Can I have any influence on what happens to my luggage on a trip?

Normally, of course, bags carried by Finnair travel on the same flight as our customers, with the exception of only about one in every hundred. The recovery rate of notified lost bags by Finnair is 99.7 per cent, so it is extremely unlikely for a passenger to be parted from his or her luggage permanently.

The loss of or damage to luggage is most often the result of a system failure with an airline or airport, but everyone leaving for a journey can make a difference by choosing and packing the most durable luggage and by taking a few simple precautions. Finnair’s luggage expert Kari Kaijanen offers some practical tips.

1. Choose a bag that is the right kind and right size for the planned trip. A bag that’s two small is like a sausage in a pan of water, and can snap open and break too easily. In a bag that is too big your clothes will slide around and get all crumpled before you even arrive to your destination..

2. Cheap is not good. A suitcase has to withstand a fair amount of pressure and bashing about when it travels in the airport roller-coasters. Cheap cases are made of material that won’t withstand big changes in temperature, for instance. The handles and wheels on a quality case are integrated so they don’t get stuck or broken as easily as the extrusions on cheap bags. Quality pays for itself in the number of times you can use the case!

3. Remember your name tag! Place a tag inside and on the outside of your luggage – preferably in more than one place.

4. Take away old flight tags and bar code stickers from your luggage. Automatic scanners may read the old tag bar codes as well as the new ones, and that can lead to mix-ups.

5. Mark your bag so as to make it look different from the others. More than half of all bags are zippered vertical upright bags with wheels and of them more than half are black. Attach something to the bag which will make it easy to stand out from the crowd of similar bags . Every day the wrong bags are taken because they look so similar.

6. Cross packing. If there are two of you travelling together with two bags, distribute your belongings over the two bags. If one of the bags goes missing, at least you’ll be able to get your hands on some of your stuff immediately.

7. Pack your immediate needs for the first day in your carry-on baggage. Over 90 per cent of lost bags find their owners within 24 hours.

8. Pack medicines, valuables and breakables always in your carry-on bag. Nobody is going to compensate them if they are lost or broken.

9. Put a copy of your travel itinerary in your bag or case. Print out an extra copy of your travel itinerary and put it inside your bag so that it can be easily found. If your bag gets lost it may have to be opened for identification. The itinerary summary will show immediately where the bag should be heading, and it won’t be necessary to search the contents for identification purposes. This simple method makes it easier and faster to track down the owner.

10. Close your bag carefully. If you have a zipper on your bag, for example, bind the two zip-pulls together using a cable tie or a string. Tie the handles on hold-alls together, too. You can place a strap around your lockable case, but ask yourself if you really need to lock it. The lock may have to be broken for inspection if the security finds any suspicious about its contents or any other emergency. I recommend that you secure by closing your bag carefully, but do not lock it.

+ Take a photo of your luggage with your mobile phone or camera. You can show the picture to the agent taking the missing bag report. Then they know exactly what to trace

Luggage greetings from Kari “Bagman” Kaijanen
Finnair’s own luggage expert

At the time Finnair was the first airline in the world to take the MD-11 into commercial use when it ran a flight from Helsinki to Las Palmas on December 20,1990. The aircraft in question was OH-LGA. As first users of the aircraft, Finnair’s Technical staff were able to gain a deep insight into the plane’s technical secrets. In close cooperation with the manufacturers and as a result of high quality operations, Finnair was from the start known as the world’s leader in MD-11 expertise.

To start with the aircraft type was employed on leisure flight service, and at that time the tight configuration allowed it to carry as many as 402 passengers. After this introductory period, the MD-11 took over from its predecessor, the DC10, as the fleet flagship, and a Business Class cabin was introduced. The eventual 284-seat configuration made it possible to carry 42 wider and more comfortable Business Class seats along with 242 less expansive Economy Class seats.

