13 hours in Finnair Premium Economy: what I liked and what I didn't

After the uniqueness of Finnair's new business class, this time it is time to try his premium economy on the Airbus A350, one of those cabins that on paper promise the right balance of comfort and price without going to the excesses of business.

And I will tell you: interesting experience, with some things that I liked quite a bit ... and others that left me feeling like a product still Somewhere between economy "plus" and true premium economy.

Reservation

As I had recounted in a previous article, I booked the flight using 43,000 points plus about 75€ tax. A week before departure I then managed to snatch a upgrade to premium economy for €239, on practically the very last places available. Literally: as soon as the purchase was completed, premium economy was already sold out.

The full itinerary was a Malpensa-Helsinki in economy followed by theHelsinki-Haneda in premium economy, just to give some context on the overall value of the points spent.

However, the situation had been strange for weeks already. I had contacted customer service several times to ask for upgrade availability, both in premium and business, always receiving the same response, "fully booked." Zero availability, no dice.

Then suddenly the upgrade to premium appears. Good, but already there something was not right.

Arrived on board in fact the surprise: half of premium economy cabin virtually empty and even a few vacancies in business. Out of curiosity, I asked how much it would cost to upgrade further to business class that day: 600€ for the leg to Tokyo. Considering the length of the flight, not such a crazy amount all things considered.

At the airport

In Helsinki, the flight to Tokyo departed from gate 42, practically a stone's throw from the Plaza Premium Lounge Helsinki which we have already discussed in a separate article.

In short? Lounge small, but consistent with the size and traffic of the airport. A few more square meters would not have hurt, especially during rush hours, however, overall I found it pleasant. Nice view of the square, children's area and a Food proposal more oriented to quality than quantity.

Also available for a fee were sleeping capsules and showers, the latter at €29 for use.

And if you get a windy day, you'll probably have more fun there than in the air: watching charters and citylines "stagger" during taxiing from the lounge window was almost a spectacle in itself.

Boarding on Finnair's A350 - A350-941 to be precise - was theoretically organized by zones. Theoretically, that is.

In practice, business class was "protected" by a kind of improvised barricade made of couches moved in front of the finger entrance, but with no staff members to really check that priorities are being followed. Result? As soon as the doors opened, and without even an announcement, the classic collective assault.

At that point, zone, travel class, or priority no longer mattered: the overarching goal seemed to have become to get past those couches as fast as possible. All, I guess sarcastically, to avoid missing a flight on which they had just scanned the boarding pass thirty seconds earlier.

On-board configuration

Finnair's Airbus A350-900 mounts the following configuration:

• business class 1-2-1 With 43 seats spread over 12 rows
• premium economy 2-4-2 With 24 total seats in 3 rows
• economy 3-3-3 with 211 places

Having chosen the seat 21D, so the first row of premium economy, I boarded practically among the last.

The front row has a huge advantage: virtually infinite legroom. There is no seat in front, and you can easily stretch out without even touching the bulkhead.

The downside, however, is there: the dedicated toilets are the economy ones, positioned quite a bit further back, over row 39. In total, the economy cabin has six toilets, one of which is accessible.

The premium economy however remains very collected and almost "intimate": only three rows separated from both business and economy by dividing curtains. Also the noise level benefits a lot and during the flight the cabin remained surprisingly quiet.

The chair

Everything was already in place at the place: packaged cover, cervical pillow, headphones - the same ones used in business class - and a small amenity kit made of a kind of rigid cardboard. Inside were toothbrush and toothpaste, earplugs and a sleeping mask Pretty cheap as quality.

Starting with the details, the headrest is upholstered in imitation leather, easily washed, adjustable both in height and via the classic side flaps. Also present is a reading light adjustable to three levels of intensity.

The center armrest, on the other hand, contains the retractable coffee table, which can be adjusted slightly in depth, although it still remains quite compact: to understand, it's not one of those seats where you can stand up comfortably with the tray table open.

The chair, however, overall is really spacious. In my specific case, complicit in the first row, comfort was never an issue. The space in front was such that I could literally stand in front of the seat and do a minimum of stretching without getting in anyone's way.

Also the recline is very generous, both for the backrest and the leg support. And one aspect that I appreciated is that even the last row of premium economy remains far enough away from the dividing bulkhead with economy, thus avoiding that annoying feeling of limited recline.

