Our new meal service plays an integral role in the overall experience onboard
Finnair's new long-haul experience has been designed with you, our customers, in mind. In the development a lot of focus was put into our new food and beverage concepts.
According to Finnair's Head of Inflight Customer Experience Eerika Enne, Finnair's long-haul renewal reflects the company's strategy to focus on the essential.
“We considered what is important to our customer, and how we can create that in an authentic Finnair way. At the same time, we wanted to make sure we offer a holistic, overall experience, where everything fits together,” she begins.
One of the most important components for customers is of course food and beverages. Big changes were made to the Business Class food service, and the all-new Premium Economy Class service was created from scratch.
“We wanted to completely re-think the service concept. The new menus have been designed by our chefs in Finnair Kitchen focusing on pure and fresh flavours drawing on our Nordic heritage and complemented with local elements,” Enne says.
A huge inspiration in creating the food was the freshly designed Iittala Kuulas dining collection by Harri Koskinen for Finnair. The modern tableware enabled the chefs to come up with dishes that are relaxed in style but of very high quality.
One more aspect considered in the Business Class food concept was changeability according to flight time. With shorter flights, the service is swifter – maximizing sleep time – on longer flights more time is given to savour the flavours.
More to choose from
The new Business Class service is a modern premium dining experience, where you can enjoy up to a six-course meal with smaller bistro-style dishes. Two cold dishes are followed by a hot dish and a side, both of which have three options. This gives more freedom to choose your favourites, as well as makes it possible to share dishes with your travel companion. The meal is completed with cheese, dessert, and the new beverage selection.
A second lighter meal is served before landing. Depending on the time of the day, this could be a breakfast or a light lunch.
As a new feature, our Business Class customers departing from Helsinki or Stockholm Arlanda can pre-select their first main course in Manage booking at the latest 24 hours before departure, and, thus, ensure their preferred choice.
In the new Premium Economy Class, the food is designed around the idea of an upgraded Economy experience. The three-course main meal is served on the same Iittala tableware as in Business Class. There are two main dish options to choose from.
“In Premium Economy the focus is on quality casual dining with a target to cater to many tastes,” Enne points out.
The beverage selection has also gone through some changes. The most interesting addition to the menu is Finnair's new signature cocktail, Northern Blush. The fresh drink, featuring lingonberry, gin, and orange peel, can be enjoyed in all classes.
“In our beverage selection, we have more focus on Finnish producers, with our house whisky selected from Kyrö, gin from Helsinki Distillery and Valamo XO as our dessert wine.”
Big efforts for greater sustainability
Sustainability has been one of Finnair’s design drivers in the renewal, with materials, serving items, and ingredients considered from this standpoint. Saving fuel by reducing weight has been one of the objectives. For example, the new Iittala collection is roughly 20% lighter than the current tableware used.
The number of single-use items and the amount of plastic used are reduced constantly. Some of the items that were changed to more sustainable options or removed completely, include starter and salad cups and salt and pepper packages.
Food waste is also in focus. In Economy Class, it is minimized by offering one set menu. On Business Class flights from Helsinki and Stockholm, you can now pre-order your main course – making sure extra dishes are not loaded unnecessarily.
“We hope that many customers find this option in our Manage Booking service, and we can adopt this more widely in the future,” Enne mentions.
Enne feels proud of the many changes accomplished in the renewal. The entire design team has been driven to produce a modern premium experience that has a unique feel of Finnair.
“We have kept our customers in mind throughout the process and are now very eager to hear what you think about what we created,” she sums up.