As the base hub for Santa’s official airline, Helsinki Airport is especially busy in the build up to Christmas.

If you are taking a Finnair flight from Helsinki, why not save time and stress by checking in online using Finnair’s efficient online facility or use the special kiosks at the airport – click here to find out how. Baggage can also be brought to Helsinki Airport the evening before departure.
Normally the check-in for a next-day flight is open from 17:00 to 21:30. On Wednesday December 21 and Thursday December 22, the opening hours have been extended to 22:00. If check-in is completed in advance, bags, skis and baby buggies may be handed in at the Baggage Drop desk. One travelling family member may check in the baggage for the whole family, provided that he or she can show all tickets and his or her own travel documents.

Excess-weight and special baggage fees are less expensive when paid online in advance.

If the total baggage allowance is exceeded, a separate fee is charged, for example for each set of skiing equipment. When paid online the fee is 30 % lower than when paid at the airport. At the check-in desk the fee can be paid with credit cards; with other payment methods at the Service Desk in the departure hall.

Families with children and other special passengers, who need assistance, may use their own Special Passengers service desk at Helsinki Airport. This desk may also be used by children travelling alone and their escort, and by others needing assistance, for example people using wheelchairs. Families with children also have their own lane at the security control.

Remember that many ski wax products and ski cleaners are inflammable and toxic, and therefore they are forbidden on the passenger and in the baggage. Further information is available on the website of the Finnish Civil Aviation Authority.

SANTA’S AIRLINE: Check-in time extended at Helsinki Airport is a post from: Aviation news - Planegrazy

Everyone loves to have vacation in Europe that is famous for its natural beauties. If you are also making a plan to spend your holiday in Europe, then you have to know about the top airports there. Here are we are going to talk about the best ten airports in Europe. Let’s move to the topic in details.

1. London Heathrow Airport

Let’s begin with the busiest airport in United Kingdom and it is none other than the London Heathrow Airport. BAA Limited has own the precise airport and they operate it as well. Not only busy, but it is also the main airport in UK. Most of all, it possesses the ‘Civil Aviation Authority Public Use Aerodrome License’.

2. Frankfurt Airport

The second one is the Frankfurt Airport. This is the main international airport situated in Frankfurt, Germany. It is located at twelve kilometers southwest of the city. The airport is recorded as the third busiest airport in Europe. Recently, it has been ranked as a four-star airport by the Skytrax.

3. Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport

This airport is located in twenty-five kilometers northern to the city center. Paris is one of the best principal aviation centers in the world. It has been ranked as the world’s seventh busiest airport.

4. Amsterdam Airport

It is located at the southern part of Amsterdam. Its formal name is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. This airport is also regarded as the best European hub. Its excellent style of infrastructure gets pulls toward the attractions of a lot of people.

5. Gatwick Airport

It is located at forty-five kilometer south from center London. Previously it was acknowledged as London Gatwick Airport. The airport covers more than 800000 square feet area. It is tone of the top busiest airport in Europe.

6. Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport

Now, let’s talk about a traditional European airport that is famous as the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport. It is usually known as the Fiumicino Airport. It serves as the main Alitalian hub. The precise airport is named according to the name of famous Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci.

7. Madrid Barajas Airport

This also known as the Madrid Airport and it is one of the well-established airports in Europe. This is 11th busiest airport in the world as well as the 4th best airport in Europe. It is located in Madrid, Spain.

8. Paris Orly Airport

The airport is located somewhat both in Villeneuve-le-Roi and Orly. It serves flights to cities in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and North America. It covers just about 15.3 square kilometers.

9. Munich Airport

It is another excellent airport in Europe and it is located just about thirty kilometers southeast of Munich, Germany. This is the second busiest airport in the country. In 210, it has won the reward of ‘Europe’s Best Airport’.

