Nov 4, 2015, 9:05 am
Last edit by: OH-LGG
Finnair (AY) company website dedicated for A350 fleet can be found HERE
!!
bold= new cabin
!!
A350 Deliveries
OH-LWA (msn 18) delivered 7th Oct 2015 is the first Finnair A350 and started long-haul operations as AY57 to PVG on 21st Nov 2015.
OH-LWB (msn 19) was delivered 14th Dec 2015, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 19th Dec 2015.
OH-LWC (msn 20) was delivered 31st Dec 2015, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 3rd Jan 2016.
OH-LWD (msn 22) was delivered 25th Mar 2016, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 28th Mar 2016.
OH-LWE (msn 23) was delivered 29th Apr 2016, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 1st May 2016
OH-LWF (msn 28) was delivered 25th Jun 2016, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 27th Jun 2016
OH-LWG (msn 51) was delivered 29th Sep 2016, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 30th Sep 2016
OH-LWH (msn 97) was delivered 04th Apr 2017, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 5th Apr 2017
OH-LWI (msn 104) was delivered 02nd Jun 2017, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 5th Jun 2017
OH-LWK (msn 113) was delivered 30th Jun 2017, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 3rd Jul 2017
OH-LWL (msn 134) was delivered on 22th Sep 2017, started as AY 831 to LHR on 27th Sep 2017 and started longhauls on 29th Sep 2017 as AY89 to BKK.
OH-LWM (msn 264) was delivered on 13th Dec 2018, started long-haul operations as AY73 to NRT on 19th Dec 2018
OH-LWN (msn 273) was delivered on 13th Feb 2019, started long-haul operations as AY73 to NRT on 16th Feb 2019
OH-LWO (msn 300) was delivered on 26th Apr 2019, started long haul operations as AY141 to BKK on 29th Apr 2019
OH-LWP (msn 392) was delivered on 10th Feb 2020, started long haul operations as AY141 to BKK on 13th Feb 2020
OH-LWR (msn 410) was delivered on 1st Sep 2020, started long haul operations as AY141 to BKK on 8th Sep 2020
OH-LWS (msn 516) was delivered on 29th Dec 2021, started long haul operations as AY87 to PVG (cargo only) on 24th Jan 2022, first pax service on 28th Feb 2022 as AY9
Seating
2 different configurations exists.
J/46 Y/251: Features 2 J cabins. First 8 birds and 12th(LWA-LWH, LWM) has this config
J/32 Y/304: The minicabin is removed and replaced with Y seating. Babycots in 1L and 41L. Birds 9-11, 13, 15 (LWI-LWL, LWN, LWP) has this config, a.k.a. marsuhäkki config.
Complete seatmap and layout of config 1 can be found HERE and config 2 is here.
Business Class features Zodiac Cirrus III full-flat bed seats in a 1-2-1 abreast config, all seats with direct access to the aisle. Config1 has two business class cabins, row1-8 and 9-12, while config2 only has one (row 1-8). Early reviews has preferred front cabin over minicabin, and for best window seat, row 2 or 1 may be preferable, row 1 for aisle seats.
As operations of A350 has matured, it has become practice to set the snack-bar on top of the cupboard in front of row 1, making row 1 experience a lot of foot traffic and noise.
Config2 also suffers from low toilet/pax quota (2 toilets / 32 pax) as the aft toilets has been assigned to the high density Y cabin, further contributing to high foot traffic in the front of the cabin. For these reasons, a seat further to the back may be preferable. However, all service start in the front and it will usually take a long time to get your meal in row 8.
For couples travelling together there is no clear choice. DH-seats are tilted towards each-other, but you still will not see the other person without leaning forwards. Seat across aisles (AD and HL respectively) has no barriers between them, but are tilted the wrong way and rows are also slightly misaligned.
Economy Comfort on A350 has the exact same seats as in economy, but with ≈4" inches more legroom. They also come with noise cancelling headphones, 1h internet, priority boarding and a small amenity kit.
Finnair platinums and OWE members can select these seats for free. (OWE must call to do so). Other passengers can select comfort seats for a fee, and seats are also sold after boarding.
