Finnair AY19 Helsinki-Dallas A350 Economy Plus (2025)

1. Overall Rating: 7/10 (🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑)
2. Quick Summary:
   • With Oneworld Sapphire, Finnair is simply flawless.
3. Flight Route
   • AY19, Finland Helsinki Vantaa Airport (HEL) → US Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
   • 12:30 Departure → 15:10 Arrival
   • Flight time 10 hours 40 minutes
4. Aircraft Type: A350-900, OH-LWC (Dec 2015 delivered, 10.1-year-old)
5. Cabin & Seat Detail: 31L, Economy Class, Window Seat, Comfort Zone, Bulkhead Seat
6. Ticket Price & Booking
7. Check-in & Baggage Allowance
8. Departure Lounge
9. Boarding Process
10. Cabin & Seat Detail
11. In-flight Service
12. Amenities & Lavatory
13. Food & Beverage
14. In-flight Entertainment & Wi-Fi
15. Landing & Immigration
16. What Could Be Better
17. Final Thoughts & Conclusion

I purchased a round-trip ticket departing from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in the US, going through Helsinki and Rovaniemi, to Tromsø for 45,000 American Airlines miles and $77.71 USD in taxes. For Helsinki, I had a layover of less than 24 hours overnight on both the outbound and inbound flights, and at Rovaniemi, it was a 1-stop direct flight to Tromsø with the same flight number and no aircraft change. Of the ticketed miles and fees, the inbound portion was 22,500 miles and $64.01 USD in taxes.

Award ticket price from Tromsø via Rovaniemi and Helsinki to Dallas © aa.com

If you book only the segment from Helsinki to Dallas using American Airlines mileage, you can book Economy Class for 22,500 miles and Business Class for 57,500 miles, with taxes of $40.83 USD in both cases. However, for some reason, for Economy Class, flights departing from mid-March 2026 can be booked for 30,000 miles instead of 22,500 miles, so please keep this in mind.

Helsinki Vantaa Airport

Finnair uses the 200-series counters at Helsinki Vantaa Airport. Counters 201~210 are dedicated bag drop counters, 211~217 and 226~230 are dedicated to passengers needing assistance, and counter 218 is for special baggage. Although the numbers are not written separately, counters 219~229 operate as priority check-in counters. True to Finnair’s emphasis on efficiency, they basically encourage all passengers to check in using a self-kiosk and then use the self-bag drop. If you have Oneworld status or Finnair Plus status, you can check in at the priority check-in counter located diagonally to the right when facing the security checkpoint.

Helsinki Vantaa Airport Finnair Check-in Desk

Helsinki Vantaa Airport also operates a priority security screening area called Fast Track. It seems to be provided for Business Class passengers, Oneworld Sapphire or higher members, and Finnair Plus Silver or higher members, and if Fast Track usage is possible, ‘Priority Security’ is stamped on the boarding pass, so any passenger with this phrase printed on their boarding pass can use Fast Track. There was a notice at the airport saying it is available for Amex The Platinum and Centurion Card holders, but I don’t know exactly how it can be used. There are also staff stationed at the Fast Track entrance, so if anyone wants to try it, it might be good to give it a try. For reference, the Oneworld policy provides Fast Track only to Emerald or higher members, and looking at other people’s reviews, there are rumors that Fast Track is only provided to Oneworld Elite members obtained through using specific airlines, so it might be good to keep that in mind.