However, if we want to look at the product in detail, some flaws also emerge. The inner armrest of my seat was full of crumbs and food residue of previous flights, which is not exactly a beautiful thing to find as soon as you get on board.

Also there is quite a lack of really accessible storage space: the classic net is there, but being far from the first row you practically have to unbuckle your belt every time to reach it. The dark fabric of the seats, compared to economy, also helps quite a bit to "hide" any dirt or wear, which is perhaps also part of the strategy.

Given the distance from the screen, instead there is also a dedicated remote control to control the IFE without having to stretch all the time, although the knee-high position often caused me to press keys unintentionally.

And yes: air vents present. Those who fly often know that this is never something to be taken for granted. For charging, however, we find a USB-A and a universal power outlet.

Service

The crew was helpful throughout the flight, especially during the night, going through about every hour with water and checking to see if anyone needed anything. In the rear galley were also drinks and an oatmeal bar always available.

That said, the service overall seemed to me to be much closer to good economy than anything really premium. Of course, as soon as we boarded the classic warm scented cloth is distributed, but no one then came by to pick it up until the meal service arrived. Result: we kept it there for quite some time.

Even during the main meal there is this feeling of a product "in the middle." On the one hand we find porcelain dishes, tablecloth and real cutlery; on the other hand, however, the tray remains plastic and the glass is paper. Sort of a continuous mix of premium details and economy compromises.

At breakfast, the situation gets even worse: virtually all plastic or recycled paper, with wooden cutlery included.

IFE

The entertainment screen is large, well defined and with a modern interface, however, some features are missing that in 2026 I would expect almost everywhere.

The most obvious one? No ability to connect personal Bluetooth headsets. I was also unable to find a content language filter, which makes it quite complicated to quickly figure out how many films are available in Italian.

On the other hand, there are two external live cameras, always pleasant during takeoff and landing, although the video quality is not very high.

Wi-Fi is available, but free only on short routes for basic Finnair Plus members. On the long haul, however, without Gold status there is nothing included. The only package that could be purchased was the "browse only" package., valid for one device only and without streaming, at a price of €19.95 for the duration of the flight (discounted rate for members). Also fair price, honestly, but fairly heavy limitations.

On the catalog, on the other hand, mixed feelings: without a language filter it is difficult to judge Italian availability well, however, something was there-for example, F1 and Wicked appeared among recent releases. In general, however, it did not seem to me to be one of those systems with a very extensive or up-to-date catalog, while remaining absolutely sufficient for a flight of this duration.

Food & Beverage

The main meal opened with a kind of seed flan Slightly sweetish taste, followed by the choice of chicken or beef stroganoff.
For dessert instead--a packaged chocolate bar Karl Fazer.

Here I have to be honest: huge disappointment.

I expected at least a small cake, a curated dessert, something that really gave that "premium economy" feeling. Finding instead a plain packaged bar left me quite puzzled..

Overall, the feeling was that of a economy meal served however on better crockery.
Also because just look at the promotional images of Finnair's premium economy to notice some difference from what was in front of me.

Instead, breakfast had only one option: herb omelet with potatoes accompanied by a paprika and cheese sandwich. Neither was particularly memorable.

In my case then, not eating eggs due to dietary issues, I simply had to skip the main part of breakfast completely because there was no alternative.

Yes, I could have requested a special meal within 48 hours of departure, but doing so would also have changed the main meal, which I wanted to keep standard instead in order to try the "real" product.

In conclusion

The final feeling is that this premium economy from Finnair points everything to the comfort of the seat much more than on the service or the food part. Because if business class really adds privacy, experience, and quality catering, here the leap from the economy is felt almost exclusively in personal space.

And beware: that space, especially in the front row, really changes a lot on such a long flight. Being able to get up, stretch, or simply not feel "trapped" for hours makes a huge difference on the level of fatigue upon arrival.

Paid at full price, however-in my case we were talking about 2,500 during a particularly expensive period-I would have a much harder time justifying it. If, on the other hand, a well-priced upgrade or a small difference from economy happens, then yes, I would definitely consider it again.

The first row in particular has tremendous potential due to infinite legroom, but suffers greatly from the absence of truly accessible storage: every item inevitably ends up "homeless," and in the long run it becomes more uncomfortable than it looks.