Airline Buzz - New Lounges, Business Class Perks From Finnair

As it approaches its 90th birthday next month, Finnair is rolling out several impressive upgrades to its service, including a significant expansion to in-flight entertainment on all long-haul flights, an upgraded range of complimentary wines, beer and spirits in the Helsinki airport lounge and the continued retrofitting of fully-flat beds to the Business Class cabin.
The airline has nearly doubled its range of in-flight entertainment options on all long-haul flights, with a choice of 72 movies and more than 150 TV shows now available on demand included in both Economy and Business Class seat tickets.


On Finnair’s new Airbus A321s with "Sharklets" (which are mostly operated on medium-haul and leisure routes), passengers now have access to Samsung Tab 3 tablet computers, available to rent at a cost of EUR 10. The tablets come pre-programmed with hours of video, music, games and newspapers.

“Tablet computing clearly has the potential to revolutionize inflight entertainment, as tablet systems are much lighter and easier to keep up-to-date from an operational point-of-view,” Jouni Oksanen, Finnair’s Director of Customer Entertainment, said in a statement. “If tablet-based entertainment proves to be successful on these new aircraft, we will of course continue to evaluate the possibility of implementation across the fleet.”

Lounge in style

Meanwhile, Business Class passengers, Finnair Plus top-tier loyalty card holders and other customers entitled to lounge access at Helsinki Airport can now get an upgraded range of complimentary wines, beer and spirits in both Finnair Lounges at Helsinki Airport. Additionally, at the non-Schengen Finnair Lounge next to Gate 36, a more exclusive list of premium champagnes and liquors are also available for a charge. Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royale Brut Champagne is free for Finnair Plus Platinum members and other Emerald-level oneworld frequent flyer cardholders.

Work has also started on building a new Premium Lounge directly adjacent to the Finnair Lounge in the non-Schengen area of Helsinki Airport. The Premium Lounge will open in spring 2014 and complement the original Finnair Lounge. The new lounge will be available to Finnair Plus Platinum and Gold members and their guests only, as well as frequent flyer cardholders with equivalent status at a fellow oneworld airline. Perks include new private shower suites and a Finnish sauna. An exclusive Finnair Tax-Free Shop will also be opened next to the lounges, serving all non-Schengen passengers.
 

In the Air

Onboard, the Marimekko for Finnair collection of pillows, blankets, headrest covers, napkins and tableware is now standard in all Finnair aircraft, both long-haul and short-haul. Last month, Finnair also announced new Signature Meals in Business Class created by top Finnish chefs Tomi Björck and Pekka Terävä. Currently, Finnair is retrofitting an additional eight long-haul aircraft to provide seats that convert to fully-flat beds in Business Class, for optimum comfort in long-haul travel. After the retrofit is complete in September 2014, all but three of Finnair long-haul aircraft will be outfitted with the full-flat seats; the remaining aircraft are set to be retired from the fleet with the arrival of Airbus A350s in 2015.