Finnair has unveiled its brand-new Premium Economy product.
Launching in spring 2022, the new cabin on long haul flights will have a dedicated cabin with a maximum of 26 spacious seats.
Finnair’s CEO says it is the right time to launch the new cabin. Other airlines have noted an increase in demand for Premium Economy following COVID.
Ole Orvér, Finnair Chief Commercial Officer:
“The trend for premium travel has significantly accelerated during the pandemic, so we are confident our new Premium Economy travel class will prove very popular with customers looking for an upgraded experience from Economy.”
The airline is also introducing a new Business Class and improvements to its long haul Economy Class.
Long-haul flights are key to Finnair’s strategy, with the airline specialising in connecting Europe and Asia via the northern route.
Finnair Premium Economy
Finnair’s new Premium Economy cabin offers about 50% more space than Economy Class.
It features a 2-4-2 layout on A350 aircraft and 2-3-2 layout on A330 aircraft.
All seats have a 38-inch pitch with 8-inch recline and a 6-way headrest.
Further features include:
- 13-inch screens
- power and charging points
- individual reading lights
- laptop stowage
- 2 meal services and drinks throughout the flight
- light meal service just before landing
Long-haul Economy Class Improvements
Finnair has also invested in a refresh of its long-haul Economy Class, to provide passengers with a more restful ambiance for their long-haul flight.
New lighter seats for Finnair’s A330 aircraft and three new A350 aircraft will offer enhanced ergonomics, personal stowage options, USB A & C connectivity and a larger inflight entertainment (IFE) screen with an updated user interface.
New long haul aircraft layouts
When the new Premium Cabin is installed the long haul aircraft layouts will be like this:
A350: either 43 seats in business class, 24 in premium economy and 211 in economy, or 30, 26 and 265 seats respectively.
A330: 28 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats and 230 economy seats.
Supplier
The new Premium Economy seats come from Swire owned and Hong Kong based HAECO.
Finnair is the launch customer of the “Vector™ Premium” seat. The seat has been customised to Finnair’s specifications and designed in partnership with London based design agency Tangerine.
About Finnair
Finnair is the largest airline in Finland. It’s main hub is Helsinki Airport, from where it flies to over 100 destinations in Asia, North America, Europe. It specialises in connecting passenger and cargo traffic between Asia and Europe via the short northern route.
Routes: Finnair flies between Asia, Europe and North America with an emphasis on fast connections via Helsinki. In 2018 the airline operated to 20 cities in Asia, 8 cities in the Americas and more than 100 destinations in Europe.
Fleet: Over 70 aircraft, comprising:
- 6 Airbus A319
- 10 Airbus A320
- 19 Airbus A321
- 8 Airbus A330
- 16 Airbus A350 ( + 3 on order)
- 12 ATR 72
- 12 Embraer E190
(Figures from finnair.com on 13/02/2022).
Passengers: Over 13 million in 2018.
Alliance: oneworld
N.B. Image credit: Finnair Now/here
