One night in Bangkok and, ay, a flight to HEL in biz
Jan 21, 2011, 3:06 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: The Baltic Sea
Programs: AY, BT, DY and SK. Scandic, Radisson, Marriott and HHonors. ClubONE
Posts: 5,890
One night in Bangkok and, ay, a flight to HEL in biz
Ever since I joined Flyertalk, I've enjoyed the Trip Reports section in particular. After reading the great reports by members like Seat_2A, jacob_m and Kiwi Flyer it has felt hard to be able to contribute with anything even remotely as exciting, exotic or flamboyant.
Two years ago I actually tried and wrote a trip report about a flight from SFO to LHR in U/D BA J, but self criticism struck: what new could I write about an experience so eloquently covered by others and often travelled in F? So all trip reports I've ever posted so far have been some mini trip reports in the hotel forums.
This year, though, a report opportunity opened up as I was able to fly J on a somewhat less reported airline, Finnair, and moreover the flight would be with their latest A330 featuring the new business class seat that is not only lie-flat but horizontally lie-flat as well.
So let's skip the night(s) in Bankok
and let the travel begin at BKK Suvarnabhumi airport where you find me in the "Louis Tavern First Class Lounge" which Finnair uses for its business pax who are neither OneWorld top tier members nor Finnair Silver members.
I suppose I could have tried to enter the BA/QF lounge as well, but using this lounge had the advantage that I could invite some guests using my old reliable Diners Club card. Actually this is not a bad lounge as far as drinks, finger food and comfortable seating goes. What it lacks is some privacy and a view of the apron. Also the restrooms are situated outside of the lounge which is a definite minus.
AY096 BKK 0:25 - HEL 06:35
Boarding commenced ahead of time and priority boarding was well organized with a separate entry for biz class and top tier passangers that was subsequently divided to the biz class and economy pipelines. There was a gate agent by the biz class entry as well and obviously top tier members who were not flying business this time, had to rejoin the economy queue by the aircraft door. I, however, walked straight to the door in front of the first row of the aircraft (and hence missed the famous "left turn"
).
There was no one to greet me at the door but I was admittedly one of the last persons to board. As I soon found out, the cabin crew consisted of a rather homogenous bunch of experienced, friendly and professional persons, really a kind of dream crew if you prefer professional and flexible service over mistakes and the jokes that follow. The passengers were a mix of affluent Thais, newly rich Russians and business people of various European ethnicities.
I sat down at 6L, a one seater by both the window and the aisle and with the table to the aisle for maximum privacy. The odd numbered L seats have the table on the window side, while all the center seats are two seaters. On the other side of the plane, half of the A seats are single seats with tables on both sides while the other half are two seaters. Hence, if travelling alone, all seats are ok except for the A/C two seaters. However, I prefered a combined window/aisle seat. On the first and last rows in biz you have the odds to sit close to an infant and this was the case on this flight as well.
I can compare L/H biz only between LH, BA and AY and the following can be said of the cabins. The Lufthansa decor is nice and bright, but the seats don't go flat and there is no sense of privacy. Upper deck BA is the most private, has lots of storage space and windows but is army grey and it is annoying to climb over a fellow pax should you have to leave your seat. Finnair's privacy is between these two, the decor is too light for my taste and even the smallest scratches show up on the seats. The Finnair and Lufthansa cabins are clean, Finnair being always immaculate, while BA can be downright dirty with litter and empty plastic covers on the floor etc. Can't say who wins here, but with the new product Finnair is at least as good as BA and LH in this respect.
Having sat down, I was offered champagne, orange juice or water. My strategy was to drink in the lounge and sleep on the plane, so I settled for orange juice. I am quite familiar with the Joseph Perrier that Finnair serves, so this was no big sacrifice. In fact I prefer the Nicolas Feuillatte that SAS has been serving in European J. The crew also soon came around with hot towels. We were ready for departure in time, but the ATC gave us clearance to start engines only after a delay of half an hour. According to the captain, we would be able to make up for this later (and we did).
I then explored the amenity kit in the seatback in front of me.
It contained socks, eyeshades (missing from picture), sea buckthorn moisturizer and lipstick, earplugs and a tootbrush with toothpaste. They all came in a rather nice bag advertising the notorious Finnair Via Spa at HEL airport. Additional tootbrushes and shaving kits (also in picture) were provided in the toilets.
