This is my first trip report so feed pack is appreciated.

I had a week off from work mid May and headed to Hong Kong for six days. This was my third trip to far east in one year. Previous ones being to Tokyo in June 2007 and to Bangkok in January 2008. All were done by using Finnair - mainly due to its convenient non stop services to various far east cities. Hence, I was quite familiar with Finnair's long haul product already before this trip.

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Photo © Juho Penttila

AY 067
HEL - HKG
Saturday May 10, 2008
A340-300E OH-LQB
STD: 16.50
ATD: 17.45
STA: 7.30
ATA: 8.10
Flying time: 9h 25min
Distance: 7819 km
Seat: 45A window
Load factor in economy: 55%

As usual I had done the check in through internet well in advance (Finnair allows you to check in 36 hours before scheduled departure). Helsinki-Vantaa is quite pleasant airport to start your trip, at least if you are travelling with Finnair or BA. The check in area which is located in the old part of the terminal (star alliance KLM/AF), however is very cramped and crowed. Departure area is quite nice, but also gets awfully crowed during the afternoon rush hour. There is a lovely wine bar by the large windows and as this was holiday trip I and my travelling companion enjoyed a class of champagne before boarding.

champagne and strawberries

Finnair had 6 long hauls in one hour that day - all heading to far east. There is not enough air bridges to handle that demand and it was our flight that had a bus transfer to aircraft. We boarded on time but once on board the captain informed about technical inspections in the cockpit. That causes a delay of 50 minutes. Take off was from runway 22R.

The cabin was clean and in good condition. The seat was comfortable and the seat pitch bearable to a short guy like me. The new A340's have a decent personal IFE. It is AVOD, but the movie selection leaves lot to be desired. On time route map is available but e.g altitude and speed were not shown.

Dinner service started quickly after take off. No aperitif were served as on day time flights but dinner and drinks were served at the same time. Due to light load this all happened very quickly. No menus were distributed, but pleasant surprise was that there were two choices for a main course. This was an improvement because last year on Tokyo flight only one option was available. The food tasted good and at least to me to proportion was enough . No real starter provided though, just a side salad. Medal cutleries have changed to plastic ones. Wine, beer and very good sparkling wine from Luxembourg were complimentary and generously offered. Finnair charges for hard liquor in economy.

dinner - chicken with rice and peas

Cabin crew on this flight was a mixture of Finnish and Chinese. Service was efficient and polite. Not too many smiles though and all was done in a quite rushed way. After dinner the lights were dimmed and cabin prepared for the night. It was only 7 pm that time so at least I was not tired at all. I watched one Finnish war time movie and then managed to sleep a bit. I prefer day time flights because I find sleeping on a plane very difficult. There was some rough turbulence at one time which made the sleeping even more difficult. Water and juice were offered several time during the flight.

The flight took, according to captain, a southerly route taking us over Russia, Kazakhstan and China.

breakfast

Warm breakfast served 90 minutes before arrival. It was a strange mixture of egg and falafel. It tasted ok though. Would have hoped some fresh fruits and juice with it.

We arrived 40 minutes late. Everything went very smoothly at Hong Kong airport and in no time we were on airport express which would take as to Kowloon station.

We had a very nice six days in Hong Kong. It is a very complex city, but still conveniently compact. The weather was favourable - warm and sunny days and not too much haze over the city. Stayed at Panorama hotel on Kowloon. Our room was located on 29th floor and offered splendid views over Hong Kong islands. A must for all aviation enthusiasts is Nkong Ping cable car on Lantau Islands. It offers spectacular views over Hong Kong international airport.

AY 067
HKG - HEL
Saturday May 17, 2008
A340-300E OH-LQB
Std: 9.30
Atd: 9.55
Sta: 15.00
Ata: 15.05
Flying time: 10h 10min
Distance: 7817 km
Seat: 51L window
Load factor in economy: 75%

Again I had checked us in well in advance. You can do the check in also at Kowloon airport express station. We also checked in our luggage there. It is really convenient - you don't have to carry you luggage all the way to the airport. This service is available to all passengers. Our timing was a bit tight and could almost walk straight to the aircraft. I managed to buy a new wallet for me on the way though. The airport seems to have a good selection of shops including all the same expensive chic boutiques that you can find in Hong Kong.



Boarding was done by row numbers - different line and air bridge for premium and business class passengers. We left the gate on time, but the very long taxi caused a little delay.

Because it was not a breakfast time any more, the crew waited for a while before they started the service - which would be lunch. This time aperitifs service was done first and lunch service followed after that. Again too choices for a main meal. I had chicken, which was a classical sweet'n sour and tasted pretty good. Side salad and dessert cake could have been better. My travelling companion had noodles with beef and mushrooms.

noodles with mushrooms and beef

economy cabin view

Again their was some turbulence. Captain informed us that traffic was so heavy on our route that request for altitude change was denied. The bad weather lasted for an hour and rest of the flight was smooth.

This time I watched two movies and sleep a bit. Again the crew made several rounds offering water and juice. There are also some juice and other beverages available at the galley between to meals. What annoys me is that Finnair charges for snacks. This time the crew was more cheerful and attentive.

Two hours before arrival another warm meal was served. Ravioli and zucchini this time. Tasted good in my opinion.

We flew over eastern Finland and exactly over my family's summer cottage. Managed to take a good picture of the area. Landing was smooth - most of the passengers were transferring to another Finnair flight heading to Europe.

We flew over our summer cottage in eastern Finland - lovely scenery

The obvious reason for me to choose Finnair is there non stop service from Helsinki to various cities - makes travelling so much easier. Otherwise I think there long haul product is quite solid - they seem to have improved there in flight service a bit when it comes to meal service. The ticket prize is usually quite competitive. If I compare Finnair with other airlines I have flown long haul with (BA, LH, Virgin, Austrian) I think they are still few steps behind service wise. I believe other One World Alliance members offers a better product and Finnair should aim the to same league with them. Still I can recommend Finnair - everything went according to the plan. No major complaints. The new airbuses of course make a world of difference compared to the old MD11's.