Finnair has announced changes to its onboard catering in short and long-haul flights set to take effect in April.
The most significant change appears to be the switch from champagne to sparkling wine in short-haul business. However, please let us know if you have spotted any other major changes.
You can access Finnair’s page for the F&B concepts here.
Most Relevant Part:
Service on European flights
In Business Class on European flights, the meal service depends on the route. Please remember to inform us about special diets in advance via Manage booking. On short flights, we offer you a sandwich with a selection of beverages. On longer flights, we provide a hot main meal, something sweet and beverages. Champagne is replaced by sparkling wine.
On European flights, we offer complimentary water and blueberry juice in Economy Class. You can pre-order meals for most European flights via Finnair app – and purchase snacks and drinks from the onboard menu.
There is no meal service on very short flights, as the short flight time does not allow it.
We contacted Finnair to find out what sparkling wine business class passengers can expect on short-haul flights, and it is Bernard-Massard Cuvée de l’Ecusson from Luxembourg.
Finnair is trying to cut costs which is the reason behind these changes:
“Changes in our in-flight services are part of the many actions we are taking to restore Finnair’s profitability,” explains Eerika Enne, Head of In-flight Customer Experience at Finnair.
Conclusion
Champagne has been one of the differentiators between economy and business on short-haul flights when the actual seat is exactly the same.
Based on my observations on Finnair’s European business, champagne has been the favorite choice of many, if not most, passengers.
I doubt that Finnair would lose many passengers due to this change, but some may opt for flying in economy instead.