On config1 comfort is row 21-25, while on config 2 comfort is row 21-24 + 25ABC and 25JKL. Row 21 is bulkhead and has slightly more space, as no seat reclines into the space. None of the configs has that super-space found on some retrofitted A330 though.
On config1 21AC and 21JL are the only paired seats making them preferable, but if you want to have IFE screen in the seat in front of you, pick row 22. On config2 all seats are in groups of 3, and it is also recommended to stay away from row 21 entirely, as it is entangled with the toilets.
In terms of space there are no seats in comfort cabin on either config that beats exit row 41A/C/J/L or 42A/L.
Economy Class features 3-3-3 abreast slimline seating with 32" pitch. The best seats are row 41 with most legroom on A/C/J/L (but they lack window), and row 42 A/L.
These are either labled "extra legroom" or "exit row" and are selectable with status or for a fee.
Economy cabin offers USB for charge - no AC outlets.
In-Flight Entertainment
IFE system is upgraded. Bigger screens, wider selection of movies and music, route mapper and control options. You can watch a movie from start to landing. You will have Bose noise-cancelling earphones in business class and in Economy comfort, and earplugs in economy class.
Wifi: you will see a code (in business class) in the screen when you open the IFE and select language. In economy class, you need to ask cabin crew for a voucher code if you are OWS/OWE, otherwise it costs you 7,95€ per hour, 11,95€ per three hours or 19,95€ for the whole flight. It may take some time until up in the air to get it started. Log in is required, once you have created an account and password, the system will recognize you next time.
Quality issues and early refurbishment
The seats in business class have had many quality issues from day one. Apart from some inherent problems with the seat design, there are also malfunctions and abnormal wear.
As every row has slightly different pitch, fittings and trimmings have had to de adopted manually. Apart from causing delays in delivery, this also has led to many things in the cabin tend to come loose, to squeak and to break.
In june 2017 it was announced that Airbus has accepted responsibility for the quality issues and will replace every seat on every plane delivered until that point in time (9 birds).
The refurbish will take place during the first round of major maintenance round, scheduled to start later this year.
There is no information if there will be any changes made at the same time (addressing complaints about cramped seats and missing stowage space for example), but most likely this is treated as a warranty action and so cabin will be equipped with the exact same seats and layout, albeit with a newer batch of seats.
More details and discussion:
FAM (Familiarization) flights were ongoing within European destinations until the first A350 aircraft was put on regular long-haul service on 21st November 2015. Here is a list of FAM flights quoted by a FT'er.
The "famous" introduction list with initial experiences can be found in THIS thread
Discussion about the first long-haul services and experiences can be found in another THREAD
Links to many trip reports can be found in https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/finn...ion-links.html.
!!
bold= new cabin
!!
A350 Deliveries
OH-LWA (msn 18) delivered 7th Oct 2015 is the first Finnair A350 and started long-haul operations as AY57 to PVG on 21st Nov 2015.
OH-LWB (msn 19) was delivered 14th Dec 2015, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 19th Dec 2015.
OH-LWC (msn 20) was delivered 31st Dec 2015, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 3rd Jan 2016.
OH-LWD (msn 22) was delivered 25th Mar 2016, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 28th Mar 2016.
OH-LWE (msn 23) was delivered 29th Apr 2016, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 1st May 2016
OH-LWF (msn 28) was delivered 25th Jun 2016, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 27th Jun 2016
OH-LWG (msn 51) was delivered 29th Sep 2016, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 30th Sep 2016
OH-LWH (msn 97) was delivered 04th Apr 2017, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 5th Apr 2017
OH-LWI (msn 104) was delivered 02nd Jun 2017, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 5th Jun 2017
OH-LWK (msn 113) was delivered 30th Jun 2017, started long-haul operations as AY89 to BKK on 3rd Jul 2017
OH-LWL (msn 134) was delivered on 22th Sep 2017, started as AY 831 to LHR on 27th Sep 2017 and started longhauls on 29th Sep 2017 as AY89 to BKK.
