Finnair has finally revealed its long-anticipated premium economy cabin. Alongside the launch of premium economy, the airline will also roll out a new business class seat across its entire fleet of Airbus A330s and A350s, and larger in-flight entertainment system across all its classes.
Finnair’s premium economy class will debut this spring. Each seat provides around 50% more space than one of Finnair’s economy seats. Finnair has placed its trust in HAECO when it comes to choosing seats, with the airline choosing the Vector Premium seat for the cabin.
The premium economy cabin will be fairly dense, with Finnair opting for an eight abreast configuration. Seats will sit in a 2-4-2 configuration, just one seat less than the economy cabin’s 3-3-3 layout. The cabin will seat 26 passengers, meaning that there will be three and a bit rows to the cabin.
Finnair has included what it describes as a “large and sturdy single leaf meal tray” in the seats. Passengers riding in the cabin will receive two meal services and a selection of drinks to enjoy on the table. One three-course meal will accompany a light meal just before landing. A neck pillow and woven blanket will also be provided for passengers.
Business Class
While HAECO was selected for the premium economy cabin, Collins took a seat in business class with its Aerospace AirLounge seat. Finnair is the launch customer for this seat as well as the Vector Premium seat. The AirLounge seat is arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, meaning that every passenger has aisle access.
The seats are enclosed in a shell with no recline capabilities. According to the airline, this allows passengers to choose a wide variety of sitting and sleeping positions. Infill panels turn the seat into a bed, accompanied by a mattress and pillow. While the seats have a high level of privacy, a divider can be lowered between the two central seats.
The seats have plenty of storage for an array of items. Interesting, though, are the power options. As well as USB A, USB C, and PC power, the seat also offers wireless device charging.
Economy Class
Finnair is also refreshing its economy cabin. New, lighter seats will be installed across the fleet, which will offer better ergonomics and storage options. Every seat will have USB A and USB C power, with a new, larger in-flight entertainment system. The new seats will be installed in the Airbus A330 and A350 cabins at the same time as the business and premium economy seats.
Finnair revealed that the new on-board experience would be launched in the Spring. Of course, not all of the aircraft will have the cabin installed at once. This means that it will initially be limited. Finnair didn’t reveal when and where the cabin would first fly, though it did mention that this would be made known on March 1st 2022. Finnair and simpleflying.com
