Finnair’s evolving retail strategy
Finnair have announced they will be discontinuing both in-flight and pre-order retail sales on all flights this spring.
The decision follows suit with their 2020 choice to discontinue inflight sales within the EU. The 2020 announcement was explained as part of an overall goal to reduce the weight of aircrafts in order to reduce emissions and lower spending on fuel.
However, the flag carrier of Finland has now revealed these sales will end in all flights on 28 February 2023. Pertinently, this latest shift has been positioned as a response to changing consumer habits. Valtteri Helve, Finnair Head of Product Offering said:
“Onboard and pre-order shopping has become a less important service among our customers […] It is time to take the next step and discontinue them worldwide.”
As passengers prioritise the online Finnair shop, the airline’s response highlights an interesting question mark surrounding the future of airline retail. With shifting consumer behaviours, the new balance between e-commerce sales and physical in-flight retail is yet to be firmly decided.
Article by Jess Brownlow