Finally airborn, menus were handed out and the entire crew then proceeded to serve the Y cabin the standard meal, which I heard was Thai chicken. It was also pointed out on the PA that wine/beer was complimentary only during meal time. No mention was made of service in business class, which I thought showed good form as Y pax weren't reminded that they are - after all - second class citizens. SAS always elaborates on the services in the different classes, which I find annoying of course especially if I am flying in P "Punishment" class.
I played around for a while with the IFE and noticed that Finnair has a much more balanced offering than most western airlines, with entertainment from different parts of the world and also some good classical music selections. IMO current American offerings are mostly total calculated commercial wastebasket stuff, although occasionally still some e.g. British influenced pearls may surface. For the same reason all the millions the airlines have invested in high-tech IFE equipment like AVOD go totally wasted on me and I would seriously prefer some additional room instead of the IFE boxes under the seat in front of you in Y.
However on this flight the IFE boxes were no problem.
Finally, business class service commenced, but at this point I was so tired and not even hungry that I decided to just have some white wine and some crackers and then go to sleep. The duvet provided was still great (and lightyears better than the army blanket provided by BA). And the pillow was even better! However I have flown this route with Finnair many years ago (when there still were no lie flat seats not even talking about horizontal) and I recall the duvet being even better and slightly longer. Anyway, I turned the seat into the flat bed it becomes, put on my pyjama top, sprayed on some facial mist, used one of the ear plugs provided and took half of a sleeping pill. I woke up as the cabin lights were being turned on approximately two hours before landing.
The sleep quality of the new Finnair seat is excellent! You sleep quite low, almost on the floor, but not quite. There it feels very private and the duvet and pillow make you sleep like a baby. To be honest, BA is also quite nice and you are able to sleep higher from the floor. I feel you have a little more leg room on Finnair though. I'm over 6 feet and it was sufficient.
Soon after the lights had been turned on, breakfast service started. When I accepted the breakfast, the FA asked if I wanted some youghurt which I did. Then followed something I had not expected in J: the FA had a plastic bottle (like a ketchup bottle) from where she pressed the yoghurt directly to my bowl on the table. Yuk! I would have expected some nicer way to do this! Anyways, the yoghurt and a cinnamon roll ended up being the only things I ate from the very bland breakfast tray. You would have had something similar in Y a few years ago (and you probably still have) on LH and other airlines.
I asked for grapefruit juice, but Finnair didn't have any.
We landed on time and I was the first one out of the plane. After a weekend in Finland, I continued to Stockholm with Blue1 operated by Atlantic Airways but that is another story.
Verdict.
Finnair's new lie flat seat is to me one of the best ways to fly - or actually sleep - long haul in business. Although I did not enjoy the main meal nor much of the drink service, it seemed to be of consistent business class quality. However, the high quality meal choices seemed to be rather limited. Breakfast was disappointing, but then breakfast seldom is a very culinary delight. The crew was superb and the cabin spotless. Lounge service was sufficient and boarding and deboarding painless. Despite the slightly clinical feeling, I would recommend this new Finnair J product as long as there are no strikes or other disruptions affecting the service of course.
Two years ago I actually tried and wrote a trip report about a flight from SFO to LHR in U/D BA J, but self criticism struck: what new could I write about an experience so eloquently covered by others and often travelled in F? So all trip reports I've ever posted so far have been some mini trip reports in the hotel forums.
This year, though, a report opportunity opened up as I was able to fly J on a somewhat less reported airline, Finnair, and moreover the flight would be with their latest A330 featuring the new business class seat that is not only lie-flat but horizontally lie-flat as well.
So let's skip the night(s) in Bankok
and let the travel begin at BKK Suvarnabhumi airport where you find me in the "Louis Tavern First Class Lounge" which Finnair uses for its business pax who are neither OneWorld top tier members nor Finnair Silver members.I suppose I could have tried to enter the BA/QF lounge as well, but using this lounge had the advantage that I could invite some guests using my old reliable Diners Club card. Actually this is not a bad lounge as far as drinks, finger food and comfortable seating goes. What it lacks is some privacy and a view of the apron. Also the restrooms are situated outside of the lounge which is a definite minus.
