Finnair says it now has its lost-luggage fiasco under control, and the last of the bags stranded at Helsinki-Vantaa airport will be delivered by this weekend. This is no consolation to thousands of tourists who ended up in Lapland without any warm clothes.

Over the past couple of weeks, around 20,000 visitors arrived in Lapland without their bags. Often the luggage has shown up just as they were leaving.

"We’ve had to take care of customers’ lost luggage issues the whole time. It’s natural that they would turn to us for help," says receptionist Arja Haapakorva from Rovaniemi’s City Hotel.

"Thankfully Rovaniemi’s tour operators came to the rescue, and provided warm overalls to our freezing customers."

 

In -20 Degrees, Retailers Sell Big

Temperatures in Lapland have dropped below -20 degrees Celsius while the luggage fiasco has been going on at Helsinki-Vantaa airport. Sports outfitters in Lapland have made a killing selling shivering visitors complete kit, from long underwear to parkas and everything in between.

"When you have nothing, it’s understandable that you buy everything," says Hanna Uusitalo, a salesperson at City Sport in Rovaniemi.

For other visitors, the lost luggage is even more serious that being literally caught out in the cold.

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