The great strength of the MD-11 has been its technical reliability and unique three-engine wide-body performance in terms of speed and load limits. For example, on a flight between Bangkok and Helsinki it has been possible to fly into a strong head wind with a full complement of passengers as well as up to 30,000 kilos of cargo in just ten hours. It would be hard to find another aircraft in the same size category capable of that performance!

There have been a total of seven members of the Finnair MD-11 fleet: OH-LGA, -LGB, -LGC, -LGD, -LGE, -LGF, and -LGG, the last three of which were acquired more than a decade after the first. All of the aircraft remain in very good technical condition, and Boeing MD-11 aircraft will still be seen flying in commercial service for years to come.

Our company’s successful long-haul scheduled flight strategy was founded on the MD-11’s reliability and efficient performance. But everything has its own day, and in the future Finnair will operate its long haul flights using a wide-bodied fleet of the world’s newest Airbus aircraft. These state-of-the-art aircraft boast the most modern passenger cabin technology and more economic fuel consumption efficiency as the aces in their pack. The new fleet is also an environmental choice, since the new generation jet produces 20 per cent less emissions than was previously the case.

To date, the Finnair MD-11 fleet has flown about 400,000 flight hours and made over 50,000 landings. Around 14 million passengers have travelled in their cabins in the last 20 years. In its time, this superbly performing aircraft was at the very peak of aviation technology.

The Boeing MD-11 has served Finnair faithfully and safely for the best part of two decades. I pay tribute to its time as our flagship aircraft with deep respect, and I’d like to thank everyone who has played a part in ensuring the reputation of this Queen of aircraft over the years.

Rabbe-Holger Wrede, MD-11 Chief Pilot, Finnair

Adhering to the Indian wellbeing tip “no hurry, no worry, no curry”, passed on to me by a friend, proved to be impossible, however, from the very start. I ate more curry in the week than I had ever eaten before in my life altogether. And hurry was ever present, my feet hardly touching the ground as we flew from one place to the next.

Surprisingly it was not until we were leaving that we encountered a setback at Mumbai Airport. The check-in assistant looked at me with an expression which I hoped reflected hard partying the previous evening, but no. Looking at me with her head slightly askew, she said in a lowered tone: “In Delhi there is thick fog. We’ll decide within half an hour whether or not we’ll operate the flight today.”

I became aware of just how long half an hour can be when you are reciting to yourself over and over: “Don’t worry, be happy!” It was quite challenging to appear like an unconcerned travel industry professional while switching from one foot to the other in time to my recitation.

At long last, we finally got the word that our flight was going ahead. Hurray! Hurry, hurry, hurry! Check-in, departure hall and then a moment later a new setback – flight wasn’t flying after all.

Apologising, the attendants handed back our tickets in three queues. Worry had dropped its heavy cloak of gloom over those queuing. Apathy, dejection and downheartedness consumed us. Except one. A man who imagined that unbridled fury was precisely what the situation called for. He raged at everyone in the queue and stared now and then at his fellow travellers in a challenging way. To the rest of us, however, it was clear that even if we formed a minor demonstration and shouted slogans at the top of our voices around Mumbai, it would not contribute in the slightest to clearing the fog above Delhi Airport.

I had purchased a ticket for the evening flight to ensure that I would make the morning connection from Delhi to Helsinki without any worry and hurry. Now I had no option but to make my way to the sales desks of various airlines to purchase yet another ticket for the morning. Finally, at the fourth desk, I succeeded. I acquired a ticket for a flight that would PERHAPS get me there on time.

Nursing my worry, I settled down to wait for the morning. Perhaps my face was showing, in addition to fatigue, that sooniamgoingtoburstintotears look. And even if it didn’t, well at least that’s how I felt. I longed for curry. Hurry was also lurking nearby waiting for morning, but that didn’t make the hours of the night go any faster. I checked by text message whether the Finnair flight had departed on time from Helsinki. And it had. I ate a piece of chocolate cake intended as a homecoming present and considered how short a time that half an hour had actually been, and how the week had gone faster than one night. I put it all down to worry and ate the whole cake in revenge.

