After missing my connection from Helsinki (HEL) to Los Angeles (LAX), I was rebooked home via New York (JFK). That gave me a chance to experience Finnair’s transatlantic A330-300 business class product instead of another flight on the A350-900. Overall, the experience was solid, though I’m still not sold on Finnair’s business class seat that does not recline.

Finnair A330-300 Business Class Review (HEL-JFK)

We boarded about 20 minutes before departure, but the flight was not full and we still pushed back on time. The boarding process tends to be very efficient in Nordic countries…almost like Japan!

Finnair 0015
Helsinki (HEL) – New York (JFK)
Thursday, February 6
Depart: 4:55 PM
Arrive: 7:50 PM
Duration: 8 hr, 55 min
Distance: 4,117 miles
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
Seat: 6L (Business Class)

Onboard, I entered through door 2L, crossed through the galley, and found my seat, 6L.

Seat

The Finnair A330-300 has 28 seats in business class, all located between door 1 and 2 in a single large cabin. These “Airlounge seats based on a Collins Aerospace platform, configured 1-2-1.

Seats controls are located on the side table and there’s also a storage cabinet with the IFE handheld unit, USB-A and USB-C power, and room for personal items. The headphones also plug in here. Below that is a universal A/C outlet.

These are very private seats…this was my view when seated:

Even though the seat was similar, the A330 business class cabin seemed tighter than the A350 I just stepped off (which of course makes sense when you consider the A350 fuselage is wider). I did not bring my tape measure, but the “couch” seat felt noticeably narrower.

After a couple more flights with this seat, I rate it as below average. It’s quite comfortable when laying down, but I don’t find it particularly comfortable when sitting up…the two pillows are absolutely necessary.

And the wireless charging is so weak it’s essentially worthless…

That said, unlike the A350, the A330 has individual air vents, which were very much appreciated. The longhaul bedding was also appreciated with a mattress pad, soft and stylish Marimekko duvet (with a custom textile print by artist Maija Isola called Kalasääski) and two pillows, both of which are needed behind your back when seated in the upright position.

I tried to rest and managed to sleep for a few hours…there were individual air vents and the bedding is excellent. When I woke up, thankfully, my headache was gone…the aspirin had worked! (more on that below)

The sun had also “risen” (though it was still dusk) as we moved further south toward New York.

Food + Drink

Prior to departure, water or sparkling wine were offered in a beautiful Iittala Ultima Thule glass.

Menus were also distributed, including a separate beverage menu.

Dinner

After takeoff, a hot towel was offered, followed by smoked almonds and a choice of beverage. I tried Finnair’s signature “Northern Blush” cocktail featuring gin, lingonberry, and orange.

Dinner was served after takeoff: the entire meal was served on one tray with two appetizers, bread, and main course.

I noticed the napkin was stained with something green…

The appetizer included:

Beef in Ponzu sauce with pickled radish, sesame seeds, spring onions, and seaweed caviar

and

Pumpkin pure, roasted pumpkin, pickled pumpkin, and Feta cheese with pumpkin seed oil

Both were interesting…and I did not care for the beef dish, but at least it was an attempt at something beyond a green salad.

I had pre-ordered rainbow trout for my main course (smoked rainbow trout with potato purée, oven-baked root
vegetables, broccolini, cabbage and dill cream sauce). Unfortunately, the fish was very salty…it had indeed been smoked (preserved) and then warmed up. It also looked like salmon, though to me it just tasted like salt…While nicely presented, this dish was not a winner.

I concluded the meal with cheese (Peltola Blue cheese and Herkkujuustola Mouhitaler) followed by dessert (brownie with salted caramel and nuts served with raspberry sauce). Both were delicous.

Mid-Flight Snack

When I got up to stretch after my nap, I found self-snacks in the galley, including chocolate, sandwiches, crisps, candy, sandwiches, sweet rolls, and cookies. Self-serve beverages were also available, including blueberry juice, soft drinks, and still or sparkling water. Still hungry from earlier, I did not eat anything.

Pre-Arrival Meal

Just over 90 minutes before landing a second meal was served: pasta. There was no choice. It was better than the first meal and served with a refreshing green salad and more bread.

No dessert was served, but I concluded the meal with a very good cappuccino, sreved with chocolate.

My dinner main course was a miss, but everything else was quite nice onboard and I appreciated the Finnish touches.

Amenity Kit

I found the amenity kit itself very attractive, with a design by Marimekko. The contents however  were extremely limited: toothbrush, toothpaste, eye shade, and earplugs.

Slippers were also present at each seat.

Lavatory

The A330-300 has three lavatories in the front of the plane, though one just outside the flight deck is reserved for flight crew. The other two lavatories have a window and are spacious. Soap was by Finnish company SEES.

IFE + Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi internet was available onboard, with three options for purchase:

• Full flight – EUR 19.95
• 3 hours – EUR 12.95
• 1 hour – EUR 6.96

I purchased a flight pass and it worked well (though I only used it for about three hours after my nap and probably could have gotten away with the three-hour pass).

The IFE library included movies, TV shows, games, a digital newstand, music, a moving flight map, and a camera. I’ve seen larger libraries…nothing really caught my eye.

I also liked how the menu was available on the screen. As much as “real” menus are fun, this makes more sense to me than so much printing waste…

Noise-cancelling headphones worked reasonably well.

Service

I had a biting headache (I guess from the delay in Amsterdam and stress on the ground in Helsinki) and asked a flight attendant if she had an aspirin or ibuprofen…she did and she mothered me during the flight, which was very nice.

CONCLUSION

We lost time enroute to New York, perhaps due to strong headwinds, and landed about 30 minutes late at JFK, which gave me less than an hour to make my connection to Los Angeles.

I’d call this flight “solid.” I don’t think it’s fair to say that Finnair offers an above-average product, but the bedding was excellent, the service equally excellent, and the food okay.