OH-LWM (msn 264) was delivered on 13th Dec 2018, started long-haul operations as AY73 to NRT on 19th Dec 2018
OH-LWN (msn 273) was delivered on 13th Feb 2019, started long-haul operations as AY73 to NRT on 16th Feb 2019
OH-LWO (msn 300) was delivered on 26th Apr 2019, started long haul operations as AY141 to BKK on 29th Apr 2019
OH-LWP (msn 392) was delivered on 10th Feb 2020, started long haul operations as AY141 to BKK on 13th Feb 2020
OH-LWR (msn 410) was delivered on 1st Sep 2020, started long haul operations as AY141 to BKK on 8th Sep 2020
OH-LWS (msn 516) was delivered on 29th Dec 2021, started long haul operations as AY87 to PVG (cargo only) on 24th Jan 2022, first pax service on 28th Feb 2022 as AY9
Seating
2 different configurations exists.
J/46 Y/251: Features 2 J cabins. First 8 birds and 12th(LWA-LWH, LWM) has this config
J/32 Y/304: The minicabin is removed and replaced with Y seating. Babycots in 1L and 41L. Birds 9-11, 13, 15 (LWI-LWL, LWN, LWP) has this config, a.k.a. marsuhäkki config.
Complete seatmap and layout of config 1 can be found HERE and config 2 is here.
Business Class features Zodiac Cirrus III full-flat bed seats in a 1-2-1 abreast config, all seats with direct access to the aisle. Config1 has two business class cabins, row1-8 and 9-12, while config2 only has one (row 1-8). Early reviews has preferred front cabin over minicabin, and for best window seat, row 2 or 1 may be preferable, row 1 for aisle seats.
As operations of A350 has matured, it has become practice to set the snack-bar on top of the cupboard in front of row 1, making row 1 experience a lot of foot traffic and noise.
Config2 also suffers from low toilet/pax quota (2 toilets / 32 pax) as the aft toilets has been assigned to the high density Y cabin, further contributing to high foot traffic in the front of the cabin. For these reasons, a seat further to the back may be preferable. However, all service start in the front and it will usually take a long time to get your meal in row 8.
For couples travelling together there is no clear choice. DH-seats are tilted towards each-other, but you still will not see the other person without leaning forwards. Seat across aisles (AD and HL respectively) has no barriers between them, but are tilted the wrong way and rows are also slightly misaligned.
Economy Comfort on A350 has the exact same seats as in economy, but with ≈4" inches more legroom. They also come with noise cancelling headphones, 1h internet, priority boarding and a small amenity kit.
Finnair platinums and OWE members can select these seats for free. (OWE must call to do so). Other passengers can select comfort seats for a fee, and seats are also sold after boarding.
On config1 comfort is row 21-25, while on config 2 comfort is row 21-24 + 25ABC and 25JKL. Row 21 is bulkhead and has slightly more space, as no seat reclines into the space. None of the configs has that super-space found on some retrofitted A330 though.
On config1 21AC and 21JL are the only paired seats making them preferable, but if you want to have IFE screen in the seat in front of you, pick row 22. On config2 all seats are in groups of 3, and it is also recommended to stay away from row 21 entirely, as it is entangled with the toilets.
In terms of space there are no seats in comfort cabin on either config that beats exit row 41A/C/J/L or 42A/L.
Economy Class features 3-3-3 abreast slimline seating with 32" pitch. The best seats are row 41 with most legroom on A/C/J/L (but they lack window), and row 42 A/L.
These are either labled "extra legroom" or "exit row" and are selectable with status or for a fee.
Economy cabin offers USB for charge - no AC outlets.
In-Flight Entertainment
IFE system is upgraded. Bigger screens, wider selection of movies and music, route mapper and control options. You can watch a movie from start to landing. You will have Bose noise-cancelling earphones in business class and in Economy comfort, and earplugs in economy class.
Wifi: you will see a code (in business class) in the screen when you open the IFE and select language. In economy class, you need to ask cabin crew for a voucher code if you are OWS/OWE, otherwise it costs you 7,95€ per hour, 11,95€ per three hours or 19,95€ for the whole flight. It may take some time until up in the air to get it started. Log in is required, once you have created an account and password, the system will recognize you next time.