10. Zurich Airport

This is also famous as the Kloten Airport and it is situated in the Switzerland, canton of Zurich and managed. Most of all, it is the largest airport in Switzerland.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

About the author: Rebecca is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology and luxury. Beside this she is fond of handbags. She recently bought a bag from Dior Handbags latest collection. These days she is busy in witting an article on Wedding Dresses with Sleeves.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Top 10 Airports in Europe is a post from: Aviation news - Planegrazy

This new runway will allow Frankfurt Airport finally to overcome its capacity constraints and to offer the international aviation industry growth opportunities once again. Equally important, finally we will be able to deliver our airlines and passengers even better punctuality and quality of service now.

Frankfurt Airport is by far the largest airport in Germany and one of Europe’s major hubs for passengers and cargo tonnage. We are the largest hub for Deutsche Lufthansa and the Star Alliance. Some 40 percent of our traffic is in the intercontinental segment, two-thirds of all intercontinental traffic in and out of Germany flies via FRA.

This underscores the real function of our airport: to serve as the gateway to the world for Germany and the German economy. No other airport in Germany can take over this function, which is why the expansion of Frankfurt Airport is so important to the country and to the economy of Hesse and Germany. But to maintain this role, we also need the right framework conditions, politically as well as legally. Urgently and very soon, we need a pragmatic ruling – which is absolutely normal throughout our industry – for delayed departure flights that need to take off in the night hours, just like at every other airport. We cannot have a situation whereby a fully loaded Airbus A380 is forced to stay on the ground and unload its passengers just because its departure slot has been delayed one minute past 23:00.

The importance of dialog and of clear and transparent communication about infrastructure projects is underscored by FRA’s expansion. In this case, many of the right things have been done. Together, we have set national standards by creating the Mediation Group, by continuing these discussions in the Regional Dialog Forum and now via the Forum Airport and Region, and by seeking the broad involvement of society as well as political support across party lines.

The results over many years of this continuous dialog in the various forums can be seen: Airport expansion continues to receive wide support from the majority of the population – naturally in tandem with the demand for further success in achieving noise reduction.

Fraport AG Inaugurates Fourth Runway at Frankfurt Airport is a post from: Aviation news - Planegrazy

Finnair has started negotiations with Swissport, a Swiss company specialised in ground handling, regarding its baggage and apron services at Helsinki Airport. If agreement is reached between Finnair and Swissport, the business would transfer from current handler Barona Handling to Swissport.

Employees currently working for Barona Handling would transfer to the service of Swissport under their present terms of employment. The aim is to conclude the negotiations by the end of the year.

“Swissport is a global professional that has strong expertise in ground handling services. With cooperation we aim for even better quality and cost-efficiency,” says Finnair’s COO Ville Iho.

Developing its partnership network is part of Finnair’s strategy of structural change that aims to significantly lower its cost base and improve quality to support its growth. Finnair’s goal is to grow its Asian traffic from 74 weekly flights to 140 and double its Asian traffic revenue by 2020.

Finnair negotiating to transfer baggage and apron services to Swissport is a post from: Aviation news - Planegrazy

Finnair and Helsinki Airport have commenced a search for seven Quality Hunters, to be given the task of travelling between Europe, Asia and the United States. The aim, with the help of these experts drawn from the public, will be to make Helsinki’s award-winning airport and flight connections even smoother and more convenient.

Last year, Finnair hired 4 Quality Hunters to investigate the theme of quality in travel. This was an unparalleled success, and continues with a much-expanded follow-up for 2011, with Helsinki Airport now also committed to the relentless strive for quality.
The Quality Hunters, following an intensive recruitment process, will observe, evaluate, report on, and develop the flight and transfer experience as offered by Finnair and Helsinki Airport. This will lead to development ideas and concepts to be developed in the near future, bolstering an already exemplary travel experience.

The seven successful applicants will fulfil their role over seven weeks, observing seven categories of service quality. Each will publish a blog describing their various activities, and all material will be posted on the www.qualityhunters2.com web site. Visitors to the site will be encouraged to set tasks for the Quality Hunters, make comments and share their opinions. Participants on the site will also have the chance to win intercontinental VIP Finnair flights via Helsinki.

