On my recent trip from New York JFK to Helsinki Finland to Seoul South Korea on two Finnair A350’s, I had the chance to experience Finnair’s Collins AirLounge Business Class seat on my second flight.
As someone who definitely geeks out over aviation design, I was buzzing with excitement to try this seat. When it debuted in 2022, it made major waves in the travel world, and for good reason—it’s unlike anything I’d ever seen in the sky. So far, Finnair is the only airline I know of to roll out this groundbreaking design.
The Seat Experience: Comfort Meets Quirks
Finnair’s A350 Business Class features the Collins AirLounge seat. This isn’t your standard lie-flat—it’s a cozy, contoured haven with a few tricks up its sleeve. Here’s the breakdown:
Seat 4L Controls
The controls are refreshingly simple, with just five buttons tucked into the armrest. No fiddly touchscreens here—just straightforward functionality:
- Do Not Disturb Button: A godsend for uninterrupted naps (and a subtle hint to chatty neighbors).
- Raise and Lower Footrest: Adjusts the seat into lie-flat mode with ease—perfect for switching from upright to snooze.
- Reading Light: Toggle it on/off or dim it to your liking.
- Footwell Ambient Lighting: A soft glow you can tweak or turn off entirely.
- Tray Table Deployment: One press, and the table’s ready to roll (more on that below).
It’s minimal but effective—everything you need, nothing you don’t.
Seat 4L Table
The tray table is… let’s call it “unique.” Deployment starts with the closest control button, requiring a firm press to pop it out from under the side table. From there, it’s a three-step dance:
- Slide: Pull it out—it’s sleeved around the arm and glides smoothly.
- Rotate: Swing it into position with a decent range of motion. Bonus: you can pivot it aside to exit the seat without clearing it off.
- Unfold: Flip it open to double the size.
You can even rotate it laterally to wrap around you like a belt—handy for keeping it close, though it does trap you in place.
The pros? Plenty of surface area for meals, laptops, or mid-flight doodling.
The cons? Stability. Mounted on a single arm, the far side bounces like a seesaw. Set a full glass down, and you’ll feel the tilt—functional, but not flawless.
Sleeping Provisions
For shut-eye, you get two small pillows—one slightly smaller than the other. They’re fine, but the real star is the seat itself.
Fully flat, it’s a stable, spacious bed. I clocked four solid hours of sleep, undisturbed, though I did miss the sunrise (my bad). The lie-flat mode, paired with that adjustable footrest, makes it a dream for long-haul rest.
A Seat That Breaks the Mold
The Collins AirLounge isn’t your typical business class seat. Fully deployed, it transforms into a large, stable, flat surface that’s as versatile to lounge in as it is comfy to sleep in.
Want to sit upright and tackle some work? Done. Feel like lounging with your legs up? Easy. Ready to catch some Zs on a proper flat bed? It’s got you covered.
What really sets it apart, though, is the space. There’s room to stretch out, store your gear, and even tuck your shoes away in a dedicated shelf. The in-flight entertainment screen is huge and intuitive, and the charging options—USB A, USB C, and wireless—kept my devices juiced up the whole way. But the real star of the show? The fact that I could sit fully cross-legged without feeling like a pretzel stuffed into a carry-on.
My Experience: Cross-Legged Bliss at 35,000 Feet
Let me tell you, this seat delivered. My absolute favorite part—and I can’t stress this enough—is how it lets you sit fully cross-legged, and very comfortably. As soon as I settled in, I kicked off my shoes, crossed my legs, and felt like I’d unlocked some secret level of airplane zen. I even set up my laptop on the tray table and got some work done, feeling more productive than I ever have mid-flight. It was like having my own little sky office, minus the stuffy cubicle vibes.
My absolute favorite part of this seat is that it allows you to sit fully cross-legged on the flight, and very comfortably. Here’s me demonstrating this in action. When the meal service rolled around, I slid my tray of food onto the extra space beside me—because, yes, there’s room for that.
I’m wearing the pajamas I received flying Japan Airlines First Class for the first time (and yes, there IS a second time, a review coming on Oscape).
Final Thoughts
If I had to pick one thing to rave about, it’s that cross-legged freedom. Finnair’s Collins AirLounge Business Class seat took my expectations and soared past them. My absolute favorite part of this seat is that it allows you to sit fully cross-legged on the flight, and very comfortably.
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