Quality issues and early refurbishment
The seats in business class have had many quality issues from day one. Apart from some inherent problems with the seat design, there are also malfunctions and abnormal wear.
As every row has slightly different pitch, fittings and trimmings have had to de adopted manually. Apart from causing delays in delivery, this also has led to many things in the cabin tend to come loose, to squeak and to break.
In june 2017 it was announced that Airbus has accepted responsibility for the quality issues and will replace every seat on every plane delivered until that point in time (9 birds).
The refurbish will take place during the first round of major maintenance round, scheduled to start later this year.
There is no information if there will be any changes made at the same time (addressing complaints about cramped seats and missing stowage space for example), but most likely this is treated as a warranty action and so cabin will be equipped with the exact same seats and layout, albeit with a newer batch of seats.
More details and discussion:
FAM (Familiarization) flights were ongoing within European destinations until the first A350 aircraft was put on regular long-haul service on 21st November 2015. Here is a list of FAM flights quoted by a FT'er.
The "famous" introduction list with initial experiences can be found in THIS thread
Discussion about the first long-haul services and experiences can be found in another THREAD
Links to many trip reports can be found in https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/finn...ion-links.html.
Finnair A350 XWB master thread
Jun 27, 2016, 4:45 am
#482
Join Date: May 2014
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+Plat, ALL Plat, Scandic L2
Posts: 3,620
I finally got to A359 J on OH-LWD yesterday. It was quite fine AFAICT. Service was not that slow (all Asian cabin crew). The seat was fine for my middle western male height (1,82m).
Only problem was the piece of plastic in front of own's feet (no news here) that was already slightly broken and loose.
Only problem was the piece of plastic in front of own's feet (no news here) that was already slightly broken and loose.
Jun 27, 2016, 10:58 am
#483
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: aal
Programs: Finnair plat
Posts: 110
Review: Finnair Airbus A350 business class (Hong Kong-Helsinki-Hong Kong)
From Australian Business Traveller
http://www.ausbt.com.au/finnair-airb...-kong-helsinki
From Australian Business Traveller
http://www.ausbt.com.au/finnair-airb...-kong-helsinki
Jun 27, 2016, 1:43 pm
#484
Moderator, Finnair
Join Date: May 2011
Location: MMX (CPH)
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond, QR Gold, AY+ Platinum, A3*G, Nordic Choice Lifetime Platinum, SJ Prio Black
Posts: 14,176
That was a more balanced review than they've managed before. The report echoes a lot of the issues we have talked about here (in a subtler voice though). Just remember it is a sponsored text and not a user review:
Don't wanna ruin the reading for others, just like to make 3 short comments!
Yeah, because you flew out of Hong Kong, silly!
OMG, I thought I was the only one doing that...
And finally, my favourite qoute deals with this pet peeve
Chris Chamberlin travelled to Helsinki as a guest of Finnair.
Don't wanna ruin the reading for others, just like to make 3 short comments!
Priority boarding: Strictly enforced
For instance, we went to sleep atop our blanket rather than underneath as it makes the seat more comfortable in lieu of a proper mattress pad, ...
And finally, my favourite qoute deals with this pet peeve
Less impressive, however, were the ongoing and almost-intrusive promotions for 'Finnair Shop' – the airline's duty-free service.
Leaflets were distributed, joined by cabin announcements, compulsory video recordings, reminders and pop-up messages on the inflight entertainment system and crew walking the aisles with the catalogue, which reminds us more of a busy marketplace than a serene business class cabin.
Leaflets were distributed, joined by cabin announcements, compulsory video recordings, reminders and pop-up messages on the inflight entertainment system and crew walking the aisles with the catalogue, which reminds us more of a busy marketplace than a serene business class cabin.
Last edited by intuition; Jun 27, 2016 at 1:50 pm
Jun 27, 2016, 6:03 pm
#485
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 1,851
It's an independent user review, not paid for by Finnair, nor does the airline have any control over the content (nor does it even see the article prior to publication).
The only angle is that Finnair covered the ticket cost, which is par for the course for media - but this has no bearing on the review itself.
