Finnair AY 3270 Business Class Barcelona to Helsinki - Airbus A350-900

[TheFlyingSultan]

Fellow aviators,

Ever since the word spread about the near delivery to Finnair of the first A350-900 of the European continent I looked around for a way to fly on this new plane type. Finnair announced a selection of days and flights on which the type would operate for crew training purposes. As such, it was quickly decided to book a oneway BCN-HEL-BRU with the BCN-HEL sector being operated by the A350. At first I was booked in Y class but a few weeks before the flight I received an email from Finnair with an upgrade offer to business class - one that I could not refuse As such, I was rebooked and ready to fly at the pointy end of the bus - pun intended

Here’s the route map for this flight (courtesy of Great Circle Mapper, copyright Karl L Schwartz).



Flight details:


BCN to HEL
AY 3270
Airbus A350-900 OH-LWA
STD-STA 10h20-15h10
C class
seat 12A

Here are a few pics, the complete report is in video format via the YouTube link below.

The 1st sighting of the plane, sideways, as she was parked in a remote parking space at the far end of the C gates at BCN. Probably she was busy hosting press and VIP’s on a cabin tour.



Boarding by bus in splendid weather - what more could you ask for? I wasn’t the only taking pics and the ground staff was very relaxed and let us take as many as we wanted from (almost) every angle.



Massive powerplants - really impressive!



Looking towards the rear end.



The blended winglet on the left side.



Ok, it’s time to board now



One of the business class seats in the mid part of the cabin. The seats are lie-fat and placed under a forward angle to maximise privacy. In a window seat you can see directly ouf the window without having to turn your head - nice!



Controls for everything - all in 1 handy place.



Tail cam on a large screen.



There’s 2 business class cabins, 9 rows in the forward part, 3 rows in the rear part. Needless to say this 2nd, smaller cabin is the one to be in as it feels more cosy and private.



View from my seat, 12A, the last row in the business class cabin.





Cruising somewhere over France.



Sorry - I couldn’t get enough of this



A final goodbye at the gate in HEL. All the in between stuff you can find in the video below - enjoy!



On a side note - my HEL-BRU flight afterwards was overbooked and I could not go with it. Interestingly, I was already on standy when checking in 36 hours in advance! After a long wait at the gate it was clear that there were no ‘no shows’, and me and 2 other pax were rebooked on the next morning service. A hotel with dinner and brekkie was provided together with a VISA Electron card with a € 400 compensation on it. So all in all, I earned back my trip and more. Getting paid to fly, does it get any better?

The complete report:



TheFlyingSultan

[sn26567]

Very nice report on a very nice flight on a great plane, and furthermore, all expenses paid in Business Class, you lucky b***d !

This Finnair A350 is really a jewel, at least in C class: all these amenities, all this equipment.

The flight looked pretty full: European familiarisation flights seem to attract a lot of people interested in this new plane. What a pity that I missed the visit in Brussels on 12 October.

And you had your favourite seat: window, last row (of the C class)!

But how come you were "overbooked" when checking in 36 hrs in advance? I can't get that. But good for you!

[TheFlyingSultan]

Very nice report on a very nice flight on a great plane, and furthermore, all expenses paid in Business Class, you lucky b***d !

Ha ha, thank you André - yeah a really great flight on this magnificent new type in the skies. All expenses paid indeed but I had to come home a day later for that. No problem lol!

This Finnair A350 is really a jewel, at least in C class: all these amenities, all this equipment.

Well said. While not being bling bling like some of the ME airlines, it does have all the things one needs inflight. And more, definitely!

The flight looked pretty full: European familiarisation flights seem to attract a lot of people interested in this new plane.

The Y section was full as I was told by an FA and it alos looked that way. Mostly transfer pax to Asia but I highly doubt that everyone cared about this new plane as much as I did

What a pity that I missed the visit in Brussels on 12 October.

What a shame but I'm sure there'll be more opportunities to come as I hear that the type will be a regular in BRU as well, like the A343's now.

And you had your favourite seat: window, last row (of the C class)!

Exactly - it couldn't have gotten any better

But how come you were "overbooked" when checking in 36 hrs in advance? I can't get that. But good for you!

I'm left clueless here too. Was it my odd routing or the fact that I wasn't transfering to Asia or...? Don't know.

TheFlyingSultan

[Everett]

Hi TheFlyingSultan,

Thanks for the nice trip report and pictures! Definitely a nice plane and a stylish interior.

What are your feelings if you compare it towards the 787 (windows, noise, mood lights, seating etc)
I promised my wife to do a citytrip towards Helsinki (she loves Scandinivia as much as I do) and I definitely will leave Brussels on a Wednesday or Thursday as this beauty will replace the A340 as from February on .
But it will be after the trip with the Swiss B777

Rgds
Everett

[sn26567]

But it will be after the trip with the Swiss B777

I'm sure you'll like the A350 a lot more!

[Everett]

But it will be after the trip with the Swiss B777

I'm sure you'll like the A350 a lot more!

I'll probably will André

[TheFlyingSultan]

Hi TheFlyingSultan,

Thanks for the nice trip report and pictures! Definitely a nice plane and a stylish interior.

Hi Everett, thanks for stopping by again and yes, I can only agree!

What are your feelings if you compare it towards the 787 (windows, noise, mood lights, seating etc)

That's a tough one tbh. This aircraft is as quiet as the A380, some people find this good, others not. Regarding the windows, they are big like in the 787 but there's the regular window shade which I prefer. Mood lighting and cabin ambience is about the same I guess. It's hard to form a definitive opinion since this was only the very first flight with the type. Perhaps in the future I can tell more

I promised my wife to do a citytrip towards Helsinki (she loves Scandinivia as much as I do) and I definitely will leave Brussels on a Wednesday or Thursday as this beauty will replace the A340 as from February on .

So I heard too. For sure an excellent opportunity to fly this beautiful plane.

But it will be after the trip with the Swiss B777

Or course

TheFlyingSultan

[sn26567]

The seating of the A350 compares with that of the 787 (3-3-3), but initially the 787 was designed for a more comfortable 2-4-2 seating. Hence you will feel more cramped in the 787 than in the A350. Many seasoned travellers avoid the 787 on long-haul flights.

[Homo Aeroportus]

The seating of the A350 compares with that of the 787 (3-3-3), but initially the 787 was designed for a more comfortable 2-4-2 seating. Hence you will feel more cramped in the 787 than in the A350. Many seasoned travellers avoid the 787 on long-haul flights.

No doubt.

Hadn't Steven Udvar-Hazy of ILFC/ALC and other potential customers raised their concerns, the A350 would have had the fuselage of an A330, i.e. 5.64m. When Airbus, finally, heard the message and went for the A350XWB, they got it right and it has now a bigger appeal in terms of cabin comfort.

H.A.

[sn26567]

Maybe it's just a matter of how long it will take before some low cost airlines propose a 3-4-3 seating on the A350

[Homo Aeroportus]

Maybe it's just a matter of how long it will take before some low cost airlines propose a 3-4-3 seating on the A350

And/or they may find a way to make use of this huge volume that a wide body aircraft cabin offers :

overhead-bin-plankwtmk1.jpg (21.28 KiB) Viewed 3341 times

:silent:

H.A.