Finnair is betting its business-class meals are good enough to become family favorites in the market; an array of it’s menu choices will soon appear in stores under the Finnair Kitchen brand—but only in Finland.
The airline, controlled by the Finnish government, came up with the scheme to avoid layoffs at its catering unit, nearly idle due to the pandemic. Hand-made meals, to be labeled Taste of Finnair, include dishes aimed at both Nordic and Asian palates.
Choices include reindeer meatballs, Arctic char and Japanese-style teriyaki beef. Prices for the meals range from €10 to €13. Managers at the store chain that will pilot the sales told press that the recipes have been modified to have less salt and spice than the airborne versions, where taste is dulled by altitude.
Finnair’s gamble on the supermarket appears to be paying off; the first lot of prepared meals, sold only in a supermarket near the Helsinki airport, sold out in hours, and the program will be expanded to more stores.