Oneworld carrier Finnair is to launch a new product offering additional legroom and amenities, dubbed "economy comfort", on its long-haul flights by the end of this year.
The airline is pitching the new product between economy and premium economy, believing that, priced at between €45-65 each way, the product will be more affordable to its leisure travellers than a higher-priced full premium-economy product.
“There is a set of travellers that want a bit more leg-space but don’t want to pay that much,” says Finnair commercial chief Allister Paterson. “The main feature is the leg-space.”
The product offering includes around 4in of extra legroom, accelerated boarding, more comfortable headrests and higher-quality headphones.
“The price-point starts at €45 extra, so we think it is very affordable. We think if you are on a long-haul flight for 10 hours, it’s going to be very sellable,” says Paterson.
The carrier expects to complete reconfiguring its existing Airbus widebody fleet with the new layout – which will feature 40 economy-comfort seats – before Christmas. Finnair’s A350s, set to start joining the fleet in the second half of next year, will be delivered with 43 economy-comfort seats.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