AY096 BKK 0:25 - HEL 06:35
Boarding commenced ahead of time and priority boarding was well organized with a separate entry for biz class and top tier passangers that was subsequently divided to the biz class and economy pipelines. There was a gate agent by the biz class entry as well and obviously top tier members who were not flying business this time, had to rejoin the economy queue by the aircraft door. I, however, walked straight to the door in front of the first row of the aircraft (and hence missed the famous "left turn"
).There was no one to greet me at the door but I was admittedly one of the last persons to board. As I soon found out, the cabin crew consisted of a rather homogenous bunch of experienced, friendly and professional persons, really a kind of dream crew if you prefer professional and flexible service over mistakes and the jokes that follow. The passengers were a mix of affluent Thais, newly rich Russians and business people of various European ethnicities.
I sat down at 6L, a one seater by both the window and the aisle and with the table to the aisle for maximum privacy. The odd numbered L seats have the table on the window side, while all the center seats are two seaters. On the other side of the plane, half of the A seats are single seats with tables on both sides while the other half are two seaters. Hence, if travelling alone, all seats are ok except for the A/C two seaters. However, I prefered a combined window/aisle seat. On the first and last rows in biz you have the odds to sit close to an infant and this was the case on this flight as well.
I can compare L/H biz only between LH, BA and AY and the following can be said of the cabins. The Lufthansa decor is nice and bright, but the seats don't go flat and there is no sense of privacy. Upper deck BA is the most private, has lots of storage space and windows but is army grey and it is annoying to climb over a fellow pax should you have to leave your seat. Finnair's privacy is between these two, the decor is too light for my taste and even the smallest scratches show up on the seats. The Finnair and Lufthansa cabins are clean, Finnair being always immaculate, while BA can be downright dirty with litter and empty plastic covers on the floor etc. Can't say who wins here, but with the new product Finnair is at least as good as BA and LH in this respect.
Having sat down, I was offered champagne, orange juice or water. My strategy was to drink in the lounge and sleep on the plane, so I settled for orange juice. I am quite familiar with the Joseph Perrier that Finnair serves, so this was no big sacrifice. In fact I prefer the Nicolas Feuillatte that SAS has been serving in European J. The crew also soon came around with hot towels. We were ready for departure in time, but the ATC gave us clearance to start engines only after a delay of half an hour. According to the captain, we would be able to make up for this later (and we did).
I then explored the amenity kit in the seatback in front of me.
It contained socks, eyeshades (missing from picture), sea buckthorn moisturizer and lipstick, earplugs and a tootbrush with toothpaste. They all came in a rather nice bag advertising the notorious Finnair Via Spa at HEL airport. Additional tootbrushes and shaving kits (also in picture) were provided in the toilets.
Finally airborn, menus were handed out and the entire crew then proceeded to serve the Y cabin the standard meal, which I heard was Thai chicken. It was also pointed out on the PA that wine/beer was complimentary only during meal time. No mention was made of service in business class, which I thought showed good form as Y pax weren't reminded that they are - after all - second class citizens. SAS always elaborates on the services in the different classes, which I find annoying of course especially if I am flying in P "Punishment" class.
I played around for a while with the IFE and noticed that Finnair has a much more balanced offering than most western airlines, with entertainment from different parts of the world and also some good classical music selections. IMO current American offerings are mostly total calculated commercial wastebasket stuff, although occasionally still some e.g. British influenced pearls may surface. For the same reason all the millions the airlines have invested in high-tech IFE equipment like AVOD go totally wasted on me and I would seriously prefer some additional room instead of the IFE boxes under the seat in front of you in Y.
However on this flight the IFE boxes were no problem.
Finally, business class service commenced, but at this point I was so tired and not even hungry that I decided to just have some white wine and some crackers and then go to sleep. The duvet provided was still great (and lightyears better than the army blanket provided by BA). And the pillow was even better! However I have flown this route with Finnair many years ago (when there still were no lie flat seats not even talking about horizontal) and I recall the duvet being even better and slightly longer. Anyway, I turned the seat into the flat bed it becomes, put on my pyjama top, sprayed on some facial mist, used one of the ear plugs provided and took half of a sleeping pill. I woke up as the cabin lights were being turned on approximately two hours before landing.
The sleep quality of the new Finnair seat is excellent! You sleep quite low, almost on the floor, but not quite. There it feels very private and the duvet and pillow make you sleep like a baby. To be honest, BA is also quite nice and you are able to sleep higher from the floor. I feel you have a little more leg room on Finnair though. I'm over 6 feet and it was sufficient.
