I flew on Finnair's Airbus A350 between New York and Helsinki in economy. It's now one of my go-to airlines for crossing the Atlantic.

The tiny village sits within the Finnish Lapland, which is in the Arctic Circle.

I successfully saw the lights with the help of a tour company called Aurora Holidays.

My entire itinerary was New York-JFK nonstop to Helsinki, where I got a connection to Ivalo, Finland.

I then drove two hours to Utsjoki in the Arctic Circle, which was a crisp -8°F during my first night there.

Oneworld members American Airlines and British Airways became "roommates" in late 2022 when both consolidated operations at JFK's T8 to streamline their partnership.

Other alliance partners, Finnair, Qatar Airways, Spanish flag carrier Iberia, and Japan Airlines, among others, also operate out of the terminal.

I forgot to include my KTN number when I checked in on the app, but it thankfully didn't take long to add it at the counter.

My fare did not include a checked bag, only a carry-on and personal item that weighed no more than eight kilograms (about 17.6 pounds) combined.

That is bumped up to 12 kilograms (about 26.5 pounds) for business class travelers.

I've flown on many European carriers and know the bag weight limits, but I have never had them actually weighed before, so I typically just take my chances since I don't like to check a bag.

I was slightly surprised about the strictness, but I was fully prepared to pay whatever fee — I'll never argue with the employee.

This was the only snafu I had with Finnair, but they didn't charge me.

I'm 99.9% sure I didn't have a checked bag included in my fare, so I would say that's pretty good customer service.

I got my boarding pass on the app for both domestic flights and could skip the check-in desk. My bags weren't weighed at the gate, though, but I did see some people pulled aside to check the size of their carry-on.

For my return flight to New York, I did have to go to the check-in counter to get my boarding pass in Helsinki. But the agent there didn't weigh my bags, so I'm unsure if the strict weight was just a New York thing.

I didn't have lounge access, so I killed time before the flight at Bobby Van's Grill in Terminal 8. I got a free $28 with my Priority Pass membership and used it for dinner and a beer.

Certain loyalty members and business class passengers with access, however, can take advantage of the new co-branded Greenwich lounge offered by American and British in T8, according to Finnair.

According to the aircraft-tracking website FlightAware, the widebody plane has been flying back and forth between New York-JFK and Helsinki for a few weeks now.

The outbound was a red-eye and landed around 1:15 p.m. the next day. The return from Helsinki left at 4:55 p.m. and landed back at New York-JFK around 7 p.m. the same day.

Although the proximity to the lavatories annoys many passengers, I don't mind the last row because I can recline my seat as far back as I want to without worrying about what the person behind me will do.

This avoids the "should you recline your seat" game.

The seatback pocket had a small water bottle waiting for me, and it easily fit my own bottle and my Kindle, though there were a few other slots on the seatback for smaller items.

I didn't have an issue organizing my things, and there was no annoying inflight entertainment box under the seat in front blocking my foot room.

"Memory foam is becoming more and more common in aircraft interiors and seating cushions," Finnair's senior manager for customer experience and design strategy, David Kondo, said in an October 2022 press release discussing the economy enhancements. "It helps with posture and ergonomics support."

I'm short, so I don't need much space on airplanes.

Finnair also has extra legroom seats in the economy section that cost more to reserve.

The television also had external cameras that showed the aircraft flying, as well as information about things like speed and altitude.

Moreover, the service schedule was displayed on the home screen, including meal times, which I found helpful.

The flight had a strong tailwind that propelled us from New York to Helsinki in just seven and a half hours.

The flight was on time to leave and landed half an hour early — and our gate was ready for us when we got there, thankfully.

I was not expecting to be so comfortable on Finnair, and the recline easily won brownie points.

Plus, I didn't feel cramped when the person in front reclined, though I think it's most comfortable if everyone reclines during non-meal hours. This solves the TV and space issue.

Since I was flying on the same plane to and from Helsinki, I figured I'd try different seat locations. The extra legroom seat cost about $52.

The seat map shows row 21, an exit row in the front of the first economy section, with two seats. The row behind that has the standard three seats.

However, only the two seats closest to the window are aligned, leaving the aisle in row 22 almost on an island.

I did notice the flight attendants sometimes hit the seat when maneuvering their galley cart around me, but it wasn't bothersome.

I used the middle seat as my storage space for my return flight, but if that spot is taken, then the aisle seat passenger will not have access to any pockets for things like a water bottle or headphones.

The angle of the screen positioned up may be awkward for some travelers, but I didn't find it that bothersome.

I didn't use it much, though, preferring to binge the Traitors UK on my Kindle instead.

Both long-haul journeys offered one free meal an hour after takeoff and another drink service within the last two hours before landing.

This was different from carriers, like United Airlines and Air Canada, which have offered me two meals between Europe and the US, including a lunch/dinner and breakfast.

The meat was perfectly cooked and well-seasoned. I was also impressed with the flavorful veggies, which I typically find on airlines to be more bland.

The return was my favorite meal of the two, reminding me of a home-cooked meal. And the side of coleslaw, bread, and chocolate was nice and filling.

I had soda and blueberry juice with my meals.

I'm used to the flight attendants asking something along the lines of, "Chicken or pasta?" — but I was just handed a tray in Finnair's case.

The airline does have special meals available, which I noticed were served first.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy Finnair's economy so much, and I could have easily survived several more hours onboard.

The Airbus planes I flew on within Finland were fit with an all-economy cabin. The flights were only about an hour and a half, so we got a complimentary drink but no snack.

I did appreciate the tray table having a little holder for a phone or tablet since the seats didn't have any inflight entertainment (though I didn't expect them to for such a short flight).

I plan to go to the Baltics in May and need to fly into Tallinn, Estonia, and out of Vilnius, Lithuania. There are no nonstops, but there are a few one-stop options from New York-JFK, including SAS, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss, and Finnair.

Although Finnair is one of the more expensive options, I plan to book it again because I know the seats will be comfortable.

Even if I'm on an Airbus A330 and not an A350, Finnair is upgrading all of its widebody cabins to the same design — making the consistency across its fleet even more favorable for customers.