The only angle is that Finnair covered the ticket cost, which is par for the course for media - but this has no bearing on the review itself.
Jun 27, 2016, 6:06 pm
#486
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 1,851
... so it's worth calling out in instances where PB works and works well. 
Jun 27, 2016, 11:43 pm
#487
Moderator, Finnair
Join Date: May 2011
Location: MMX (CPH)
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond, QR Gold, AY+ Platinum, A3*G, Nordic Choice Lifetime Platinum, SJ Prio Black
Posts: 14,176
It's an independent user review, not paid for by Finnair, nor does the airline have any control over the content (nor does it even see the article prior to publication).
The only angle is that Finnair covered the ticket cost, which is par for the course for media - but this has no bearing on the review itself.
The only angle is that Finnair covered the ticket cost, which is par for the course for media - but this has no bearing on the review itself.
If the reason Finnair paid for the ticket is to get a review published, then it still is a sponsored text in my eyes. I do see that there is some "journalist's integrity" in the process, and the article does touch several issues too.
I've just seen too many halleluja-reviews, tickets paid by Finnair, I guess.
As you might know from reading posts here; Finnair priority boarding dosen't work that well all the time. It does at HKIA since that is an airport with excellent staff. It would have been interesting to read how he thought HEL compared to HKG in this regard.
Jun 28, 2016, 12:56 am
#488
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 1,851
]Oh, no doubt everybody here has seen too many such reviews full of praise for what turns out to be 'sponsored travel', that irks me as much as anybody!
Last edited by djsflynn; Jun 28, 2016 at 2:16 am
Jun 29, 2016, 11:40 am
#489
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,753
I had the pleasure of flying AY’s newest bird, the LWF, BKK-HEL in J on 29JUN. My first A350 experience. ”Pleasure” only semi-sarcastically – no broken plastic parts on this flight but no working wi-fi either.
The interior looks nice. Mood lights – meh. And the cabin didn’t appear less noisy to me, but I thought I could feel that the air was fresher.
The seat was not as cramped as I feared – I was able to sleep for a while lying sideways, but once I had settled, there was no way I could move my feet. The biggest con of the seat – nowhere to store your laptop. The side console storage space isn’t high enough and the magazine storage space isn’t wide enough. Not even Blue Wings fits in there. Aren’t we lucky that there’s room for all the shopping catalogues! Also, the table doesn’t move so if it’s too close or too far away, then so it’ll stay. OTOH, the A330 table is completely unusable, so overall I guess it’s an improvement.
Also, the storage space at table level behind the sockets and remote doesn’t have the same low wall that the A330 has – to leave your phone there didn’t feel too safe. The hook for the earphones was a nice detail though.
I heard from an FA that some J seats tend to have a little more room than others, like 1–2”. Wonder which these are – I was seated in 8L but of course, cannot compare to other seats yet.
According to the FAs, wi-fi hadn’t worked on the HEL-BKK leg and didn’t work BKK-HEL either. That was really a setback since I had planned to catch up on some work emails during the flight.
The IFE screen is big and worked really well as a touchscreen, but the selection was the same dire one as always – why can’t we get some new 2 Broke Girls and Two and a Half Men episodes? The old ones must’ve been running over a year already! However, do watch Napapiirin sankarit 2. It was hilarious!
While the seat feels very private and you won’t even notice the other passengers, it’s a little misleading – I could very well see what my neighbour on the other side of the aisle was watching from his screen and, had he been working on his laptop, I would have had a good view of all his company secrets, whether I wanted that or not. Something to keep in mind if you are doing some work on board.
The overhead lockers are very big, so you can fit a rollaboard there lying on its side. I’m glad you can, otherwise space would have run out pretty fast on a full flight and with missing center bins.
We were flying with only 8 cabin crew members of the usual 10, so the crew was pretty busy. Can’t complain on the service, though. No aperitifs, and amuse bouche was placed on the tray along with the appetizer. Once I finally got that appetizer tray, the meal service was fast enough. The second meal could be ordered any time during the flight, and this was actually offered proactively by an FA – a nice touch that I’m not used to on AY.
