Business class travel takes a big step forward with Finnair’s new business-class cabin and its spacious new Collins Aerospace AirLounge seat. Finnair is the first airline to launch this new and innovative seating concept, scheduled to be rolled out across Finnair’s entire long-haul fleet of Airbus A330s and A350s.

The AirLounge is not a traditional aircraft seat, rather taking inspiration from lounge furniture. Designed to maximize passenger comfort and space, the seats create a freedom for guests to physically move around within the seat during a long-haul flight. The clean lines and the dark, comforting color scheme follow Finnair’s Nordic design style, the same visible in Finnair’s lounges in the non-Schengen area at Helsinki Airport.

© Finnair

“We wanted to rethink business class and create more of a residential environment, emulating the comfort you would expect at home,” said David Kondo from Finnair’s customer experience team, who led the design work for the new experience. “By doing away with complicated seat mechanisms and using 3-D curved shells, we are able to provide a larger flexible living space. This allows you to move more freely and take up different positions that traditional aircraft seats do not allow.”

The seat’s innovative, fixed contoured shell with no recline enables a wide variety of sitting and sleeping positions: You can sit at different angles, rest your feet on the ottoman or use infill panels to create a large flat surface. A mattress and duvet turn the space into a comfortable bed, and you can use the cushy pillows to relax in a variety of sitting positions. The high, cocoon-like shell of the seat provides privacy, while the divider between central seats can be lowered when traveling with a companion.

© Finnair

Along with a customized lamp that doubles as a reading light, a do not disturb light is included if total privacy is desired. The various storage options within the seat include spaces for personal items, a laptop and all pillows and blankets. Each seat comes with impressive connectivity, including USB A, USB C, PC power and wireless mobile charging. All of Finnair’s long-haul aircraft are equipped with internet connectivity. The Inflight Entertainment System comes with a new, more user-friendly, customized interface, as well as a wider 18-inch screen.

All meals in the new business-class cabin are served on chinaware from Finnish design house Iittala, and passengers will enjoy renewed meal and beverage offerings, including an up to six-course meal in modern bistro style and another lighter meal. The Finnish fashion house Marimekko also created unique pillows and a duvet for business-class passengers.

Finnair says updating business-class cabins on all A350 and A330 aircraft will take time, and some aircraft will still have the previous cabin designs until they are refurbished.