Helsinki Vantaa Airport Finnair Priority Check-in Counter and Priority Security Entrance

Finnair’s carry-on baggage policy for the Finland-North America route allows one carry-on suitcase and one small bag for all fares except the Economy Superlight fare. The weight limit is up to 12kg for Business Class and up to 8kg for Premium Economy and Economy Class. As for the checked baggage policy, first of all, regardless of the boarding class, Superlight and Light fares have no free checked baggage. Free checked baggage is provided only for Flex and Classic fares: two 32kg bags for Business Class, two 23kg bags for Premium Economy Class, and one 23kg bag for Economy Class. (Finnair Carry-on Baggage Policy, Finnair Checked Baggage Policy)

Finnair Carry-on and Checked Baggage Allowance © finnair.com

Helsinki Vantaa Airport Finnair Business Lounge Non-Schengen Area 1

Helsinki Vantaa Airport Finnair Business Lounge Non-Schengen Area 2

When using Finnair, if lounge access is available, the phrase ‘LOUNGE INVITATION’ is printed on your boarding pass, along with the lounge you can enter and the maximum number of allowed guests. For passengers heading to a non-Schengen area from Helsinki using Finnair who have lounge access, a notice is printed saying they can enter the Finnair Business Lounge near Gate 52. However, in reality, you can enter not only the Finnair Business Lounge Non-Schengen area near Gate 52 but also the Finnair Business Lounge Schengen area near Gate 21. This is because you first go through security and enter the Schengen area, and then go through passport control again to move to the non-Schengen area. In fact, since the food/liquor/beverage menu is much better in the Non-Schengen area lounge, there doesn’t seem to be a need to visit the Schengen area lounge. However, if you want to check out both lounges, you can briefly drop by the Finnair Business Lounge Schengen area, go through passport control without being late, and then head to the Finnair Business Lounge Non-Schengen area. You can find the review of the Finnair Business Lounge Schengen area here, and the review of the Finnair Business Lounge Non-Schengen area at ‘Helsinki Airport Finnair Schengen Area Business Lounge‘.

In addition to the Finnair Business Lounge, there is also a Plaza Premium Lounge in the non-Schengen area that can be accessed with Priority Pass and The Lounge app. This lounge is located between Gate 34 and Gate 40 in the Helsinki Vantaa Airport non-Schengen area. Unlike the Finnair Business Lounge Non-Schengen area, which doesn’t offer a view of the runway and apron, the Plaza Premium Lounge offers a runway view, so if you have a Priority Pass and The Lounge app access, it might be good to drop by once.

Helsinki Vantaa Airport Gate 42

At the majority of airports, when the boarding begins and it’s your turn to board, you scan your boarding pass and then board the plane. There are also airports like Doha Airport in Qatar where you first scan your boarding pass, wait in a separate waiting area, and then board according to the boarding sequence. When traveling to the Schengen area from Helsinki Airport, it was a form of boarding the aircraft right after scanning the boarding pass like most airports. Interestingly, the method of boarding flights heading to the US was a method of scanning the boarding pass, waiting in another space, and then boarding when it was boarding time, much like Doha Airport. However, it was a slightly different method from Doha Airport, where they check boarding passes in front of the gate and enter the waiting area even before boarding time begins.

The Finnair A350-900 I will be flying today

When it was boarding time, the priority boarding groups 1 and 2 checked their boarding passes at the right gate, and boarding groups 3 and 4 checked theirs at the left gate. After checking their boarding passes, boarding groups 3 and 4 moved to a separate waiting area prepared on the opposite side, while boarding groups 1 and 2 just waited in front of the boarding bridge. After boarding groups 3 and 4 finished checking their boarding passes, boarding group 5 checked their boarding pass and likewise moved to the waiting area, while the priority boarding line on the right remained open. After that, when aircraft boarding started, the priority boarding group waiting at the entrance of the boarding bridge boarded the aircraft first, followed by boarding groups 3, 4, and 5 who were in the waiting area. In fact, because this method checks boarding passes in advance, it has the advantage of preventing boarding delays by preemptively responding to problems that occur during boarding. However, during actual boarding, there is no distinction between boarding groups 1 and 2, and similarly, boarding groups 3, 4, and 5 board without distinction, which has the disadvantage of making the actual boarding process more chaotic. I can understand that they created this process because for flights to the US in particular, immigration status must be verified to board the aircraft, but overall, it was a very chaotic and complicated boarding process. It left me wishing that if this process was necessary, they would refine it a bit more elegantly to make the actual boarding comfortable and easy.