Soon after the lights had been turned on, breakfast service started. When I accepted the breakfast, the FA asked if I wanted some youghurt which I did. Then followed something I had not expected in J: the FA had a plastic bottle (like a ketchup bottle) from where she pressed the yoghurt directly to my bowl on the table. Yuk! I would have expected some nicer way to do this! Anyways, the yoghurt and a cinnamon roll ended up being the only things I ate from the very bland breakfast tray. You would have had something similar in Y a few years ago (and you probably still have) on LH and other airlines.
I asked for grapefruit juice, but Finnair didn't have any.
We landed on time and I was the first one out of the plane. After a weekend in Finland, I continued to Stockholm with Blue1 operated by Atlantic Airways but that is another story.
Verdict.
Finnair's new lie flat seat is to me one of the best ways to fly - or actually sleep - long haul in business. Although I did not enjoy the main meal nor much of the drink service, it seemed to be of consistent business class quality. However, the high quality meal choices seemed to be rather limited. Breakfast was disappointing, but then breakfast seldom is a very culinary delight. The crew was superb and the cabin spotless. Lounge service was sufficient and boarding and deboarding painless. Despite the slightly clinical feeling, I would recommend this new Finnair J product as long as there are no strikes or other disruptions affecting the service of course.
Last edited by tsastor; Jan 22, 2011 at 9:35 am Reason: Corrected seat info
Jan 22, 2011, 4:03 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: The Baltic Sea
Programs: AY, BT, DY and SK. Scandic, Radisson, Marriott and HHonors. ClubONE
Posts: 5,890
Jan 22, 2011, 9:51 am
#8
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Helsinki
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 406
Wonderful trip report. Thanks for writing it.
I personally like the Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royale Brut Vintage 2003 that is served in business class on Finnair long haul flights. It is still a vintage champagne while most of the european airlines serve non vintage nowadays.
Could not agree more. One of the things I appriciate the most when onboard is the cleanness of the cabin.
I am quite familiar with the Joseph Perrier that Finnair serves, so this was no big sacrifice. In fact I prefer the Nicolas Feuillatte that SAS has been serving in European J.
The Finnair and Lufthansa cabins are clean, Finnair being always immaculate, while BA can be downright dirty with litter and empty plastic covers on the floor etc.
Jan 23, 2011, 6:04 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: The Baltic Sea
Programs: AY, BT, DY and SK. Scandic, Radisson, Marriott and HHonors. ClubONE
Posts: 5,890
Thanks again!
Thanks!
Wow, I have to be humble and admit that haven't paid attention to the vintage of champagne's before! Something to dig into!
Wow, I have to be humble and admit that haven't paid attention to the vintage of champagne's before! Something to dig into!
Feb 2, 2011, 9:18 am
#11
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Up in the Air
Posts: 52
Hai there,
I enjoy reading your TR. You're right, we don't see a lot of Finnair reports down here, so it's good to see it.
And about what you said when people are already see the same stuff, actually in my opinion, it's always nice to see it again from a different perspective/point of view since everyone has a different opinion about air service, etc.
Thank you for writing!
Ps: I wonder do Finnair still has like stars pattern on their blanket?
I enjoy reading your TR. You're right, we don't see a lot of Finnair reports down here, so it's good to see it.
And about what you said when people are already see the same stuff, actually in my opinion, it's always nice to see it again from a different perspective/point of view since everyone has a different opinion about air service, etc.
Thank you for writing!
Ps: I wonder do Finnair still has like stars pattern on their blanket?
Feb 2, 2011, 10:00 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: The Baltic Sea
Programs: AY, BT, DY and SK. Scandic, Radisson, Marriott and HHonors. ClubONE
Posts: 5,890
Thanks! Hope you will be able to try out Finnair's new seats soon!
Thank you! Yes, I think I value the basics but want to have them right.
Were the stars on the white blanket? This one was light blue and can't recall any visible stars on it...
Hai there,
I enjoy reading your TR. You're right, we don't see a lot of Finnair reports down here, so it's good to see it.
And about what you said when people are already see the same stuff, actually in my opinion, it's always nice to see it again from a different perspective/point of view since everyone has a different opinion about air service, etc.
Thank you for writing!
Ps: I wonder do Finnair still has like stars pattern on their blanket?
