Review: Finnair Business Class (Short-haul, A321)

What’s it like flying at the front of a Finnair?

The airline has a solid reputation, and we were excited to try it out. This is a review of a short-haul flight, so that means Euro Business seating on a narrowbody. Despite the limitations of the seat, it was an enjoyable two-and-a-half-hour flight with great food, drink and service.

How we booked this Finnair flight

This was the first leg of an ultra-long-haul journey that took us from Manchester Airport to Tokyo. Those two flights were the first of five, as we visited Tokyo and Osaka, then flew to Seoul, and then back to Manchester via Emirates (connecting in Dubai).

We’d always wanted to try Finnair, so when Avios availability opened up, we jumped at the chance. It wasn’t easy securing flights to Japan using points. We had been monitoring availability for a few weeks until we found a date that worked for us.

In total, we spent 80,500 Avios points and £386.37 on taxes and carrier-imposed surcharges. Remember that’s for this short-haul hop to Helsinki, and the much longer leg to Tokyo, with both legs in Business Class. That’s a total of 161,000 points and close to £775 in taxes for one way. It didn’t feel like a bargain, but neither does it feel like a rip-off.

Checking in with Finnair at Manchester

Our flight was due to take off at 10:05am, so we stayed overnight at the Radisson at Manchester Airport. That meant we checked out of the hotel just over two hours before take-off, and after a five-minute walk, we were at the Finnair check-in desks in Terminal 2.

The check-in process was incredibly quick. We were the only people in the Finnair queue, partly because we arrived around an hour after check-in opened and partly because the flight that day was light on passengers. There was a dedicated “premium” queue. Finnair use that term a lot, rather than Business Class or listing status levels.

Flying with Finnair in Business on short-haul flights does give you access to Fast Track at Manchester Airport. That meant we were in and out of security as fast as we could walk through: there was no one ahead of us in the queue, and our bags came straight through the scanners.

Which lounge does Finnair use at Manchester?

Finnair, for reasons that only they can explain, uses the Aspire lounge at Manchester Airport. They are not alone; a number of other airlines use it. It is widely considered the worst lounge at the airport, but my guess is that the Escape and 1903 are either too busy or too expensive. A new “Executive Lounge by Escape” lounge will be opening in July 2026, but it’s unclear whether Finnair will move across.

I had visited the Aspire a couple of months ago. In summary, it’s small, dark, and very busy, with low-quality food. My advice is not to pay to enter the lounge. If you are getting access for free with Finnair then you’re only losing time rather than money, but you might want to visit one of the many restaurants in the terminal instead. There are some excellent options at the airport.

We spent about half an hour in the lounge. The breakfast was fine: there were some cooked options, but I had to hunt to find a clean plate. There were mini-muffins that were actually very good. The coffee from the self-service machine was also fine, but a lot of the mugs were dirty.

Boarding our Finnair business class flight

Our flight boarded from gate A9, which is one of the furthest from the main terminal. Terminal 2 consists of the main terminal building, then a series of piers where the gates are. There isn’t much to speak of in the piers, except bathrooms, and in the case of the A gates, a small WHSmiths.

The A gates are around ten minutes walk from the body of the terminal, so we headed over there early. There were a handful of passengers around the gate when we arrived, and as we got closer to boarding, that didn’t really increase. It was a very light flight, with just 10 people in business class (seating for 32).

Boarding was fast and efficient. Perhaps we were lucky, or this is a Finnair trait, as we had an efficient boarding process on our next flight. Our flight time was 10:05 am, and the gate opened at 9:30am. Everyone was on the plane by 9:45am, but due to an issue with air traffic control, we pushed back ten minutes late.

Finnair’s (short-haul) business class seats

Euro-business is the unofficial term for a business class ticket that puts you in an economy seat, but with the middle seat of three blocked out. That does give you a better experience than economy, as you can utilise that middle seat for storage, or leaning on, or really whatever you want.

British Airways put a plastic table in the middle seat. It’s better than I’ve made it sound; it’s a useful surface to put things on, and it’s not unattractive. Finnair do nothing. There’s just an empty seat that can’t be booked. You can actually sit in it if you want to.

The seat size and the gap to the seat in front are exactly the same as in economy. It’s not bad, and I found it perfectly comfortable for a two-hour and forty-minute flight.

We avoided the front row of the cabin because I felt those seats could be restrictive, with no fold out tray tables and no seat in front of you to put your bags under. Instead we chose the second row, and this was a great location. We were served food and drink quickly, it was an easy boarding and disembarking process, and we were close to the bathroom.