When the check-in assistant appeared as the day dawned, I immediately rushed towards her. I had reached the point when I could not avoid expressing my fears of missing the connecting flight. Rather amateurish, but very human. At the stage when I was telling the assistant my holiday experiences I noticed that her powers of concentration were no longer as good as they might be. Or perhaps it was the queue forming behind me that I noticed – I headed for the departure gate. My steps took on an exaggerated briskness. As if I thought I could infect the whole of Indian air transport with my actions.

And did it have any effect? Well, at least we departed for Delhi on schedule.

Dropping into my seat, I pulled a blanket over me, thinking to assume the role of a world traveller, whom nothing bothered. My chocolate-tainted mouth longed for curry. My Indian neighbour, on the other hand, longed for conversation.

“I saw you a week ago when you came to Mumbai,” were her opening words. “Ah ha,” I answered, thinking “here’s a strange one”. “I guess we might be heading the same way? I’m going via Helsinki to Riga. I tried yesterday already, but we were put on hold above Delhi due to the fog, and eventually we flew back to Mumbai. I was worried that we weren’t going to make it,” she continued.

I immediately changed my opinion about her. Strange? Not at all. Actually an open, honest person. The kind with whom you can share worry and hurry. And I would have shared curry, too, but I fell asleep.

We landed on schedule. My travel companion and I smiled at each other. We had much in common: objective, plan, shared worry and much hurry.

As we trundled along in the bus from the domestic to the international terminal, I thought that we were fulfilling a common goal, even though we hadn’t even introduced ourselves. We sat quietly, giving each other now and then a brief smile followed by an encouraging nod. A felt myself consumed by an hysterical fit of laughter. The kind, inspired by relief, that’s totally uncontrolled and just as close to crying as to laughing.

Before I had time to humiliate myself, we reached the terminal. Just the final leg of our journey and we would be home. We celebrated our perfect performance with a polite handshake. The gesture was relatively restrained in relation to the emotions that we had experienced together.

On the flight from Delhi to Helsinki, I realised that I now had no hurry, no worry and no curry. All had disappeared. I was totally empty. I surrendered to the vacuum in order to totally recharge myself. I repeated the wellbeing tip. In fact hurry, worry and curry add a wonderful spice to life. Available without a prescription, but to be taken in suitable doses.

Helena Kaartinen

Finnish Red Cross aid personnel, complete with hospital equipment, were also ready to depart, but it took us a few days to finally get under way, because a German group assembling in Berlin with its own supplies was not ready to depart until Thursday.

A flight to a crisis area is always slightly different from normal, and when planning aid operations many factors must be taken into consideration: for example the limited availability of fuel at a destination to which many other agencies are also bringing emergency aid by air, and delays on the ground due to makeshift loading equipment and cargo handling facilities. In addition, congested parking space does not permit long stopovers on the ground, let alone overnight stays by aircraft or crew. Because of this it was decided to transfer to Berlin on Wednesday the flight crew which would fly the second and third legs, to ensure that we would be able, within the maximum working time restrictions, to fly the aircraft and crew away from the crisis area.

Late on Thursday evening a Finnair MD-11 aircraft, with a flight crew reinforced by loading experts and mechanics, departed from Helsinki with its Finnish load towards the Berlin stopover, where the aircraft was refuelled with a greater than normal amount of fuel and the flight crew exchanged for a fresh one. The MD-11 is an excellent aircraft for such an operation: it can carry more than enough fuel and cargo, and the aircraft’s speed facilitates the performance of time-critical flying tasks.

Our original destination was Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, because the U.S. Airforce managing the crisis area’s airspace did not give us a slot directly into Port-au-Prince. The previous day only two larger civilian aircraft had managed to land there. It turned out, however, that despite our original plan, we were able to land directly at Port-au-Prince in Haiti. SPR Transport Supervisor Pauli Immonen’s indefatigable effort on the ground was decisively important in obtaining the last-minute change of destination, which allowed our supplies to reach Haiti a day or two earlier than would have been the case.

