Ed Size

Yeah I got this wrong, anyhow yesterday I could see all the options 1,2,3 Foodlevers etc, today they are gone. I try to book the meals on Facebook. Also today my seat selections I did yesterday are all gone, had to rebook them. Two of the seats where gone - sucks. now last row on the flight to Hel, original booked first row.

NoWindowSeat

Well that _really_ sucks...once that happened to me and my wife on AY to SIN...we were moved from row 1 to some middle pair in the back..when I saw the BPs at the HEL Prem checkin counter I politely asked what the hell is going on and the nice lady made few calls to somewhere and printed out new BPs with original seats for us, she had no idea (or didn't dare to tell) what had happened.. Anyway just push and ask why they have done it...seat selection prior to check-in is one of their perks coming with a J ticket and unless operational reasons (a/c swap, selecting baby cot seats etc) they really should stick to their service promise as that is what you pay for.

ffay005

I'd be interested in hearing if anyone shares my view on the longhaul pre-arrival breakfasts. Back in 7th grade, the first thing I learned in home economics was that if you make an omelette, you need to serve it right away. Not after 15 minutes, and certainly not after 12+ hours, as is the norm on longhaul flights that arrive in the morning. I find those chilled-down and reheated omelettes tasteless, often rubbery and the sides usually haven't fared well, either.

What I would very much welcome as an alternative would be a cold cut platter with some gourmet breads (instead of the usually rather tasteless rolls we now get from outstations), cheeses, hams, salami etc. Perhaps an olive or two, a couple of cucumber and tomato slices, maybe even some cold smoked salmon or liver pate. Anything that you could create your own open sandwich or two with. Of course, this would be served alongside fresh fruit, yoghurt and cereal etc.

On one flight, can't remember the destination anymore, I was surprised that you could have a warm apple strudel for breakfast instead of the usual omelette. It was big, looked and tasted fresh and came with ample vanilla custard. Perhaps it would have been better suited in a Viennese café alongside with a cup of afternoon coffee, but it was definitely a very welcome change to the norm.

SuloL

+1 from here! Agree totally that the breakfasts need a lot of improvement. I've actually grown such a disgust for the omelettes and other tasteless items in the western option, that I've started doing the light breakfast, supplemented with granola and the occasional (Alepa?) ciabatta. Among the airlines I've flown in J (even short-haul), Finnair's bread selection definitely places in the bottom quartile. Haven't had anything remotely crispy (nor tasty...) for ages! Karelian pies seem to run out on all the flights, cannot recall when I had one during the breakfast service. Finnair is touting the nordic cuisine/onboard experience, so why not figure something out for breakfast as well?

I would very much prefer cold cuts, salmon etc. I believe minor, incremental yet thoughtful improvements could really go a long way for the breakfast.

intuition

+1. 'Rubbery' is the exact word to describe the eggs usually served.
I have however once gotten a freshly made omelette (or what felt like freshly made). I have no idea how they did it, there must be some kind of specialized machine. It was on QR IIRC.

I like to start the day slowly, ie I rather have a very tiny meal as late as possible on the longhaul and then do a proper, second-breakfast on the connecting shorthaul.

I like your idea of cold cuts. You can add some other elements too. I got a bit of greek vibe reading your idea, so some feta cheese and greek style (non-sweetened) yoghurt wouldn't be bad.

I also think a "french-style" breakfast or sweet breakfast is good. Many years ago AY did excellent croissants and fresh café-au-laît / cappuccino *) but these days the croissants are soggy and inedible and coffe is bad. I'd love the apfel-strudel too, it is just enough to start up my system for the day!
Sometimes there is pancake / waffle and jam but it is a tad too much for me personally.




*) Preserved in fond memory is a AY red-eye may years ago, probably HKG--HEL-GOT, where I was gently woken by lovely bakery-smell and the words "Sir, while you were sleeping, we prepared some croissants for you. What kind of coffee would you like with that?"

Cupart

AI is not quite there yet (or at least AY's IT department are struggling)...

FFlash

Everytime a chatbot answers me, I search a human service number, call them and give a good lesson to throw the bot in the deepest hole

ffay005

I just received an IpsosMori for my recent J class MIA-HEL. This time, I wrote a lengthy comment about the food provided. Not really holding my breath or anything, but it felt good to write my thoughts down and hopefully, someone actually reads those answers. One-tray main meal service, cheap ingredients, Pirkka, rubbery breakfast among others mentioned... On the other hand, this was also a good opportunity to thank "my" FA, who was a perfect example of AY FAs at their best: non-intrusive but attentive at the same time, no rolling eyes when I expressed my wishes, fast and corteous. ^

I gave good points for the lounge, too, realising that they might interpret it as good points for the Premium Lounge at MIA, not the Flagship First that I actually visited. Oh well, the Premium Lounge will undergo a thorough renovation anyway, so they'll probably change the concept, too.

intuition

AY 91 (argh, difficult with new numbers) to CKG in nov.

Salmon & Herring starter. Un-inspirational salad. All on one tray.
Tray gets cleared and main with new set of cutlery is served "stand-alone" on table linen. Rice creatively served in tea-mug. All tasted good except salad and rice.

intuition

AY92 CKG-HEL Nov17.

I only got pic of starter.

The shreded ham and pepper salad (right side) was surprisingly good and well seasoned. Turned out to be the winner on the plate.
The side-salad was better than usually, but WHY do bell pepper in the salad too???? Pretty uninspired meal composition that way.

Am I allowed to top this of with the offerings of the brand new First class lounge of CKG T3? It is after all Finnair which pays for my raid of the hot buffet, and I think it is only fare to add it here as a part of the luxurious experience of international air-travel.

By the way, I sampled a piece of everything from the buffet!! Not sure what to recommend though. Perhaps the warm beer.

NoWindowSeat

nyc10036

There seem to be mixed opinions/experiences here--so I thought I'd mention that I was having the same issue for my JFK-HEL-JFK trip next week. In case it matters, I'm OW Emerald flying paid J.

I have always been able to preorder my meals online (and secure the reindeer main out of HEL), so I gave it a few days, thinking that it was a quick system glitch. But it wasn't fixed as of last night (Tue, 6 Mar 2018). I felt silly calling CS about meals, so I DM'ed @FinnAirHelps...which felt less silly. Happy to report that the rep was able to get me the "Chef's Gourmet" option out of HEL!

Cupart

Thanks for the reply nyc10036 Still amazing that the problem is not fixed tbh but just allocated through a phone call.

I'm against calling someone when an online option exists to have something fixed quickly there and then. AY's online services (Website build, functions etc) are so poor that it hurts... Does it help to complain? Erh, no, not really...

My next BKK flight is at mid-night so I don't care about the meal service but I do care about the missing "premium" online J offerings which are "part" of the over all experience...

What a Mickey Mouse setup

Cupart

So... I finally got through on the chat function (which in itself is a winner):



Well, OK then...

After a while I go a confirmation that the meals had indeed been added to the PNR which in fact were correct ^


Then the chat continued:



But I just told you that it isn't a special occasion (didn't take a screenshot of it but trust me as it was a question the person answered "Nice" to as you can see).

I asked why on earth I would buy champagne and chocolates as

1) Champagne is part of the drink options both in SH and LH J, and
2) I live in Switzerland (for the chocolate part question)?

Decided enough of company time had been wasted so I ended the conversation...

PS. I made it clear that the person dealing with me was not at fault and that I found the whole web experience a joke...

tinkicker

Well I booked my optional meal of "overcooked reindeer" on online chat this morning. no dramas, took a couple of minutes waiting for the agent but that's all.