Finnair AY19 Boarding Process

Another interesting fact I learned during the boarding process was that overall, Finnair is very strict about checking the weight of carry-on baggage. Of course, they don’t check every passenger’s carry-on baggage and look at it strictly down to 0.1kg, but for carry-on suitcases or luggage that looked heavy at first glance, they requested a weight measurement, and if it was too heavy, they requested paid baggage check-in. However, such strict baggage checks rarely happened in the priority boarding line and only happened in the lines for boarding groups 3, 4, and 5. Therefore, passengers in boarding groups 1 and 2 don’t have to worry too much about carry-on baggage weight checks, but passengers in boarding groups 3, 4, and 5 should prepare more carefully according to the allowed weight, especially when boarding at Helsinki Vantaa Airport.

Finnair A350-900 Business Class ‘Air Lounge’

Finnair operates two types of A350-900 aircraft. One type is an aircraft equipped with 30 Business Class seats, 26 Premium Economy seats, and 265 Economy Class seats, and the other is a so-called premium-heavy aircraft equipped with 43 Business Class seats, 24 Premium Economy Class seats, and 211 Economy Class seats. Finnair operates a total of 18 A350-900s, with 9 of each of the two types of aircraft. I boarded the aircraft equipped with 43 Business Class seats this time.

Finnair A350-900 Premium Economy Class Seat

For aircraft with 43 Business Class seats installed, Business Class seats are also typically installed behind the second door on the left side of the aircraft, which is generally used for boarding. Therefore, even when boarding Economy Class, you will pass through the Business Class cabin. I also passed through Business Class and Premium Economy Class on my way to my seat on this flight. Finnair’s Business Class is known for its Air Lounge seats, which do not automatically recline, and the overall rating for this seat is not bad, making it one of the seats I definitely want to try next time.

Finnair A350-900 Economy Class Bulkhead Seat

My seat was 31L, a bulkhead seat located at the very front of the Economy Class. This seat is a Comfort seat with a seat pitch of 34 inches, providing about 3 inches more legroom than Finnair’s other Economy Class seats, which have a 31-inch pitch. However, the bulkhead seat at the very front of Economy Class actually provides even more space, enough for a 180cm tall passenger to fully extend their knees. Additionally, since there is no seat in front, it has the advantage of being able to go to the lavatory without the person next to you having to get up. Economy Comfort seats can be selected for free by Oneworld Sapphire or higher members, or Finnair Plus Gold or higher members, and other passengers can select them for $91.8 USD one-way on the Helsinki → Dallas route.

Finnair A350-900 Economy Class Cabin and Headrest

The Economy Class seat itself was an ordinary Economy seat. The seat material was fabric, which was more breathable during long-haul flights than leather-finished seats, and the leather-finished headrest could be folded at both ends and moved up and down to fix the head according to sitting height, allowing you to rest a bit more comfortably. There is a window next to the seat, and the window shade was a manual pull-down type, and there was a small mesh storage compartment on the front bulkhead where the safety card was inserted.

Finnair A350-900 Economy Class Bulkhead Seat Screen

Since it is a bulkhead seat with no seat in front, the in-flight screen was a type that you pull out from your seat. You can pull out the screen by pressing down the black release lever on the left side of the seat. There were buttons that looked like a remote control next to the screen release lever, but they did not actually work. The table was also a type that you pull out from under the left armrest, and since it was foldable, you could use it as a table to put drinks on when folded, and as a table to put food on when unfolded, and the table was fixed better than expected, so it was not uncomfortable even when shaking. A disappointing point was that there was no power plug in the seat and only charging using the USB-A port on the monitor was possible, but the charging speed was so slow that if your phone was really dead, it would be hard to even reach 100% after charging throughout the entire flight.