Jarkko Konttinen, Finnair’s Vice President, Global Brand & Marketing Communications, commented that “As a part of renewing our entire service identity, we want to go even further on charting the black spots of travel and finding creative solutions to resolve them. We expect this initiative to result in more convenient travelling concepts and to support Finnair’s constant aim of offering passengers peace of mind.”

“We want to be able to offer passengers something more than just a transfer. It is in our interests to hear from them how to make their time at the airport enjoyable,” added Johanna Metsälä, Helsinki Airport’s Customer Experience Manager.

Those interested may read more and apply at www.qualityhunters2.com – the application period closes on October 5th.

Finnair and Helsinki Airport team up to search for Quality Hunters is a post from: Aviation news - Planegrazy

If you’re planning a trip abroad, it’s important to remember that some things need to be sorted out in advance of travelling by plane. This list will help you to remember what you may need to consider sometimes well before you will get on your flight.

Insurance

It’s thought that as many as 20% of young people travelling do so without insurance! It’s a very risky thing to do however, and much better to be insured in case of emergencies. Shop around for cheap deals and the price isn’t vast and is a lot better than costs you might incur if you lost your camera or had to pay for medical costs abroad if you had an accident. Make sure the policy you get covers you for every activity you might partake in as some won’t cover activities like scuba diving, skiing or bungee jumping. A European Health Insurance card is very important to have if you’re travelling in Europe too.

Passport & Visa

You’ll need to make sure your passport is valid until well after your return date and that you fill in your next of kin details and leave a photocopy of the passport with someone safe at home. Regarding visas you’ll need to check each place you’re travelling to, and make sure you get visas for the correct duration of your stay there.

Vaccinations

Check out the NHS ‘Fit for Travel’ website to check out what vaccinations you’ll need. Then, a good couple of months before hand, take time to visit your GP and sort out the vaccinations as some must be given time to take effect before you travel. If you’ll need prescription medicine make sure you get it all organised in advance and that it’s packaged appropriately for travelling.

Money

Avoid carrying lots of cash that might tempt thieves. Prepaid cards are easy to get hold of and are a more secure alternative to cash. Once you’ve loaded the money on them (or someone back home has done so for you), you can use them just as you would a credit or debit card. Do your research and make sure you know if you’ll have access to ATMs where you’re travelling to as well.

Local Information

Doing a bit of research before you travel will help you get the most from your trip. Be aware of local laws & customs. Learn limits for alcohol and if it’s legal to drink in public, and be aware that drug use/carrying can carry some extremely heavy penalties in some places. Find out where the national embassy/consulate is and make notes of contact details.

Stay in Touch

Set up ways of staying in touch with folks back home – a secure web-email account is a good idea, but protect your log in details and log out EVERY time you use a public computer! E-mail yourself (and someone else in case of need) copies of passport, insurance details, flight details and emergency contact information in case you have need of it.

Before you fly is a post from: Aviation news - Planegrazy

Competition and decrease in fares have made traveling by plane an everyday affair. But frequent travelers often burn holes in their pockets by paying exorbitant airport parking fees. Finding convenient parking close to an airport at prices that do not pinch the purse has now become a reality. All you need to do is surf the net and find services that offer off-airport or on airport parking information as well as competitive rates.

There are airport parking “web directories” like
www. http:airportparkingreservations.com or APR ; http:www.parkingcompany.com; or http:parknflynetwork.com among many others that offer:

•    247 reservations for airport parking online.
•    Rate comparisons between different parking facilities at different airports. The table is comprehensive and you can then choose a site at a rate that is suitable to you. Tabulated rates indicate that the economy parking charges at airport lots are nearly double that of most other off-airport facilities. One can be an informed and discerning consumer and know where to spend and how to make a saving for services that are no different.
•    Comprehensive rates that include taxes and there are no surprises in store for you.
•    Displays of current availability of parking at any given lot so that you don’t make the mistake to selecting a lot that is already full.
•    Information that enables you to select a parking that is most convenient to you. Gives details like frequency and time-table of shuttle service to and from the lots as well as user ratings.
•    Attractive promotions like hotel and parking combos.
•    Tips and info on parking lots that have a meet and greet service where for a token payment or as a complimentary service several parking lots offer a service where a person will meet you at the airport terminal, take away your car for parking, and once again meet you with your car when you land saving you many hassles.
•    Printable online coupons which just have to be presented at the parking lot.
•    Attractive discounts on parking where savings up to 45% and more can sometimes be made.
•    Details of add on privileges like free coffee, newspapers, clean comfortable rest rooms, and new marketing promos.