Took a walk around the Y cabin as well. To me, the seats don’t appear any wider than usually and the aisles were very narrow. Comfort clearly had more legroom than normal Y.
Oh, and AY, if you read this, could you please place some sticker sign above the toilet seat to tell people where you’ve hidden the flush button. It isn’t nice to walk in to a lavatory when the pax before you haven’t flushed. Thanks!
Overall I’d say that if I have a choice, I’d rather pick an A330, especially an A330 throne seat. But I wouldn’t go out of my way avoiding the A350 either. Just get that wi-fi working, will ya!
PS This user review was paid for by me, myself and I. No sponsored travel here, although that would be greatly appreciated
The interior looks nice. Mood lights – meh. And the cabin didn’t appear less noisy to me, but I thought I could feel that the air was fresher.
The seat was not as cramped as I feared – I was able to sleep for a while lying sideways, but once I had settled, there was no way I could move my feet. The biggest con of the seat – nowhere to store your laptop. The side console storage space isn’t high enough and the magazine storage space isn’t wide enough. Not even Blue Wings fits in there. Aren’t we lucky that there’s room for all the shopping catalogues! Also, the table doesn’t move so if it’s too close or too far away, then so it’ll stay. OTOH, the A330 table is completely unusable, so overall I guess it’s an improvement.
Also, the storage space at table level behind the sockets and remote doesn’t have the same low wall that the A330 has – to leave your phone there didn’t feel too safe. The hook for the earphones was a nice detail though.
I heard from an FA that some J seats tend to have a little more room than others, like 1–2”. Wonder which these are – I was seated in 8L but of course, cannot compare to other seats yet.
According to the FAs, wi-fi hadn’t worked on the HEL-BKK leg and didn’t work BKK-HEL either. That was really a setback since I had planned to catch up on some work emails during the flight.
The IFE screen is big and worked really well as a touchscreen, but the selection was the same dire one as always – why can’t we get some new 2 Broke Girls and Two and a Half Men episodes? The old ones must’ve been running over a year already! However, do watch Napapiirin sankarit 2. It was hilarious!
While the seat feels very private and you won’t even notice the other passengers, it’s a little misleading – I could very well see what my neighbour on the other side of the aisle was watching from his screen and, had he been working on his laptop, I would have had a good view of all his company secrets, whether I wanted that or not. Something to keep in mind if you are doing some work on board.
The overhead lockers are very big, so you can fit a rollaboard there lying on its side. I’m glad you can, otherwise space would have run out pretty fast on a full flight and with missing center bins.
We were flying with only 8 cabin crew members of the usual 10, so the crew was pretty busy. Can’t complain on the service, though. No aperitifs, and amuse bouche was placed on the tray along with the appetizer. Once I finally got that appetizer tray, the meal service was fast enough. The second meal could be ordered any time during the flight, and this was actually offered proactively by an FA – a nice touch that I’m not used to on AY.
Took a walk around the Y cabin as well. To me, the seats don’t appear any wider than usually and the aisles were very narrow. Comfort clearly had more legroom than normal Y.
Oh, and AY, if you read this, could you please place some sticker sign above the toilet seat to tell people where you’ve hidden the flush button. It isn’t nice to walk in to a lavatory when the pax before you haven’t flushed. Thanks!
Overall I’d say that if I have a choice, I’d rather pick an A330, especially an A330 throne seat. But I wouldn’t go out of my way avoiding the A350 either. Just get that wi-fi working, will ya!
PS This user review was paid for by me, myself and I. No sponsored travel here, although that would be greatly appreciated
Jun 29, 2016, 1:15 pm
#490
Moderator, Finnair
Join Date: May 2011
Location: MMX (CPH)
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond, QR Gold, AY+ Platinum, A3*G, Nordic Choice Lifetime Platinum, SJ Prio Black
Posts: 14,176
Great!
You got to fly LWF on its 4th commercial flight!
So now we know that the plastic parts are delivered unbroken from factory and can stand the abuse of 4 flights!
And that wifi is broken from start..
Anyway, thanks for reporting. It is nice for us who don't fly A350 to hear how things are coming along!
You got to fly LWF on its 4th commercial flight!