Finnair A350-900 Economy Class Bulkhead Seat Space

The bulkhead seat at the very front of the Economy cabin on Finnair’s A350-900, especially the window seats 31A and 31L, are personally what I consider the most comfortable Economy seats among Finnair’s A350-900 seats. This seat has all the conveniences: you can go to the lavatory without minding the person next to you, you can look out the window, you can store your luggage in the foot space during takeoff and landing, and you can put your luggage down without worrying about other people during cruise. In the case of the rear emergency exit seats in the Economy cabin (row 51), there are no windows, and since the front is open, even if you put your luggage down, there are people waiting for the lavatory or passing by, so you have to be careful, and it tends to get crowded during times when the lavatory is busy. Seats 52A and 52L have all these advantages but are classified as emergency exit seats, making their advance seat selection prices more expensive. Therefore, if you are someone who doesn’t want to miss out on both the lavatory and the window, I think it is well worth paying about 135,000 KRW for seat selection.

Finnair flight AY19 from Helsinki to Dallas is a long-haul route taking about 10 hours and follows Finnair’s standard long-haul service procedures. The first meal is provided 1 hour and 30 minutes after takeoff, and the second and final meal is provided 2 hours before landing. While the first meal includes an appetizer, main course, dessert, and alcoholic beverages, the second meal is a simple meal with only one main dish provided.

Finnair A350-900 Long-haul Economy Class Self Service Bar

At other times, you can buy paid snacks or drink complimentary beverages. Among the complimentary beverages, water, juices including blueberry juice and apple juice, coffee, and black tea can be poured yourself at the self-service bar in the galley at the very rear of the Economy Class cabin or requested from the flight attendants. Carbonated drinks and other beverages not at this self-service bar can be received by asking the flight attendants. Flight attendants walk around with water every 2-3 hours, so you can also request it then. Other alcoholic beverages are available for purchase only.

Finnair A350-900 Economy Class Bulkhead Seat Table

In the case of Finnair’s long-haul route in-flight service, you can consider it typical of a European airline where only the very basics are provided. There are no mid-flight snacks on long-haul routes, and there are many reviews saying that although the meals are tasty, the portions are small, leaving passengers hungry. On a 10-hour route, it’s not plenty but not entirely insufficient, but for the Helsinki-Incheon route which takes longer, it is good to note that you might feel the in-flight service is lacking.

Finnair A350-900 Long-haul Economy Class Amenities

In Finnair’s long-haul Economy Class, only very basic amenities are provided. Finnair’s signature navy-colored blanket, a bottle of water, and earphones are the entirety of the provided amenities. Finnair tends to keep the cabin temperature a bit lower compared to Korean airlines, but this blanket provided by Finnair is made of a fleece-like material and is quite warm, so if you cover yourself with it, you rarely feel cold. The earphone sound quality is only meaningful in the fact that it produces sound, and if you drink all your water, do not throw the bottle away; refilling it at the self-service bar allows you to conveniently stay hydrated without having to go back and forth.

Finnair A350-900 Economy Class Lavatory

There are four Finnair A350-900 Economy Class lavatories located in the center of the Economy Class cabin and two in the rear of the Economy Class cabin. The lavatory itself was a typical lavatory no different from general in-flight lavatories. There was no separate hand lotion or toothbrush, only hand wash was provided. Among the in-flight lavatories, the ones in the center of the Economy cabin tend to be a bit more crowded because Premium Economy Class passengers also use them, while the lavatories at the rear of the plane were less crowded in comparison. Even if you sit near the front of the Economy Class cabin, if there are no seats in the center lavatories, it might be good to take a walk to the rear lavatories.

For the first meal menu, a Japanese-style miso salad was provided as an appetizer, a pepper sauce chicken dish on multigrain rice with a carrot garnish as the main, and chocolate as a dessert.

