Finnair Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Service to New York

Started in '69 with DC-8s, Now A330-300 Aircraft on non-stop flights

Anniversary Airfare of $400 Roundtrip

NEW YORK, May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090518/CL18589)

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. For details or to book, visit www.finnair.com/us or call
1-800-950-5000.

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."

About Finnair
Finnair was established in 1923, and its major shareholder is the Finnish
government with a 55.8% holding. From North America, Finnair offers non-stop
flights from New York to Helsinki, Finland, connecting with its global network
including more than 50 international destinations. In addition to passenger
and cargo traffic, the Finnair Group operations cover technical and ground
handling operations, catering, travel agencies as well as travel information
and reservation services. The Group's current number of employees is
approximately 9,500, while the fleet comprises 63 aircraft. During 2008,
Finnair carried a total of 8,270,100 passengers. Finnair is a member of
oneworld, the leading global airline alliance.

For detailed information on Finnair's newest aircraft, routes, technical facts
and passenger comfort innovations, Finnair has a dedicated Airbus A330 page:
(http://www.finnairgroup.com/media/media_10_1.html).

Further information: Finnair Media Desk tel. +358 9 818 4020, or
media.desk@finnair.com
Finnair's blog: http://blogs.finnair.com
Finnair Group website: www.finnairgroup.com
via.Helsinki: www.viahelsinki.com
Finnair's image bank: www.finnair.com/gallery
Mailing list updates: http://www.finnairgroup.com/mediaen/mediaen_7_3.html

Contact: Louise Plonowski
Phone: (404) 869-7960
Cell: (678) 492-9956
Email: lplonowski@goldconceptspr.com

SOURCE Finnair

Louise Plonowski, +1-404-869-7960, Cell: +1-678-492-9956,
lplonowski@goldconceptspr.com, for Finnair