FIN: Finnair AY132 (Business)

SIN-HEL (11h 50m)
Airbus 350-900
ETD: 11.35pm (GMT + 8) 
ETA: 6.25am (GMT + 3)

Finnair, the flag carrier of Finland, prides itself in providing a faster connection between Asia and Europe by flying the northern route via Helsinki. Finnair is currently the sixth oldest airline in continuous operation, founded as Aero O/Y in 1923 before it changed its name in 1968.

From the enormous Qantas Lounge, my BFF and I rushed to Gate D41. Finnair assigns a priority security screening lane to Business Class passengers and those with Finnair Plus Silver and above.

We were the last few people to board the plane.

True enough, we were the last two passengers to settle down in the Business Class cabin, which adopts the 1-2-1 Reverse Herringbone seating configuration.

Lovely mood lighting~

My seat for the next 11 hours or so: 8H

Anyone sharp enough to notice that I recently bought a new pair of shoes? :P

Time to inspect the items available on my seat.

I didn't have the onboard magazine, and neither did my BFF.

Marimekko, a Finnish design brand, has been partnering with Finnair since 2012.

A flight attendant dropped by to ask what'd I like to have as a welcome drink. Bilberry juice, of course! Another one came to take my order for apéritif, supper and breakfast.

I love that tall glass by Marimekko.

I didn't use the In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) until we were airborne. After the safety video had been shown, we took off slightly before midnight.

I like the timeline.

A hot towel, followed by my choice of apéritif and roasted almonds were delivered to me after take-off.

I wonder how old is that young-looking flight attendant?
I guess that's what many people like to ask me too. xD

I went for the signature cocktail flight attendant's recommendation: Golden Sky

Guess what? I decided to watch two episodes of Moomin while waiting for supper to be served.

I prefer the 1990 TV cartoon series much more though.

As usual, do visit my food blog for a review of the meals served onboard. Click here.

Supper main course #1: Pan-Roasted Perch Fillet

Supper main course #2: Beef Gulai Padang

I went to the lavatory before going to bed.

There's a window in the lavatory.

I'm not too sure what plant is that, but it certainly added a nice touch.

Frankly speaking, I couldn't sleep well as the lie-flat seat wasn't exactly comfortable. On top of that, the air-conditioning was too strong for my liking. I managed to sleep for at most two hours in total, waking up quite a number of times. Anyway, I managed to see sunrise the second time I went to the lavatory.

As we were approaching Europe, the flight attendants began the preparation for breakfast. To begin with, a hot towel was given to each passenger. I had a glass of bilberry juice to perk myself up.

The towel may be too small for some.

For breakfast, I was expecting a better quality.

Breakfast main course #1: Beef Brisket Noodle

Breakfast main course #2: Omelette with Sausage and Roasted Potatoes

After the tray had been cleared, it was time for Pikachu and Melon to take more photos.

I made my third and last visit to the lavatory. I guess I drank a bit too much bilberry juice and water. Subsequently, I watched Trolls, that computer-animated musical film based on the Troll dolls produced in 2016. I wasn't expecting much from it, certainly not the heartfelt message that it conveys.

The window in the lavatory became a good friend of mine.

"Happiness is inside all of us. Sometimes you just need someone to help you find it." :)

In preparation for landing, a farewell video was shown. It was only then that the more colourful mood lighting was turned on, which didn't enhance the ambience that much given that all the window shades had to be and were already up.

Since I wasn't seated near any windows, all I could do was to see the landing process through the two external cameras.

I believed it was going to be a smooth landing, and indeed it was.

It was only a moment before I disembarked from the aircraft that I noticed the logo behind me.

Welcome to Finland! Immigration clearance to the Schengen area was pretty fast. Soon enough, I found myself in front of the shop that I'd been wanting to check out.

What else could it be? :D

Warsaw, Poland would be our next destination.