Finnair Long-haul Economy Class First Meal 1

Finnair Long-haul Economy Class First Meal 2

Prior to the full meal, a beverage service was conducted. This was the only time throughout the flight when you could select one complimentary alcoholic beverage. The meal was served 10 minutes after receiving the drinks. The salad was refreshing and fresh with a good texture, but the miso flavor was so weak it was hard to tell if it tasted like miso, and the seasoning was a bit strong. The bread was a coarse bread with hard grains. For the main, the carrot garnish was well-cooked and had a strong sweetness, making it delicious, and the chicken dish was a Chinese-style dish where the pepper flavor was prominent. The dessert chocolate was a snack with wafers inside and coated with chocolate on the outside. After the meal finished, the trays were collected, and finally, a coffee service went around once, concluding the first meal.

The second meal menu was listed on the in-flight entertainment as lentil lasagna with cheese and bechamel sauce, but the actual menu received was four-cheese tortelloni. The second meal was served in a heated paper carton, and there was no other menu besides the main.

Finnair Long-haul Economy Class Second Meal 2

The tortelloni contained four cheeses, so the cheese flavor was very rich and the seasoning was slightly strong. The inside of the pasta was filled with potato, and overall it wasn’t completely cooked soft but cooked with a slight bite, which made it delicious, and above all, it was tasty when dipping the tortelloni generously in the sauce. After the last meal, they only collected the trays and did not do a separate coffee service, which was disappointing considering that most people drink coffee after a meal.

Overall, the meals in Finnair’s long-haul Economy Class were decent and acceptable. In terms of taste alone, it was tastier than meals served in US domestic First Class, but above all, the portion was not large, so even though it was a long-haul flight, I didn’t feel indigestion or a stuffed feeling in my stomach.

Finnair Long-haul Economy Class Beverage Service

As mentioned above, in Finnair’s long-haul Economy Class, complimentary liquor is provided only once during the first meal, and after that, it must be purchased. Finnair’s liquor selection, while not offering a wide variety of options, felt like a good selection of decent liquors that capture the feel of Finland.

First, there is Long Drink, a famous cocktail in Finland mixed with grapefruit and gin, Finnish beer Sandels, and Finnair’s signature cocktail, Northern Blush. Wines offered include sparkling wine, red wine, and white wine, but in the case of sparkling wine, it cannot be selected as the one-time complimentary liquor and must be purchased. I drank red wine with my meal, and it was a decent wine with a nice aroma and a clean taste.

Finnair Long-haul Economy Class Liquor 2

Next, there are gin, vodka, malt whisky, and dairy cream made by the Finnish brand Kyrö. In particular, Kyrö Gin can also be found at the Helsinki Vantaa Airport duty-free shop; it is a gin made with clean ingredients from the pristine regions of northern Finland. Kyrö recommends making a gin and tonic with raspberries and rosemary instead of lemon slices as a way to enjoy Kyrö Gin, and it was a recipe I definitely want to try by buying Kyrö Gin the next time I visit Finland. For reference, Kyrö makes not only regular gin but also Pink Gin with red berries and Dark Gin aged in oak barrels.

Finnair Long-haul Economy Class Beverage

Hot beverages include coffee and black tea. Personally, I found it disappointing that black tea is the only tea option and that only one type of coffee is provided without a decaf option. Juices included Finnair’s signature blueberry juice and apple juice. Other beverages included Cola, Coke Zero, Sprite, and tonic water.

The liquor selection in Finnair’s long-haul Economy is not bad, but the beverage selection is somewhat lacking. It might be because I live in the US, where countless carbonated drinks are made, and frequently use US airlines that serve all those countless carbonated drinks in-flight, but personally, I think they should add at least orange juice and herbal tea.

