Splashing out thousands of pounds on a long-haul business class seat that doesn’t recline may not sound like your idea of a premium experience.
But there’s a reason behind Finnair’s method for what may initially appear madness.
Unveiling the airline’s long-awaited new business class cabins in Helsinki today, its CEO, Topi Manner, said the move creates much more space for passengers to move around in their own ‘nest-like’ pod.
Finnair has launched a long-haul business class seat that doesn’t recline. Above, a model tests it out
Finnair’s CEO, Topi Manner, said the non-reclining seat creates much more space for passengers to move around in their own ‘nest-like’ pod
Gone are the days of pressing a button and, while your seat cumbersomely reclines in slow-mo, your belongings seem to disappear down the side.
Instead, when wanting to lie down, passengers press a button on a sleek side panel that raises both the foot and leg rest to fill the gap between the seat and the cavernous footwell.
Travellers then simply shuffle themselves forward and lie down.
A mattress, duvet and pillows created by Finnish fashion house Marimekko are offered to turn the space into a comfortable bed, with multiple positions to lie in due to the extra space created by stripping out the reclining mechanics.
When wanting to lie down, passengers press a button on a sleek side panel that raises both the foot and leg rest to fill the gap between the seat and the cavernous footwell. Travellers then simply shuffle themselves forward and lie down
A mattress, duvet and pillows created by Finnish fashion house Marimekko are offered to turn the space into a comfortable bed
According to David, the entertainment system in business class has what feels like a ‘huge’ 18-inch screen
It means Finnair has effectively tried to ‘reinvent the wheel’ when it comes to business class travel.
Giving MailOnline an exclusive tour around a newly fitted Airbus A350, the brains behind the project, Finnair designer David Kondo, said: ‘It’s more like a living space rather than an aircraft seat, so you get into your only little space and you can do whatever you want with it.
‘You can make it your own nest.’
Mr Manner said: ‘I’m sure travellers will be valuing the nest-like, cocoon-like experience, the privacy, the fact that you can move around and have more space.’
Pictured is the plane’s entrance galley. Finnair has effectively tried to ‘reinvent the wheel’ when it comes to business class travel, says David
Taking a walk around the A350 in a hangar at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, the first things that strike you about the new cabins are the contoured fittings, mood lighting and soothing dark colour scheme that together create an authentically Nordic vibe.
Once in your seat, an overhead lamp allows you to tailor the ambience to meet your needs.
Further in-seat lighting adds to the feeling that you could just be in your own – or somebody else’s – living room.
It was designed in collaboration with a German firm specialising in bespoke lighting solutions to soothe the mind and combat the effects of jetlag.
A ‘do not disturb’ light, attached to the exterior of each pod, can also be switched on to ensure privacy.
The new business class concept is to be rolled out across Finnair’s entire long-haul fleet of A330s and A350s
Further evidence that Finnair has left nothing to chance is that there are multiple storage pockets, meaning even the most gadget-laden travellers have somewhere tucked away to put them safely – and there are plenty of sockets for charging them.
The entertainment system also has what feels like a huge 18-inch screen.
As for dining, a new food and drinks service includes ‘an up to six-course meal in modern bistro-style and another lighter meal.’
A model tests out the seats in Finnair’s revamped premium economy cabin. They have 38 inches of legroom
The premium economy seats will feature a stowage area for laptops and small personal items, memory foam cushions, an eight-inch recline, and leg rest
All dishes are served on new chinaware designed by Harri Koskinen, one of Finland’s best-known contemporary designers.
The concept is to be rolled out across Finnair’s entire long-haul fleet of A330s and A350s, along with a revamped premium economy cabin.
These seats have 38 inches of legroom, a stowage area for laptops and small personal items, memory foam cushions, an eight-inch recline, and leg rest.
There is a single leaf meal tray for work and dining, individual reading lights, and charging sockets. The entertainment system has a 13-inch touchscreen set in the rear of the seat in front.
The routes that will first see the new cabins will be announced on March 1.
But Mr Manner said ‘the likelihood is that Heathrow will be seeing these’, meaning UK travellers with a penchant for a premium experience likely don’t have long to wait.
Passengers in premium economy will enjoy a single leaf meal tray for work and dining, individual reading lights, and charging sockets
The entertainment system in premium economy (pictured) has a 13-inch touchscreen set in the rear of the seat in front
The economy section. The routes that will first see the new business class cabins will be announced on March 1
The Finnair chief said he believes it was worth investing £168million in the project because, after two years of lockdown due to the pandemic, travellers are looking to splash out a little more on their holidays by upgrading.
He told MailOnline: ‘We see the premium leisure type of demand increasing as a trend. We think that’s been accelerated by the pandemic.
‘In our package travel side of the business, Suntours, we see customers are picking little bit better hotels than they used to, so the average purchase price is increasing, the customer’s willingness to pay is increasing.
‘To me that’s completely logical because there has been such a big shortage of really invigorating experiences for all of us during the past two years, so once we are unleashed then we really want to experience things on steroids.’
For more information visit www.finnair.com.
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