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Four decades ago, on May 15, 1969, Finnair’s brand-new DC-8 aircraft touched down at New York’s JFK Airport after leaving Helsinki some 13 hours earlier. Thousands of Finns had gathered at the new Helsinki-Vantaa Airport to wish the first passengers to America “Hyvaa matkaa!” (bon voyage in Finnish). With its four engines, the DC-8 airplane, named after the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, had the ability to carry 124 economy and 16 first class passengers. The flight made two stops en-route, in Copenhagen (Denmark) and in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), before landing in New York.
Exactly forty years later, on Friday, May 15, 2009, Finnair celebrated its 40th anniversary of uninterrupted air transportation services between the USA and Finland when its Airbus A330-300 aircraft, recently introduced on this route, landed at JFK. This new, fuel-efficient aircraft holds a total of 271 passengers (229 in economy and 42 in business), and its direct, non-stop flight takes just 8 hours, 40 minutes from Finland (8 hours, 10 minutes from New York). This summer, Finnair offers a total of 10 weekly flights between New York and Helsinki. The airline now boasts a global network including 50 destinations in Europe, Russia, the Balkans and Asia, and 700 more through its cooperation with oneworld alliance partners.
To rekindle some of the fond memories of the start of Finnair’s service to New York four decades ago, last Friday’s flight was staffed with Finnair’s “retro” crew of professionals – all dressed in the uniforms worn in 1969.
“Even though so much has changed in the airline industry in these past forty years, we all fondly remember the glamour and charm associated with international air travel,” notes Janne Soini, Finnair’s Sales Manager USA. “We at Finnair are delighted to reach this milestone; we realize that it would not have been possible without the support of our loyal passengers, travel agents, cargo customers, and yes, our outstanding crews!”
To celebrate Finnair’s 40th anniversary, the airline offers a special ‘Fabulous Forty’ anniversary fare of $400 roundtrip for passengers traveling from New York (JFK) to Helsinki (HEL) between May 31 and October 31. “This ‘Fabulous Forty’ special fare is available for a short time only: tickets must be purchased before May 24. $400 roundtrip is actually less than the introductory airfare that was offered to Finnair passengers in 1969!” Soini points out.
Finnair’s “retro” crew charmed Finnair’s passengers on board the 40th anniversary flight from Helsinki, before taking in some of New York sites. “Everybody wanted to have their picture taken with a ‘stewardess’ from the past,” smiled Seija Koskimaki, Finnair’s head purser on board. “But we at Finnair are ready for the future too, and our airline will continue to connect people all over the world. Today, we remembered how Finnair bridged the Transatlantic for the first time 40 years ago, and we celebrate how much we have grown since then.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
