3 hours ago
1
September 16, 2025 — 5:00am
The airline: Finnair
- The route Singapore-Helsinki, flight AY132
- Frequency Daily
- Aircraft Airbus A350-900
- Class Economy, front row window seat 31L
- Flight time 12 hours, 40 minutes (We arrive 20 minutes early)
Checking in
In our case, we flew to Singapore on a Qantas A330 that was showing its age. Having checked in with Qantas in Sydney, it was just a matter of clearing security at Changi airport before we could board the flight on Finnair’s newer A350.
Qantas has a partnership with Finnair whereby they “wet lease” Finnair aircraft on some Sydney-Singapore and Sydney-Bangkok routes. This partnership is due to end in 2026. Sydney to Singapore flights are daily but up to three flights on some days. Sydney to Bangkok is daily.
Baggage
Up to 23 kilograms of checked baggage plus one seven-kilogram cabin bag. The final part of my journey includes a short sector from Reykjavik to Nuuk, Greenland, with Icelandair which, unlike Qantas and Finnair, isn’t part of the oneworld network, so our one extra 10-kilogram bag is charged a whopping $250 by Qantas at Sydney airport.
The loyalty scheme
Finnair Plus, part of the oneworld alliance. Qantas Frequent Flyers can earn points and status.
The seat
Possibly it was my oneworld status, but I get lucky with the choice of this front-row seat on the window at no extra charge. It’s one of the best seats I’ve experienced in economy, with significant extra legroom in front (standard economy seats offer 31 inches [79 centimetres] of pitch). Even though the seat feels slightly narrow, Finnair claims it has the widest seats in the business at 18 inches (46 centimetres, though plenty of other airlines, including Qantas A330s, offer the same). But this bulkhead seat has the entertainment screen and tray table stored in the arm, which narrows the seat a little. Seats are in a 3-3-3 configuration.
The economy cabin, which is stylishly decorated in soothing greys, begins just behind premium economy, with a light partition separating the two classes. Unlike many bulkhead or front-row seats, this one is nowhere near the toilets or galley where people gather, so it proves to be very quiet. As with exit row seats, the disadvantage is that all bags need to be placed in the overhead lockers on take-off and landing, though I find the flight attendants aren’t that diligent about enforcing it. Finnair provides only a blanket – there’s no pillow, but I find I don’t need one. I’m very comfortable.
Entertainment + tech
My seat is spacious enough to allow me to work on my laptop easily. Which is just as well – Finnair is let down badly by its poor choice of movies and TV. I was expecting to settle into a selection of Scandinavian movies, including some by the great Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki, but the “Nordic” selection totals three movies, and one of them is a Santa Claus animation. The rest include a few current releases but mostly bland franchise movies. The screens are a generous size, but my screen freezes and I can’t get attention until after meal service. Apart from that, there is a lot of good information about flight connections and maps available on the screen, and there’s Wi-Fi for a fee. The seats all contain USB ports.
Service
There was a medical emergency on board (the passenger was OK in the end), which meant there was a bit of a lag in service, but the attendant in my cabin was always efficient and helpful when I asked for assistance.
Food
Be warned – meagre is the word I would use to describe the food and wine service on this flight. Fortunately, the Finnair website is very clear about what’s on offer, so I was prepared and brought a few supplies. If you’re familiar with the generous food options of Asian airlines, you might be perturbed by the dinner offering, which is served just after take-off, leaving a good 10 hours of flight without meal service. Dinner is served in a cardboard box – a choice of roast chicken with bok choi or a beef dish. Free alcohol during the flight is limited to one light alcoholic beverage, such as beer or wine, with the meal. The Asian-style chicken is good, and it comes with a small salad and an ordinary bread roll. “Dessert” is the smallest size Kit Kat imaginable. Breakfast is a nondescript omelette with baked beans. The meal didn’t even include a roll for those like me who don’t like eggs. If you want to order a snack, you can do it from your video screen; these include a vegan lasagne for €12 ($21) and a cheese platter for €9 ($16)
Sustainability
Finnair’s website includes a carbon emissions calculator and allows passengers the option of contributing to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) or certified climate projects. Note: the contribution does not compensate or directly reduce the CO₂ emissions of the flight. My round-trip flight – Singapore-Helsinki-Singapore – emits 983kg of CO₂ with a voluntary contribution of €53.80. Paperless solutions such as the Finnair app, pre-ordering meals to save food waste and refilling water bottles during the flight, are part of the airline’s sustainability ethos.*
One more thing
Finnair’s hub, Helsinki, is one of Europe’s nicest airports, with great facilities and a smooth immigration and transit process, so it’s worth considering the airline as a way of avoiding Heathrow and other busy European airports, especially in summer.
The price
From about $2100, Sydney to Helsinki return in economy class.**
Verdict
There’s a lot to like about Finnair’s economy in terms of style – and fare – but long-haul flyers need a wider choice of entertainment. Food and wine choices are in line with budget flights, but the service and comfort are a class act.
Our rating out of five
★★★★
The writer travelled as a guest of HX Hurtigruten Expeditions.
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