- Fans of
Finnair 's in-flight meals can now get their hands on dishes inspired by its business class menu in stores. - The "Taste of Finnair" range includes reindeer meatballs, arctic char, and beef teriyaki, and will change every two weeks.
- The range was released to bring people at home an "everyday luxury" experience, as well as creating job opportunities for staff who had previously been laid off.
- The meals are currently available at K-Citymarket in the Vantaa Tammisto region of Finland and cost around €10 ($11.70).
Finland's national airline, Finnair, has announced that it will be selling ready meal versions of its business class in-flight menu in grocery stores.
The new initiative, which has been named "Taste of Finnair," was created in the hopes of bringing "a Finnair experience and everyday luxury at home, now that
Nieminen said it has also been a great opportunity to create new work prospects for staff members who were originally laid off due to low travel numbers and the national lockdown in March.
"At the same time, this is a new business opening for us and employs our chefs in Vantaa. This project has been especially great, as so many of Kitchen's employees are temporarily laid off, we can create new work and employment for our people," Nieminen explained.
Inspired by Nordic and Japanese flavors, the menu includes a variety of meals including Finnish reindeer meatballs, beef in teriyaki-radish sauce, and arctic char, as well as sides like roasted carrots with blue cheese. Meals have also been modified to contain less salt and spices than regular
The meals are currently available at K-Citymarket in the Vantaa Tammisto region of Finland and cost around €10 ($11.70). Finnair has also decided to change the menu every two weeks, giving customers a choice between two meals and an extra appetizer between Fridays and Sundays.
If you're really missing out on the perks of flying, in particular the in-flight meal, there is a growing list of airlines that are making their meals available for purchase on the ground.
Business Insider's Mia Jankowicz reported that airlines including Thai Airways, Indonesia's Garuda, and Cathay Pacific had all confirmed that they were selling their in-flight meals to the general public.
In December 2019, AirAsia opened Santan and T&CO Cafe, a restaurant that exclusively sells its airplane
There is a clear demand for travel nostalgia with those who aren't traveling but still want to experience the delights of flying. Kimmo Sivonen, store manager at K-Citymarket Tammisto told Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat: "I think everyone has a bit of wanderlust these days and we can now satisfy that need a bit."