned. This happened in HEL but not sure how it would be in PVG.

We were having a bit different Business class experience, most of the time 4 FAs in the front cabin going around. Most of the time they avoided the carts and carried all foods and drinks by hand. Still rather slow service.

We were also allowed to store the headphones in the hooks and some stuff like pillows were allowed to be lose in the footrest. Shoes needed to be stored in the storage still.

IFE was also acting weirdly, in certain moments it just halted for few seconds. Sometimes in some screens you had to know the specific area to touch to enable the controls, it wasn't enough to touch any area in the bottom of the screen, you had to go to lower left corner to certain point. In some cases you didn't get the overlay with movie controls but the system still reacted accordingly so if you happened to touch the area where Pause button is located, it worked while didn't come visible.

They claimed that the code should be okay for two devices and also they said that this information (2 devices) was printed somewhere so it should be correct. However, it didn't work on the second device. I think they should integrate the authentication to their app so frequent flyers who are entitled for free connection could just use the app to authenticate. Now the FAs will apparently fetch the code from one of the free business class seats and carry it with napkins to the economy. At least they should print the codes and hand over these to frequent flyers and not do this copying from business class. Apparently they can reset the code in the business class seat or otherwise the codes would run out - this could be one way for passengers to get more devices connected.

intuition

It might be that the login created allows for 2 simultaneous connection? Did you try that?
(The code is used like a voucher for cash, so I really can't see they would allow the voucher to be used twice, creating two accounts. I think they just express themselves badly)

And naturally, using the finnair+ account would be the best. SK does it...

cistavoda

they should integrate the authentication to FlyerTalk

intuition

Authentification / paying requires internet connection, so when in China (on ground or in the air) it cant be done.
This limitation indicates they weren't willing or able to comply with Chinese censorship, and took the easy way out by not offering any internet connection while in chinese airspace.

mosburger

Which is a blessing in disguise considering the constellation of passengers on those routes.

miikka

Yes, tried as soon as they confirmed it should work. It didn't work, it states that the voucher has been already used. So, passengers are limited to one device per voucher code so choose your device wisely.

Then I gave up and skipped the option to ask them for more voucher codes (which they would have probably complied considering that I was in Business class).

From China, this is understandable and this was also what happened when Boeing Connexion was still being used years ago. From HEL, not so much. If the WiFi is already online then why couldn't you authenticate and start using that while at the same time you would be even allowed to use the device (as long as not laptop) during the take-off while cellular functions are in airplane mode. Now, what happens is that since the WiFi network is being remembered, the devices will jump into it (quite many devices prefer the WiFi over the cellular) but it cannot deliver the traffic. Okay, for iOS devices this isn't a problem if the WiFi Assist is enabled because as long as the WiFi doesn't work, the device will fallback to cellular.


My return flight PVG-HEL was operated with A333, apparently A359 was somewhere else (or in service; maybe they are fixing the business class seats). In my opinion the new seat in A359 is definitely better than the old seat, more spacious, better design and overall fits to my needs. The side table is larger so you can store some of the drinks there and have enough space to put your iPad and others there when you don't need them. The table is easier to operate compared to the rather technical (align the arrows, lift and push and wish it sets to the correct position) table in A333. You can also easily leave your seat even if you have your table opened and there is a tray on it because you can lower the side handrail. In A359 the legs are trapped because the seat will get narrow in the end compared to the design in A333 but overall the seat feels more spacious.

The service concept varies quite much, on my flight HEL-PVG with A359, we didn't get the forced Finnair/A359/OneWorld commercials at all but jumped to the full entertainment mode immediately. When flying back PVG-HEL we got those ...

In the end, I would choose A359 over the A333 if comparing the seat.

intuition

I was thinking you perhaps could just log in as a returning user with the second device. (Not trying to cash the voucher a second time).

This is because they chose to contract a separate ISP. Their authenification servers requires an internet connection, and apparently connection between the plane and the satellite is disabled until 10 000 ft.
So it is a (unconscious?) choice by Finnair, but I agree completely they should have done it another way.



I agree partly, but not on all points. I find it much more easy to leave seat in the older configs, because you can either slide the table away from you, or you can turn it 45° away from you. *)
In A350 you cannot move the table in any direction and even if you lower armrest, you still need to wiggle your legs and feet through a very narrow passage. For me, getting out of a window seat on old A340 is easier than getting out of A350 at dinnertime.
And at night time, A330 with its semi-open feet duct is easiest, and A350 just slightly easier than A340 window seat, IMHO.

Sidetable is a great space on A350, no doubt. But there is no "edges" so stuff can slide all over the place. Also, when I put my empty glasses there they didn't got cleared. FA can't reach that area easily.
I wish side table had a stowage compartment, like the A330 for things you'd like semi-reachable like camera, travel papers and such.



*) many people don't know about the 45° turning, you need to release a lock in the corner of the table. The table is indeed too complicated on the A330.

miikka

True - even I didn't know it very well.

The good point with A350 is that the table is that much far away from you that you can do the wiggle dance easier than in A330 (without using the unlocking and turning the table 45 degrees). But I think it is the only good point of having the table that far away - although, it didn't disturb me so much being that far away but I think it is more related to my personal size and preferring the table to be a bit further than squeezing to my stomach.

Which brings to the topic that there is very little space at all in A350 for anything. Want to store your iPad somewhere nearby, side table. Newspapers, side table. Menu cards, side table - and soon you have a complete set of library on your side table.

The drop box next to the seat is rather large but any item too small and it will end up to the bottom and difficult to reach. And not good for eyeglasses if you store there something else too because it is just a large box without any separators.

The side table and how they clear it, depends very much on the FA. On my flight, the FA routinely put the drinks there reaching over me rather okay without looking too inconvenient or anything. And also cleaned it routinely.


I think this overall states quite well what is the status of A350 in longhauls with Finnair, just a beginning phase and they are learning still everything. I would bet that if we would just have people in different flights every day, then we would get completely different stories from each flight.

Oh, and for my seat, the side panels were quite okay - the foot rest plastics were already broken and it has also some ridiculous weight limit for the area where you logically take support when you are wiggling to and off your seat.

delerium

Any idea when the HKG route is getting A350 or will it continue be served with A340 as well? I'm seeing plenty of award availability in J on HKG route but none on BKK...

intuition

According to published timetable, feb 01 is the starting date for A359 to HKG. But I suspect it is pretty tentative.
Finnair web still says "To be announced"

OH-LGG

PVG A359 service is giving way to JFK A359 service:

12JAN-20JAN A359 in on HEL-JFK and PVG will be mix of 333/343.

zeltergiset

OH-LWB was delivered yesterday - https://www.flightradar24.com/data/a...h-lwb/#843ade2

It has a oneworld livery - https://d31asmy75eposw.cloudfront.ne...1450131950.jpg

NoWindowSeat

The seat looks very cramped from intuition's great report...having first A350 flight coming up and I was wondering how's the legroom on row1? Any recommendations for best seats?