Finnair Cuts Costs, Slashes Champagne & Pillows

My take on these inflight service changes

Finnair has had a really rough few years, given its focus on Asia service. First the airline struggled because there was virtually no demand between Europe and Asia, given that China, Japan, Thailand, etc., weren’t open to tourists.

Now the airline can finally restore its network to Asia, but is dealing with significantly longer flights than pre-pandemic, turning the carrier’s geographical advantage into a disadvantage.

Finnair has been doing everything it can to cut costs, from

Finnair has announced some changes to its inflight product, which will kick in for flights as of April 19, 2023. Finnair executives describe these changes as being necessary to restore the carrier’s profitability.

Finnair has been hit especially hard by the closure of Russian airspace, given that the oneworld carrier’s long haul route network previously consisted primarily of flights between Helsinki and Asia. Let’s go over the changes.

Finnair’s inflight service changes

Finnair is making several changes to its inflight service, impacting both short and long haul flights. There are three changes that are most noteworthy:

• In long haul economy, Finnair will no longer offer pillows; the airline justifies this by explaining that “many customers already travel with their own travel pillow, and on long-haul flights, the neck rest supports your head”
• On some of the shorter long haul routes, including to & from New York and Dubai, Finnair will no longer offer a second meal service, though snacks and drinks can be purchased; Finnair justifies this by reminding people that “granola bars, crackers, or cookies are handy because they don’t take up much space or need cold storage and can be carried through security”
• In short haul business class, Finnair will be replacing champagne with sparkling wine

My take on these inflight service changes

Finnair has had a really rough few years, given its focus on Asia service. First the airline struggled because there was virtually no demand between Europe and Asia, given that China, Japan, Thailand, etc., weren’t open to tourists.

Now the airline can finally restore its network to Asia, but is dealing with significantly longer flights than pre-pandemic, turning the carrier’s geographical advantage into a disadvantage.

Finnair has been doing everything it can to cut costs, from trying to renegotiate labor contracts, to inflight service cuts. The airline has never exactly been the most full service legacy carrier, and has always been stingy with inflight service in some ways. However, some of the changes here really seem like penny pinching.

Ironically, Finnair is investing in new cabins on long haul aircraft, which are currently being rolled out. This includes Finnair’s new no-recline business class seat. While those cabins can’t be cheap to install, they will lead to long-term cost savings, as the business class seats are much lighter and have fewer electronic components, so will be cheaper to maintain.

Bottom line

Finnair is looking to return to profitability through cost cutting, as the airline will be making several service cuts as of April 2023. Among these, Finnair is eliminating pillows in economy on long haul flights, eliminating the second meal in economy on shorter long haul flights, and eliminating champagne in short haul business class.

What do you make of these Finnair service changes?