And that wifi is broken from start..
Anyway, thanks for reporting. It is nice for us who don't fly A350 to hear how things are coming along!
Jul 1, 2016, 1:06 pm
#491
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,753
Yeah, that's what they told me. Must be the newest plane I've ever flown!
I sent a short and friendly note to AY about the wi-fi. I'll have to give them credit – in less than 24 hours I got a nice (semi-automated) reply and 10 000 AY+ points. It was unexpected – I simply wanted them to know that at least one of their customers was disappointed enough about non-working wi-fi to take their time and give feedback about it.
So the extra points were a nice surprise. What I liked even more was this: they requested that I reply and agree on the extra points. After doing so, I got a reply from them in just a few hours. A very personal reply for that matter, and a very friendly and sincere one. Would never happen on AA/BA/younameit. ^
I just wish they handled EU261 cases like this. It would leave the customer feeling so much better.
I sent a short and friendly note to AY about the wi-fi. I'll have to give them credit – in less than 24 hours I got a nice (semi-automated) reply and 10 000 AY+ points. It was unexpected – I simply wanted them to know that at least one of their customers was disappointed enough about non-working wi-fi to take their time and give feedback about it.
So the extra points were a nice surprise. What I liked even more was this: they requested that I reply and agree on the extra points. After doing so, I got a reply from them in just a few hours. A very personal reply for that matter, and a very friendly and sincere one. Would never happen on AA/BA/younameit. ^
I just wish they handled EU261 cases like this. It would leave the customer feeling so much better.
Jul 3, 2016, 12:04 am
#493
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Platinum, TK Elite, BT VIP, AA, BA, SK, DL, NT, WB + hotels
Posts: 8,753
I think they morning flight to LHR is A350 as we speak. Has been widebody for a while, as is a BRU flight, too. Don't know if they are daily, though.
Jul 3, 2016, 9:24 pm
#494
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Paynesville, Vic
Programs: BA Gold AVIS Presidents Club
Posts: 356
Flew Prg Hel Hkg Syd on 1 July. A350 from Hel for the first time. Couldn't help comparing this flight / leg with the QR B787 service from Osl -Doh that I normally fly. Seating appears similar. Ay x 8 rows 1-2-1 ; QR 6 rows 5 x 1-2-1- & 1 x 2 (seats 6d/f). I found the QR seat to be a better layout with a fixed monitor, adjustable side arm rest, more storage and a larger table that moves to or from the seat as required. Also the electronic tinting of the windows on the 787 seem are an excellent feature missing on the 350. AY- Free Wi Fi worked until Chinese airspace, and was a bonus as we were delayed nearly an hour from Hel waiting for a London flight to connect. Service was Ok ; found Asian crew to be polite but not as overtly friendly as QR multi national crew. No dine on demand as per QR and the food was not presented as well. Noticed breakfast service was advertised to start 1.5 hrs before arrival yet our service started only 1 hr before landing. Although I got my meal many did not as the service was suspended due to time constraints. CSM apologised to all including me and was surprised when I said that I had been served. Turbulence was blamed for the delay. And although there were periods of light to moderate turbulence at times I don't think this was the cause. AY Amenity kit not up to QR where 10 ml Armani perfumes are included either Si or Aqua De Gio. No additional amenity items in the washrooms as per QR .Found the best compromise of all round service seating etc was on the QF 747 leg Hkg -Syd. Only drawback poor quality IFE display . Will be flying on QR 350 in Sept so will be able to compare the 2 products like for like.
Jul 6, 2016, 2:07 am
#495
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Finland
Programs: BA Gold, LH Senator, SPG Gold
Posts: 352
Overall my partner preferred the 787 (by a very small margin) but I found the A350 better for sleeping, as a 195cm tall person the 787 seats felt a bit shorter/smaller than on the A350. I didn't find the windows so special (nice though), she liked them. 787 had nicer lavatories. A350 seats felt a bit upgraded with bigger screen, better placement of power outlets etc.
My first 787 was regional JAL and it had quite a new design for the lavatory that QR didn't have.
Anyway, I do enjoy flying both 787 and A350 and I can't really say one is better than the other.