The cabin was bright and clean, with minimal signs of wear and tear. I do like Finnair’s muted colour scheme, although with it being lighter, it won’t hide marks or scuffs.

Finnair internet access

Flying in Business gives you a level of internet access for free. You can choose between thirty minutes of the fastest broadband (their “stream” plan) or you can use messaging apps only for the entire flight. If you want to upgrade to Stream for the entire flight, then it’s €9.99, or €11.99 if you’re not a Finnair Plus member. Membership is free, so it makes sense to join up before your flight to get a slightl discount.

You cannot swap the paid plan between devices, so if you pay for access on your phone you won’t be able to use it on your laptop.

The internet was incredibly fast, and Finnair does not even use Starlink. I was getting 80MB/s download, which was a surprise. I re-ran a speed test three times and it wasn’t a fluke.

Finnair Food and Drink

We were offered a bottle of water just after we took our seats, and then we ordered a welcome drink around ten minutes after take-off. We both opted for Finnair’s famous Blueberry drink.

This was our first time flying with Finland’s national carrier, and so our first opportunity to try their signature (soft) drink. Over the course of the next fifteen hours, we opted for it again and again – it’s delicious. We were also given a small packet of pretzels with our welcome drink.

The main course was served around 45 minutes after take-off. There was no choice of dish; everyone got a small starter, a great Chicken dish, and a bread roll, all on a tray.

The chicken came with rice and had an Indian-like sauce. It was an outstanding meal, probably one of the best I’ve had in short-haul business.

Desert, with a Finnish twist

There was another drinks service after the main course was cleared away, and we were given a warm cinnamon bun as dessert. I also opted for a coffee, which was the perfect combination.

We were also given a small treat from a brand called Karl Frazer. Despite a love of chocolate, I had never heard of this brand. Dropping a picture of it on Threads resulted in over a hundred of comments from passionate Finns who not only adored it but considered it part of their national heritage.

There’s a food and drink menu in the seat pocket, but it applies to Economy passengers only. You cannot order food and drink from it, even if you’re willing to pay.

I really wanted to try the Moomin drink listed. Sadly that wasn’t possible, but there is an entire shop at Helsinki airport devoted to Moomins.

The Finnair service

We had a really good crew looking after us. It probably helped that the cabin was a third full, but I found the Finnair staff members to be warm, friendly and eager to make our flight as good as possible. We had the same experience on our second flight to Tokyo. They were a credit to the airline.

Bathrooms on Finnair’s A321

There’s a single bog-standard (excuse the pun) bathroom at the front of the plane for business class passengers, with a generous three at the back for economy.

There is nothing particularly interesting or special about Finnair’s short-haul toilets. I feel for airlines, as there’s not an awful lot you can do with bathrooms. Emirates does something magical for their First Class passengers, and Singapore does the same on their A380, but for everyone else, business (or even First Class) passengers are stuck with the same tiny space. Sometimes you get a window, but not with Finnair.

I do think you can add a little bit of flair with the toiletries, but Finnair are notoriously stingy environmentally friendly when it comes to their amenity kits. Even though this flight was almost three hours, there was no amenity kit and no fancy aftershave of facilia mist in the bathroom.

Landing in Helsinki

Although we were delayed taking off, we landed only ten minutes late. Sadly, we ended up on a remote stand and were bused to the terminal. The driver deserves an award for somehow getting everyone onto a single bus.

Just when you thought he was going to have to give up and order another vehicle, he managed to squeeze a few more passengers on. It was a squeeze.

It was a three-minute drive to the terminal, and we were deposited at the bus gate. A set of escalators took us up to the main terminal, and the entrance to the Finnair lounges was right in front of us. It was one of the easier remote gate experiences I’ve had.

Would we fly Finnair short-haul business again?

Yes. End to end, putting the lounge at Manchester aside, it was a well-executed, friendly and efficient experience.

A few years ago, we flew Turkish Airlines to Istanbul in business class, and I rated that flight highly. Finnair was almost exactly the same, albeit Turkish has “proper” business-class seats on its short-haul flights.

We arrived in Helsinki as relaxed as you can be after a nearly three-hour flight, and we needed that with a thirteen-hour flight ahead of us.

Rating Finnair Short Haul

Boarding

Seat

Food & drink (Served Lunch)

Service

Timing

Overall Rating