Landing on a restricted, narrow runway in a busy crisis environment and taxiing around a congested airport presented its own challenges, because the numbers of helicopters, aircraft, loading equipment and aid material far exceeded the normal handling capacity of the airport.

The exceptional one-hour ground time granted to us stretched into a more than three-hour stopover, which in itself was a supreme effort in the prevailing conditions for unloading the amount of cargo we had brought with us.

The Finnish Red Cross aid flight carried around 30,000 kilos, consisting of an emergency hospital operating theatre and wards plus related aid supplies. Also along on the flight were 56 Red Cross emergency personnel and media representatives, of whom half were from Finland and half from Germany.

The various building blocks in terms of preparation, flying and ground activities snapped into place and the operation succeeded as planned. We shared an wonderful sense of achievement on the ground in Haiti.

It was great to be involved in an aid operation as part of a dedicated team who represented only a fraction of the Red Cross aid effort in Haiti. Thanks to everyone who participated in the operation and to those who are working still in the crisis area!

Rabbe-Holger Wrede
Flight Captain

It made me start to think of people and emotions as different colours. I see trees of green…red roses too… and listening to “What a Wonderful World” seemed orange! The result of the test didn’t reveal that I tend to become firmly attached to things that interest me until something new comes along.

On a flight from Oslo to Helsinki I went to serve in economy class, where the passengers were sitting reading and looking out of the window. My attention was drawn to a group of India couples around my age. The women stood out in their magnificent, colourful saris, although they seemed very subdued. By chance I noticed that one of them had spilled tea on her hem and was discreetly trying to dry it. I took a bunch of serviettes from my trolley and made an effort to help. The passenger, in return, seemed rather irritated. Her immaculately red mouth repeated: “No problem. It’s OK!” Well, it was OK for me, too, but my curiosity in this colourful party was aroused.

Calcutta, their home city, was like a black hole to me; no information. I recalled how I had proudly displayed to an Indian colleague my knowledge of India, saying that Mother Amma was a frequent visitor to Finland. She asked me politely: “Really? Who is he?“ So it really didn’t work…

Later, on the recommendation of a shopkeeper, I had bought the Bollywood classic Om Shanti Om as a souvenir of Mumbai. I had taken a careful mental note of the name of the male lead Shar Rukh Khan. Or actually the abbreviation SRK. This name was also familiar to my colleague. Of course, to her mind SRK was REALLY old. Meaning over 40. This comment discomfited me to some extent, but I forced myself to nod in agreement.

I decided to try the impact of the name on this party. Bull’s-eye! They all at once ignited into an orange sea of flame. Word spread like wildfire. I stood thunderstruck at the bar of my trolley, listening over and over to the phrase: SHE KNOWS SRK!

The leader of the group looked at me with a smile and a wobble of the head: “Of course, SRK is not the best of our actors.” This was followed by a host of other names. I quickly gave her a pen and serviette on which to put black on white.

Everyone wanted to participate in the discussion and to express their own favourites.

In this effusion of ideas, the dark tea stain also dried. Together we went through the movies on the napkin that were simply ‘must see’! There were a lot of them and I realised that it could be spring time before my own film festival would reach a conclusion. A joyful buzz of voices and a yellow sun gleaming through the window accompanied my landing preparations.

As the party left the aircraft, I received in surprise a small bag of Indian snacks and still another serviette, bearing the message: “Thank you and welcome to Calcutta!” After I had wiped a tear of emotion from the corner of my eye, I could only see a hem of aniline red disappearing into the bustle of the airport.

At home I spread the serviette on the table and began to Google furiously. I also opened Messenger and Facebook. I really wanted to share the experience with my Indian colleagues. Social media combined with serviette communications worked. I obtained video clips, music and additional information about both Calcutta and the movies. I also received a tip about the blogs of the Indian Shobhaa De, where the writer does not look at issues through rose-tinted spectacles.

