Welcome to MXP airport and my review of Finnair Economy on the A321! Today were flying up to Helsinki to conclude our Europe Thanksgiving vacation. Our ride this morning will be a Finnair Airbus A321 in economy. Nothing fancy today, just a regular middle seat for me, Val has the window. This is the first time I’ve flown or reviewed Finnair, I’m also exited as I’ve also never been to Finland.
We filled up the rental car with gas and went to the airport. The MXP airport isn’t the worst airport in the world for driving, it’s just a little confusing and with the very dense fog this morning, we had to be on the lookout for the road signs that were also white.
In This Trip
- MXP Airport Rental Car Return
- MXP Airport Check-in and Security
- MXP Airport Gates and Finnair Boarding Process
- Finnair A321 Economy Seat Review
- Finnair A321 Economy Inflight Review
- Finnair A321 Economy Inflight Service
- Finnair A321 Free Inflight Wifi
- Finnair A321 Helsinki Arrival
- Helsinki Airport Arrival and Train
- Finnair A321 Economy Final Thoughts
- Follow This Trip
MXP Airport Rental Car Return
We dropped off our rental Fiat in the parking garage. Hertz was pretty fast with the return process and we had lots of time this morning before our Finnair flight.
There’s a tunnel that connects the parking area to the main terminal. All of the check-in desks are located upstairs. There are lots of signs directing you to the correct area.
We looked up what check-in desk we would need to visit. We already had our boarding passes but wanted to make sure we used the correct security checkpoint.
MXP Airport Check-in and Security
Anyway, we had checked in online and had our Finnair boarding passes already so we went to security. No checked bags for us and our bags are compliant on pretty much every airline apart from some very restrictive ones.
Security checked our vaccine cards and we used the automatic gates for security. It’s not uncommon in Europe to never need to show ID to fly on an Schengen area flight.
After we passed through security we headed to the gate area for our Finnair flight to Helsinki.
MXP Airport Gates and Finnair Boarding Process
Our Finnair gate this morning is A10, after security there is the standard duty free shipping. We wanted to get some sandwiches for the flight, we’ll be in the air for lunch and in economy there’s not a meal service on our flight.
The seating area was a little bleak. Not a lot of windows here at MXP but it was clean so that’s nice.
We sat down near the gate to wait for our boarding process. It’s very foggy this morning I’m impressed the flights seem to be mostly on-time. This isn’t our plane, our gate is around the corner and there’s no good view of our Finnair A321.
Boarding was called and it was pretty much a free for all. There was no zone or row calling, just “now boarding” and everyone made for the gate. These flights are not handled on the ground by Finnair directly, it’s a contracted ground service company. This is the only Finnair flight to MXP, it’s also the only flight to Helsinki of the day.
Finnair A321 Economy Seat Review
We soon boarded the A321, I’m exited to see what it’s like for this Finnair review!
Our first glimpse of the Finnair A321 waiting at MXP.
The leg room on the Finnair A321 was fine, nothing to write home about.
The plane was very clean, the seat back literature was up high.
Nice modern overhead panel. The colors on the plane were very plain but light. Lots of white, grey, and light blue.
We were also given hand wipes and seat wipes in a nice little kit. I like that both are different and don’t have to use the same wipe for both the seat and hands.
Beyond the somewhat crazy boarding process, it was at least done quickly. Plenty of room for overhead bags and we pushed back right on time.
The captain made his welcome announcement and the flight attendants gave the safety presentation. The flight time is 2:38 minutes today, it’s pretty long for an intra-Europe flight. Still lots of fog outside so not a lot of great viewing opportunities from our Finnair A321, hopefully it clears so we can see some scenery below.
Our taxi out to the runway was comically long. There didn’t seem to be any discernable path we are taking, just driving though the fog.
Finnair A321 Economy Inflight Review
Almost as soon as we got off the runway, we were above the foggy cloud layer.
It was absolutely gorgeous once we passed through, view of the mountains poking through. This part of the world is just incredible to see from a plane window.
There’s quite a few kids on the flight today, so on takeoff there were lots of happy giggles. Maybe it’s their first flight! How exciting is that. I settled into a podcast as I think about my future sandwich.
The seats have a built in device holder. Nice for watching downloaded shows on your own device. There isn’t a streaming service available on the Finnair A321, but that’s ok.
Finnair A321 Economy Inflight Service
The flight is nice and smooth above the clouds. Announcements about the drinks and snacks available was made. There is a buy on board program but water and blueberry juice is complementary. They even offer hot meals that you can order on the app or online.
Knowing ahead of time that this is a lunch time flight, we bought some sandwiches onboard.
We settled into our somewhat loud flight. Lots of kids who seem to be moving around the plane a lot. I just wish they wouldn’t kick my seat so much.
This is a pretty boring flight overall. There’s just nothing exciting about a 3 hour flight on an A321 in economy. Nothing against Finnair, but it’s just kinda boring.
Finnair A321 Free Inflight Wifi
Also that wifi is available on Finnair and can be free for a short period of time if you watch an ad. After some lovely views I sat back and relaxed. These seats are pretty slim but the padding isn’t terrible. Definitely not a long haul plane though. The wifi was good for surfing but I didn’t try to stream anything as I only had 15 minutes for free.
No power on these Finnair A321 flights so I broke out my portable power pack, I hate landed with a mostly drained phone.
Finnair A321 Helsinki Arrival
About a half hour before landing there was an announcement letting us know of the timing and that it was time to stow our items away. The cloud cover below was thick still so unfortunately no views of the Baltic coast.
Our decent into Helsinki had begun. We passed through the clouds and stowed our tray tables. The flight attendants then came through and put away the curtain separating the business class cabin. They also came and collected any remaining trash.
The pilot of our Finnair A321 then came on with his preparation for landing announcement. Told us the weather would be -2c, cloudy, and right on time.
We landed into a somewhat dim Helsinki. I know that it’s dark in Finland in the winters, I guess it just surprises me every time I’m this far north.
We arrived at the gate right on time. All in, this Finnair A321 has been a perfectly pleasant experience. About what anyone would expect from a short haul intra-Europe flight.
Helsinki Airport Arrival and Train
We departed and waved goodbye to the A321.
We entered the extremely modern HEL airport. This airport was beautiful and clean. It’s well lit, has great signage, and lots of space. We followed the signs to the exit and we were quickly landside.
After passing through baggage claim we exited the HEL airport into the tunnel that connects the airport to the train station.
The signs for the HEL airport train are easy to find. It’s also very nice to not walk outside when it’s cold and snowy.
And here’s the train that will take us into the Helsinki city center. These trains run very frequently and you can get on either platform, they take different routes, but both sides end up in the city in about the same amount of time.
Finnair A321 Economy Final Thoughts
This flight was just what we needed. Nothing fancy, just transportation. It was also pretty inexpensive, less than 100euro for the one-way flight. Sure, there are always much less expensive Ryan Air or Easy Jet flights, but this was a fair price when you include the carry on bags.
I really liked how clean the Finnair plane was, it felt brand new even though it wasn’t. The service was polite and professional. We didn’t partake in the buy on board program, just water, but it was more than enough on this short flight. Having power would be nice, so bring a power source if you want to charge your device.
The views from the A321 window were incredible, I would have loved to see more, but the clouds didn’t want to cooperate. The ride was nice and smooth. It was also right on-time.
In the end, I’d gladly use Finnair again.
Follow This Trip
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