I enjoy reading your TR. You're right, we don't see a lot of Finnair reports down here, so it's good to see it.
And about what you said when people are already see the same stuff, actually in my opinion, it's always nice to see it again from a different perspective/point of view since everyone has a different opinion about air service, etc.
Thank you for writing!
Ps: I wonder do Finnair still has like stars pattern on their blanket?
Were the stars on the white blanket? This one was light blue and can't recall any visible stars on it...
Feb 5, 2011, 5:47 am
#13
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 286
Read your TR with interest,
After many years using TG nonstop service ARN-BKK, this is my new favourite route.
Since they introduced the new seats in J for the night flights, itīs certainly worth the extra stop in Hel.
Itīs so much more comfy than TG:s Premium Economy seats, and in Thai high season not so much more expansive.
I defintely prefer the single A seats. The double consoles gives you so much more space and privacy. Itīs only the sliding doors missing, or youīd have a suite rather than seat...
Just a few things that surprised me:
I made this flight Jan 24, and at first also thought I should use the BA Buisness lounge in Bkk. But was directed to the Louis Tavern Business Lounge, not their First Class Lounge, are you really sure you got there, drink table looks the same as where I was??
And are you really serious that the entire J crew left the cabin to serve meals in Y???
Have no memory of that, and it sounds absolutely incredible to me.
Especially on a night flight, meal service in J should have top priority to let the pax use their nice flat beds as early as possible!
On my flight the cabin crew announcements were also separated between J and Y. The J crew chief spoke directly to us at several occasions, and we never heard any Y announcements about restricting alcohol and so on.
Another thing that surprised me a bit was that on both my flights there was plenty of kids in J.
Well behaving so not a problem, but still quite rare.
After many years using TG nonstop service ARN-BKK, this is my new favourite route.
Since they introduced the new seats in J for the night flights, itīs certainly worth the extra stop in Hel.
Itīs so much more comfy than TG:s Premium Economy seats, and in Thai high season not so much more expansive.
I defintely prefer the single A seats. The double consoles gives you so much more space and privacy. Itīs only the sliding doors missing, or youīd have a suite rather than seat...
Just a few things that surprised me:
I made this flight Jan 24, and at first also thought I should use the BA Buisness lounge in Bkk. But was directed to the Louis Tavern Business Lounge, not their First Class Lounge, are you really sure you got there, drink table looks the same as where I was??
And are you really serious that the entire J crew left the cabin to serve meals in Y???
Have no memory of that, and it sounds absolutely incredible to me.
Especially on a night flight, meal service in J should have top priority to let the pax use their nice flat beds as early as possible!
On my flight the cabin crew announcements were also separated between J and Y. The J crew chief spoke directly to us at several occasions, and we never heard any Y announcements about restricting alcohol and so on.
Another thing that surprised me a bit was that on both my flights there was plenty of kids in J.
Well behaving so not a problem, but still quite rare.
Feb 6, 2011, 9:14 am
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: The Baltic Sea
Programs: AY, BT, DY and SK. Scandic, Radisson, Marriott and HHonors. ClubONE
Posts: 5,890
And are you really serious that the entireJ crew left the cabin to serve meals in Y???
Have no memory of that, and it sounds absolutely incredible to me.
Especially on a night flight, meal service in J should have top priority to let the pax use their nice flat beds as early as possible!
Have no memory of that, and it sounds absolutely incredible to me.
Especially on a night flight, meal service in J should have top priority to let the pax use their nice flat beds as early as possible!
On my flight the cabin crew announcements were also separated between J and Y. The J crew chief spoke directly to us at several occasions, and we never heard any Y announcements about restricting alcohol and so on.
Another thing that surprised me a bit was that on both my flights there was plenty of kids in J.
Well behaving so not a problem, but still quite rare.
Well behaving so not a problem, but still quite rare.
Feb 6, 2011, 9:21 am
#15
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: In the skies of the world
Programs: SAS Gold, FB Gold, BA Gold, EY Silver
Posts: 3,167
Many thanks for the report of an airline that has been very little covered here! ^
A bit of a shame we never got to see the main meal after the departure.
Any idea of the quality of the food in Finnair longhaul C? (breakfast is pretty much the same everywhere)
A bit of a shame we never got to see the main meal after the departure.
Any idea of the quality of the food in Finnair longhaul C? (breakfast is pretty much the same everywhere)