So now I am in the situation that I mentioned at the beginning; hooked on a new subject. I look at our flight offers and schedules to Delhi. My colour palette is a mess. I feel a great need to know more. Cultural exchange! I would scarcely bring the famous Finnish novel ‘The Unknown Soldier’ as a gift, but Finnish thoughts and attitudes, for sure.

Despite my ‘official invitation’, I won’t rush to Calcutta. What if I start instead with the Bollywood city of Mumbai? So I’ll write on serviettes invitations to Finland and perhaps someone like me will take the bait. My family is showing the green light to my travel plan, so I’m pretty sure I’ll soon be heading towards some colourful Indian adventures!

Helena Kaartinen

1. Delhi – Central Cottage Industries Emporium
Here you can find everything under one roof – all the Indian handicrafts, gifts, silk, scarves and rugs you can dream of. Prices are reasonable and fixed, the quality excellent and no need for haggling, as is the case just about everywhere else in India. The shop is maintained by the Indian Government. www.cottageemporium.in

2. Bangkok – MBK Center,
Mixture of small shops and bazaars offering knock-down prices. www.mbk-center.com. Another one of my favourites is China Town with its two shopping centres offering a staggering range of jewelry, shoes and clothes.

3. Beijing – XiuShui Market
Everything from a quilted jacket and wool shirts to scarves and bags. You can never be certain of authenticity in China, but when you are careful, you can find good quality silk and excellent Kashmir wool at low prices.

4. New York – Woodbury Commons
Premium Outlet located an hour by bus from Manhattan (Port Authority).  You get rebates on top of discounts and the dollar-euro rate is excellent for Europeans. www.premiumoutlets.com.

5. Hong Kong – Mongkok
The Mongkok markets are both an attraction and a place to shop with infinite variety. My favourites are Ladies’ Market, Bird Market, Goldfish Market and the Flower Market. Much to watch, wonder at – and buy.

6. Stockholm – Barkaby
The largest Nordic Outlet Center, located a half-hour bus ride from downtown. Prices are 30-60 per cent cheaper than usual. www.qualityoutlet.com. Around Arlanda Airport you can also find some Outlet shops. www.arlandastadoutlet.com.

7. Helsinki – Aleksanterinkatu
Best shopping street in Finland where you can find most things that are really necessary in life. Complete a wonderful day of shopping with a coffee at Fazer, Strindberg or Cafe Engel.

We no longer land on skis, but we operate with one of the world’s most modern fleets. Our airline is now 86 years old, but we are in tune with the times in terms of both aircraft and attitude. Today Finnair’s scheduled traffic covers 9 long-haul destinations in Asia and New York in North America, as well as more than 40 city destinations in Europe.

Building the bridge between Europe and Asia has been the aim of the expanding Finnair – a strategy supported by Finland’s favorable geographical position: the shortest and most eco-efficient route from Europe to Asia passes via Helsinki. Our modern fleet with the Airbus A340 and A330 wide-bodied aircraft carries us far into the future.

And behind us is a long and distinguished past. Finnair, 86 years old on November 1st, is one of the world’s longest-established airlines.

With the onset of autumn, nights become cooler and moisture condenses: fog, smog, mist, haar, haze! But with the modern equipment now available perhaps only stardust would prove to be impenetrable.

Even nowadays, however, many aircraft types and airlines require visual contact with the runway, making landing in the thickest fog impossible. The newspaper headline “Air traffic disrupted by fog” is not unusual. Landing in the thickest fog is indeed possible, however. This is facilitated by airport procedures and the aircraft’s automatic flight control system – namely the autopilot.

