Finnair awarded by Danes

Finnair, Finland’s flag carrier, has received a prestigious distinction from Danish Travel Awards, an organization that recognizes excellence in the European tourism industry. The award, which listed the Finnish carrier as the best European airline, was afforded in

Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, and Sari Fairchild, who manages Finnair’s Danish operations, was excited about the distinction. According to Fairchild, this is the best evidence so far that Finnair, a medium-size company, has succeeded in remaining competitive and popular among travelers in a market that is seeing fierce competition, thanks to the large number of national airlines, as well as a range of newer discount carriers offering tickets at rock-bottom prices. Fairchild also observed that it was a special honour to receive the award from a Danish organization, as

Denmark’s travelers are accustomed to receiving high quality service and as such, tend to have very significant expectations of airlines. One of Finnair’s most important innovations over the course of the past five years was the increase in the number of direct, long-haul flights from Helsinki to destinations in

Asia. Only six years ago, the carrier offered a small handful of 9 flights each week to major airports in

Asia. By 2007, however, this number has skyrocketed to a total of 59. Asian cities served include Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and

Seoul. Finnair was founded in 1923 and the airline currently operates a total of 60 airplanes, with an additional 29 aircraft on order. Finnair transported nearly 9 million passengers in 2006 and its traffic figures have maintained a healthy level of growth over the past few years.

www.finnair.com