Back on topic, my recent flights were pleasant as well. Had the same crew outbound Friday, inbound Sunday. The service concept, however, is full of surprises. Despite having the same crew, there were inconsistencies: no PDB ex-HEL, but a hot towel and a tablecloth were provided. Ex-DXB, PDB but no hot towel and no tablecloth. I didn't say anything about these to anyone. However, a little before landing at HEL, the purser came to ask how the flight was and mentioned that the concept was new to them and that they had tried their best to follow the written instructions they had been given. She was also genuinely interested in hearing my opinion about the concept and especially about the meal service on the return leg. She would have wanted to serve some light savoury snack before landing instead of the ice cream, which should be part of the meal service. I agreed with her on that.

The appetizers have changed since my November flight (HEL-DXB Salmon tartar, marinated shimeji mushrooms, trout roe and fried onion; DXB-HEL Beef pastrami, roasted beetroots and butternut squash, apple mayonnaise and blue cheese crumbs), everything else remained unchanged. The November appetizers were more to my taste.