Automation releases pilot capacity for decision making for safe landing from actual aircraft handling. It has been possible to land by autopilot since the 1960s. Finnair has used autolands since April 1965 – among the first airlines in the world to do so. Nevertheless, it has only in recent decades been considered safe to land without visual contact with the runway. Finnair’s Airbus fleet, for example, is officially certified for such landings. Faster air data computers in aircraft and improved accuracy of navigation instruments have made this possible.

Landing without visual contact demands much of the airport, the aircraft and the crew.

Pilots are trained in low visibility procedures on a totally separate training course, which covers the workings of the Instrument Landing System (ILS), runway markings, lights and signs, meteorology, aircraft systems and possible malfunctions, obstacle clearances, standard operating procedures, and operating procedures in the case of malfunctions (in ground facilities and/or in the aircraft).

Simulators provide an extremely realistic environment for practising normal operating procedures as well as malfunctions. Before pilots advance to performing these landings in practice, they must have solid experience of their type of aircraft. Furthermore, an official regulation decrees that low visibility procedures are practised and reviewed at least once a year in an inspection flight using a simulator.

When all of the above-mentioned requirements are fulfilled and the authorities have approved the procedure, the pilot can make a CAT III B no DH approach and landing (Category III B, no decision height). Then the cloud base is not significant, but a runway visual range of 75 metres is required. This visibility requirement ensures that the pilot will find the taxiway and clear the runway after landing.

If each condition is not fulfilled in its entirety, a higher cloud base and visibility (CAT I-III A) are required.

Negotiating a landing in fog has therefore nothing to do with a pilot’s courage. Rather it requires certain equipment on the ground and on the aircraft, and also for the pilot to have the required experience and expertise.

Jussi Ekman

Sakari started with Finnair in 1981. Through different sales roles he moved to marketing communications and brand work and from there to Vice President of the Revenue Management & Pricing (RMP) Department. Peter Gabrielsson has now stepped into Sakke’s shoes as head of the RMP Department in Finland.

Challenging yet potential market

According to Sakari the beginning has been full of challenges. A rather big wave of swine flu swept through Japan and the authorities tightened the regulations for flying because of it.

- Scheduled traffic has cut down radically in Japan. Luckily the leisure traffic has recovered quickly for its part and the flights for August and September are looking good, Sakari says.

Japan is Finnair’s number one market in Asia. The most captivating aspect of his new job is, according to Sakari, the possibilities offered by the market.

- The market in Japan is extremely complicated as the distribution goes through various steps, Sakari says and explains that the buying patterns stem from old customs, which cannot be altered easily.

On the other hand he notes that the market is looking very potential especially for leisure traffic. Particularly the elder people represent a good group of consumers, as they want to use their savings themselves instead of sparing them for the next generation and to see the world.

The job description includes strengthening existing customer relationships, but also creating new ones and continuing the fine work that has already begun. The intention is to multiply corporate customer relationships through pure sales work, and cooperation with business travel agencies will be enhanced.

Internet sales will constitute an important part of future sales.
 - Japan has made great advances in terms of internet sales and it presents a magnificent opportunity to find new customers, emphasises Sakari.

Nearly half Japanese

In 1963, Sakari’s parents moved to Japan for work reasons and Sakari, as a four-year-old, went along with them for an 11-year stay. The language and culture have remained strongly with him. According to Sakari, the Japanese to a large extent resemble the Finns, for example in terms of their quietness and consideration. In Japanese working life, the emphasis is on reliability and honesty. 

Sakari awards the Japanese food culture high marks. In his opinion, it is difficult to find a bad restaurant in Japan! Since his childhood, Sakari has also been interested in Japanese cars and motorcycles. He won’t be taking his old bike to Tokyo, however: buying a new one is at the top of his ‘to-do’ list. Sakari’s other pastimes outside work are close to nature; he loves hiking in the mountains and fishing.

Sakari reminds us old and future visitors to Japan that the country is much more than Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.
- Everyone should be bold and leave the cities to visit the countryside and the coast, recommends Sakari.
 