All you need to do is access the web a few hours before departure and you are guaranteed not just parking space but peace of mind and good time management.

The sites feature airport lots, off-airport parking, open as well as covered parking. There are great options like offering to clear ice from the car or cool the interiors before you arrive, car wash or servicing while the car is parked, help with dead batteries, or any other problem you may encounter with the car.

As a part of customer convenience now many travel sites like Expedia and Orbitz have made alliances with parking sites so that their clients can make parking bookings along with flight reservations.

Parking sites have introduced fierce competition among parking lot managements and the result is an ongoing price war to keep their slice of pie or business. And because of this, a wise traveler can save up to £ 100 for five days of parking.

Go online and stop paying more for airport parking than your plane ticket. is a post from: Aviation news - Planegrazy

Many travelers have to waste time queuing for the screeners at the airport. This is unavoidable and it is the front line personnel that you see as you make your way toward the gate are just the worker bees. They’re not Congress and they’re not the big wig decision makers. If at times they seem like robots, deviating very little from their spcheel, it’s because they have procedures that they must follow and deviating from the standard operation procedure is not an option.

There are a number of things you can do yourself to speed things along. Listed below are the top ten tips to help your visit to the airport security checkpoint hassle-free.

1. Don’t wear pants or suspenders that contain a lot of metal. If you can’t remove the metal prior to passing through the metal detector, you’ll be sent for additional screening, thus increasing your wait time.

2. Laptop computers and video cameras that use cassette tapes, not digital cameras, need to come out of their carrying case prior to passing through the x-ray machine. Have these items out of the case before you reach the table to divest your items.

3. Wear tennis shoes or known airport friendly footwear so you’ll avoid setting off the alarm on the walk through metal detector. Often the screeners will encourage you to take your shoes off before passing through the metal detector. What many passengers fail to recognize is that many, many shoe manufacturers place steel shanks (supports) in the souls of the shoes. Just because you don’t see metal, doesn’t mean they are metal-free.

4. If you have an inkling that your belt buckle or larger metal watch may set off the metal detector, remove them while you’re waiting in line and have them ready to place into a bin.

5. Have your boarding pass and government issued photo ID readily available. Some airports have someone checking your boarding pass and ID as you first approach your concourse, then shortly thereafter there is another employee asking for the same thing. Actually they may be asking for the same thing, but these employees, often one a federal employee and one a private company employee, while looking at the same thing, aren’t looking for the same thing. Each person has a different role to fill. If you have to dig in your purse or wallet for these items, that will increase the wait time. Ensure your boarding pass is pulled out of the airline envelope.

6. Only undeveloped film with a speed of 800 or higher should be hand checked. All other disposable cameras, film of 100, 200 or 400 speed and digital cameras are safe to pass through the x-ray. Know your film speed before reaching the x-ray machine.

7. Leave all tools, Swiss army knives, pointed end scissors, and bladed corkscrews in your checked bag. You may not bring them onboard the aircraft in your carry-on bags. If your bag must be searched to find these items, it’s definitely going to increase your wait time.

8. Strollers and pet carriers need to pass through the x-ray machine. Remove your children and pets from this equipment prior to reaching the x-ray.

9. Most small jewelry such as rings, necklaces and earrings will not set off the alarm. Don’t bother wasting time removing them.

10. Yes your fanny pack, hidden money belt and wallet on a string around your neck must pass through the x-ray, have it ready to place into a bin.

With this method, you can pass the metal detector easily without much checking from the officers. When you fly next time, use these strategies and try having fun by being prepared!

How To Pass The Airport Checkpoint Quickly is a post from: Aviation news - Planegrazy