Finnair A350-900 In-flight Entertainment Content 1

Finnair A350-900 In-flight Entertainment Content 2

Finnair A350-900 In-flight Entertainment Content 3

Finnair’s A350-900 offers a fairly decent in-flight entertainment system. The in-flight entertainment system offers the latest movies released within the past year, movie series considered classics, various US dramas, music, and more. It also provides audiobooks and magazines via Wi-Fi; in the case of the magazine, the Hankook Ilbo published a day before departure was loaded.

Finnair Magazine and Audiobook

Finnair A350-900 Internet

Finnair A350-900 In-flight Entertainment System Flight Map

On Finnair’s A350-900, you can also use the internet via Wi-Fi. When purchasing in-flight, Finnair Plus members can use it at a discounted price, and even if you are not a Finnair Plus member, you can sign up for a membership in-flight without purchasing in-flight Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi price, based on a Finnair Plus member, was 19.95 Euros for use throughout the flight, 12.95 Euros for a 3-hour pass, and 6.95 Euros for a 1-hour pass.

Current Internet users changing over time

Finnair allows you to check how many people are currently using the internet before purchasing it, but strangely, once you purchase the internet, you cannot check how many people are currently using it. On this flight, instead of using the internet, I observed how many people were using it. Shortly after departure, less than 5 people were using it, but 2 hours later, right after the first meal finished, 29 people were using the internet. After about 4 hours and 30 minutes, 37 people were using it, 48 people after 6 hours, and this number continued to grow, reaching 63 users 1 hour before landing. I don’t know how the system tallies this number, but I could see quite a few passengers using the internet, and since internet speed inevitably drops as the number of users increases, if you plan to buy a 1-hour or 3-hour pass rather than for the entire flight, you will have a more pleasant experience if you use it early in the flight when the number of users is low.

For reference, in the case of tablets, if you use a folio case, it is convenient because you can use the case to mount it on the in-flight entertainment monitor of the Economy bulkhead seat.

Other aircraft already arrived at Dallas Fort Worth Airport

Flight AY19 from Helsinki Vantaa Airport to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport arrived at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Terminal D at exactly the scheduled time of 3:10 PM. Around 3:00 PM when Finnair’s AY19 arrives, there are many international flights arriving at Terminal D. Flights from London, Melbourne, Paris, Doha, etc., operated by wide-body aircraft carrying at least 250 passengers, arrive within 30 minutes before and after, and besides these, there are also many aircraft arriving from Central and South America. Therefore, there is a high probability that immigration at this time will be very crowded. So, to reduce immigration time, I recommend heading to immigration as fast as possible as soon as you deplane. Even when I went through immigration this time, I experienced a situation where the lines were getting incredibly long in real time, regardless of whether it was the Global Entry line, US citizen line, permanent resident line, or foreigner line, and especially even if you came on the same plane, the time taken for immigration varied quite a bit depending on the order you got off.

This flight was generally smooth. The disappointments I felt on this flight seem to be all the typical disappointments one can experience in Finnair’s long-haul Economy Class, such as the small meal portions, liquor provided only once, limited beverage options, paid food options consisting only of snacks, and the second meal lacking post-meal coffee service. I definitely think about 7 out of 10 is the best score Finnair’s long-haul Economy Class can get when everything goes perfectly. No matter how cheaply you bought the ticket.

Finnair A350-900

Finnair’s long-haul flights have more divided reviews than expected. Some say it’s better than other European airlines, while others say they will never use it again. My personal assessment of Finnair’s long-haul flights is that it is on par with a typical European airline with small meal portions. However, if you are a passenger with Oneworld Sapphire status or higher, I would highly recommend Finnair. The small meals can be somewhat supplemented in the lounge before departure, and the Comfort Seats, which you can select for free, more than make up for the other shortcomings. Coupled with the fact that it’s an airline that values safety, Finnair’s atmosphere and interior suit my personal taste as well. Therefore, if you are planning to use Finnair’s long-haul flights, I recommend making your choice by carefully considering the ticket price, flight schedule, and personal preferences.