Finnair’s AirLounge seat wins Best New Business Class award

Finnair has announced it has achieved a double win at this year’s DesignAir Awards. The carrier’s spacious new AirLounge seat, designed with Collins Aerospace, was named the ‘Best New Business Class’ for 2022 and Finnair also took home the Design Innovation Award 2022 for its stylish new long-haul Business Class design.

The Nordic carrier was praised for raising the international standard of design in aviation during 2022, with its industry-leading new Business Class concept.

The DesignAir awards celebrate the very best in airline passenger experience. Tiina Tissari, Finnair Vice President Customer Experience and Products said: “We are extremely honoured to have been awarded the ‘Best New Business Class’ in 2022, alongside the highly prestigious Design Innovation Award. It is wonderful to see such positive feedback from the industry following many years of dedication, attention to detail and significant investment undertaken to turn our ideas into reality.

“Our innovative AirLounge seat is already proving a huge hit with customers, and we look forward to completing its rollout in 2023, so even more can enjoy Finnair’s elevated long-haul experience.”

Finnair says its DesignAir double win achievement caps a year of success for the airline’s new products following its €200m investment in a new long-haul cabin experience for customers. The products were launched in February this year and include Finnair’s brand-new Business Class, new Premium Class cabin and a refreshed Economy Class.

The interiors are being rolled out and are currently being operated on select flights between London and Helsinki, all Finnair services to Doha, and on long-haul services from Finland to New York, Singapore, Tokyo, Phuket and Bangkok.

This year, Finnair also won the APEX award for Best Cabin Innovation in addition to gaining the Five Star airline global ranking. It also won gold in this year’s best ‘Cabin Concept’ category at the Onboard Hospitality Awards, while the International Yacht and Aviation Awards named Finnair as having the best Cabin in First & Business Class.

Regarding the carrier’s entertainment offering on board, Finnair’s brand-new Inflight Entertainment (IFE) system received an international Red Dot Award 2022 award in the Brand and Communication Design category, highlighting the commitment to improve the customer experience.