Flying Finnair’s A321 from Helsinki to Amsterdam Schiphol

HELSINKI — Good morning from Helsinki International Airport (HEL)! After visiting Finnair’s (AY) facilities, it was time to head back home to Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS). AY flies to the Dutch capital twice daily in winter, with flights AY1301 and AY1305 departing HEL at 8:15 am and 4:20 pm respectively.

Today’s flight, AY1305, will be operated by the Airbus A321, registration OH-LZE. It is not rare to find widebodies on the morning flight, driven by both capacity and cargo demand.

Helsinki welcomed 16.9 million passengers in 2025, 600.000 more than in 2024. International traffic accounts for 89% of the airport’s network. In 2025, HEL handled 198.000 flights to 140 destinations, served by 60 airlines. Intuitively, AY is the largest operator at HEL, accounting for 11.9 million passengers in 2025.

This was my sixth visit to HEL, which remains my favourite airport in Europe. The terminal is conveniently reachable from the city centre via a direct train, features a cosy Nordic design, good, authentic shopping options, and great apron views.

Together with the media delegation returning from the facility, we arrived well ahead of our flights to join Finavia’s tour of the airport, as well as visit the refreshed Schengen lounge.

Check-in was possible from 36 hours before departure via AY’s app; the interface, intuitiveness, and smoothness make the digital experience one of the best in the world. Originally, I was supposed to travel in Economy Class; however, due to availability, my seat was upgraded to 2A in Business Class when I checked in online.

I checked in my suitcase at the self-service desk, an experience I found much more relaxing than at Amsterdam Schiphol, where the instructions are always confusing. I could then take advantage of priority security, which did not save much time compared to standard security, and access the lounge together with the rest of the group.

After what I believe was a misunderstanding with the security operator, it was time to head to the lounge, which was almost empty during our visit. We quickly grabbed some lunch, and I spent some quality time working on our social media reportage from the hangar and catering facilities.

The lounge reopened in the summer of 2024 after renovations. The area features plenty of seating and clear views of RWY 15/33. The overall tones and design resemble those of AY’s non-Schengen lounge, albeit in a more luminous environment. The large buffet table is on the right, just after the lockers. There are multiple coffee stations and a large centrepiece bar surrounding the main restaurant area.

Boarding started on time – I could take advantage of priority boarding, which meant it took around 2 minutes from the lounge to the aircraft seat. In Business Class, AY has adopted the classic “moving curtain” concept, sizing cabins according to travel demand on specific routes. At my seat, 2A, I found a bottle of water and blankets. The middle seat is always blocked; however, on this occasion, I scored the whole row to myself. In total, three full rows were dedicated to Business Class on this flight.

The seats are quite basic – there are no power outlets, USB chargers, device holders, or adjustable headrests. The cabin was spotless and well-kept. Legroom was more than adequate for this flight at 31”, which can be reclined, and a personal air vent was available.

We pushed back on time, heading to RWY 22R for our departure, climbing above frozen Finland with Helsinki on our left. Our westbound flight would be in full daylight, chasing the sunset.

After we reached FL100, service began, with the cabin crew offering drinks to passengers in business class. Finnair is famous for its blueberry juice and signature northern blush cocktail, and I had looked forward to a sip of both for a few days.

Dinner was also served on a tray – making it even more special was the fact that during the tour of our catering facility, we could see the actual trolleys where the meals were loaded. This consisted of a cold fish salad as an entrée, a main course of mashed potatoes with pork and vegetables, and dessert: berry chocolate mousse. 

The crew came with a selection of warm bread, and I was more than happy to follow their recommendations. All in all, excellent quality and portions. After dinner and recommended by the crew, I tried AY’s gin tonic with Kyro gin for the first time.

The flight proceeded smoothly; I connected to the Wi-Fi, which was available since before departure. In Business Class, passengers receive a complimentary voucher for 30 minutes of streaming or can use the standard all-flight messaging service if they are part of Finnair’s loyalty program. However, the two are mutually exclusive, as clearly stated on the landing page, so I opted for a messaging service. This worked brilliantly and allowed me to download and share images via WhatsApp. The landing page is also well-designed, featuring audiobooks, games, and flight information, including a live flight map.

We flew above a dense layer of clouds before approaching Denmark, where land finally became visible. We had a lovely chat with the cabin crew about the facility visit and media days' activities – Finnair’s crews remain among the best in the world and a strong reason to fly with them.

Soon it was time to approach the Dutch capital, overflying Groningen, the Assen racetrack, and reclaimed land before turning onto RWY 18C, minimising our taxi time to the C gates at AMS. The temperature difference between Helsinki and Amsterdam was around 25 degrees Celsius on Amsterdam’s warmest day of the year so far.

All in all, this was a smooth, efficient, and comfortable way to spend over two hours in the air, with some room for improvement in the hard product – this is not unique to AY, as the Eurobusiness model rarely differs from AY’s hard product in Business Class. However, the quality of the catering and the crew’s professionalism stood out, elevating the experience. Would this flight be worth the cash upgrade?

Considering lounge, extra comfort, and luggage perks, yes!