Flight Review: Qantas operated Finnair A330-300 Business Class Singapore (SIN) to Sydney (SYD)
Qantas operated Finnair flight QF292 with the new Finnair Collins designed AirLounge.
NOTEWORTHY DETAILS
Qantas Airways flight QF292
Singapore to Sydney
Finnair Airbus A330-300 Business Class
New Collins designed Finnair AirLounge non-reclining flat-bed seat
Very spacious seat with abundant width and seat length when lying flat
Informative official AirLounge video explaining the design and features of the new seat.
A recent trip from Singapore to Sydney provided me with a different Qantas experience, that is, flying on a Finnair A330 instead of a Qantas plane. Though I have flown with Finnair previously, I was interested to see how the combination of Qantas soft products such as food and drink combined with Finnair’s aircraft and new AirLounge non-reclining business class seat.
The AirLounge debuted back in 2022, and features a unique design, as there is no recline or movement whatsoever of the seat back. Instead to lay flat, an electronically activated platform simply raises to bridge the gap between the seat bottom, and foot well.
The Finnair cabin features calming dark blue tones and lighting overall, and the seat specifically contains soft fabrics from famous Finnish brand Marimekko, with cutlery and crockery provided by another famous Finnish brand, Iittala. However, these were not present on the Qantas operated flight, which uses the familiar David Caon designed Noritake products.
THE SEAT
I wanted to provide as much information around my personal experience with this innovative seat design, as I can imagine a significant amount of apprehension boarding a business class flight without any seat-back movement. Though I have seen some negative comments around this, my experience was the opposite.
The seat feels extremely well designed, and the seat back position is extremely comfortable. It might sound strange, but you can kind of position yourself many different ways to stay comfortable through a long flight.
The cabin features the pretty much standard 1-2-1 layout, with direct aisle access for every seat in business. In terms of best seats, I really dont think there is much variability. I would most likely steer clear of rows 1 and 7, simply due to proximity to the galley and bathrooms.
Upon boarding, the seat has the large electronically operated privacy divider up for centre seats, which I was in for this flight.
The seat offers a huge 198cm in length, and generous 53cm in width. For me, when laying flat, I never felt at all restricted in width which can sometimes happen on other seats. The cocoon style shell provides a very spacious, wide and very private feel when seated.
There are multiple storage areas, with a very deep storage bin located on the right hand side with lid open when boarding. This space can easily fit shoes, tablets and other personal items.
You can see the seat controls also along the edge of the shelf, which features a large foldable desk space for work, or eating.
The Koskela kit includes socks, ear plugs, face and hand cream, lip balm and a dental kit.
The seat is very modern in its tech offering, with wireless charging in every seat, which features an anti-slip rubber surface to prevent your phone sliding during flight. The familiar Australian made amenity pack by koskela is waiting for you, along with a Qantas dinner and breakfast menu. Noise cancelling headphones are provided, along with a remote to control the in-flight entertainment (IFE), which is also touch-screen, USB A and C ports, and seat lighting.
The 18 inch HD IFE screen features a huge amount of selection from TV to movies, music, games and anything you could want. The screen provided a genuinely sharp image, with good contrast.
Two pillows in every seat was absolutely a welcome addition by Qantas on this overnight flight!. Along with the pillows, the Qantas mattress topper is provided, along with a Qantas blanket.
From an overall perspective, I found it very difficult to fault the Finnair seat. It is spacious, comfortable at all angles, features very modern tech, and provided a reasonable amount of sleep for me on this eight hour flight. Side and back sleepers will be very comfortable in this seat.
THE FLIGHT ITSELF
With the verdict on the seat established, its time to discuss the service on the flight itself. It’s important to note that even though this is a Qantas operated flight, with the usual amount of status credits and points awarded as a Qantas plane would, the staff are provided by Finnair. The only things on this flight provided by Qantas are they amenities kit, menus, food and wine.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The bottom line for this flight was a wonderful new innovative seat, combined with friendly and attentive service from the Finnair cabin crew. The Qantas menu was delivered impeccably, and on theme with Qantas of late, was simply a joy to eat.
Any negatives to this flight?, I actually struggle to come up with any. Though the new seat concept may be unusual, I think most people would be pleasantly surprised when on board. I did not find myself feeling stuck when sitting up, as there is so much room you can alter your seating position in many different ways.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this yourself when next travelling this route.