Sakari himself has just started a two week holiday from which the first week will be spent handling practical matters such as setting his home in order. For the second week he will be heading south of Tokyo to visit five beautiful islands. The first of these islands, Oshima, is only two hours’ drive away. The islands are favoured also by locals for their splendid surfing possibilities and crystal clear waters.
 
Sakari’s TOP 3 travel tips in Japan
1) Kyoto is a mixture of the old and the new. The city is a manageable size and overall very interesting.
2) The countryside and coast of the Ise region. The sea shore and the mountain spas (onsen) offer unique experiences – Japan at its most authentic.
3) The subtropical Okinawa is Japan’s most southern island. The area is interesting even for the experienced Japan visitor; it has a different architectural style, language and culture, offering a relaxing experience.

Chub hooked! Jussi caught a whopper, a 1.25 kg chub, at Gold Valley Lakes. Chub isn't a gourmet fish nor one of Jussi's favourites, due to its slightly muddy taste and tricky bones. Tasty fish balls can be made from chub if the flesh put through a mincer, according to Jussi, whose favourite food is lightly salted pike-perch, smoked perch and salmon grilled on an open fire.

In his working time, the Finnair Technical Services Logistics Department’s Quality Coordinator Jussi Jalkanen provides training on official and quality matters and instructs acceptance inspectors. In his leisure time, Jussi is a passionate fisherman who has travelled all over the world and competed at World Championship level. Jussi reveals his favourite fishing places.

1. Portugal, Coruche, River Sorraia
Magnificent, immaculate small inland location. Friendly people and fine sandy shores. It’s possible to fish right in the middle of the town. There’s a café and an excellent fishing tackle store by the river. On a hill stands a good hotel, offering excellent views over the village towards the river.
Equipment: rod with reel, and take-apart pole. Fish: barb, carp and local specialities. A venue for many fishing competitions.

2. Italy, Florence, River Arno
Right in the city centre, in a wonderful cultural setting. The river water is not the cleanest perhaps, but the fish are plentiful and there are some good tackle shops.
Equipment: rod and line, rod with reel, take-apart pole. Fish: really big carp c. 2-7 kg, catfish, goldfish and crucian carp. The best places are downstream from the market, near the high wall. A popular venue for international competitions. Excellent food and rhythm to life.

3. UK, Dorking, Surrey, Old Bury Hill
Three separate rivers, a well managed area and constructed fishing sites. Peaceful natural setting, a café and tackle sales. Very popular leisure location.
Equipment: rod with reel, bottom reel, take-apart pole. Of the lakes, the biggest and oldest fishing area is the best. Fish: big carp, tench, chub, bream and rudd, but also pike-perch and pike.

4. UK, Aldershot, Gold Valley Lakes
Situated close to the Farnborough fishing area, where there are eight constructed lakes. Club building, a café and tackle sales. Every fishing spot has a jetty.
Equipment: rod with reel, bottom reel and take-apart pole. Fish: carp, tench, rudd and bream.

5. Luxembourg, River Moselle
Diverse range of fish, good shores and friendly people.
Equipment: rod and line, rod with reel, bottom reel. Fish: carp, barb, chub, bream, tench, eel and perch.

6. Porvoo Archipelago, Sondby, Kalvholmen
The sea is always an excellent place to fish, because the power of the sea is unbelievable and the diverse array of fish is an asset. Cast a lure or troll for pike-perch, pike and perch. With rod and line, bream, perch, rudd and roach. In winter, ice-fish for whitefish and perch with hook and line, and everything with a net.

7. Evo, Niemisjärvi Lakes
On the banks of three rivers between the Lammi and Padasjoki are fishing places maintained by the National Board of Forestry. One of the rivers is reserved for fly fishermen. The Ylinen and Alinen Niemisjärvi Lakes are good angling spots. Also: the Ilves nature path, kiosk, permit sales, tent and campfire places, lean-to shelters, fish smoking opportunity, and boat rental.
Equipment: rod and line, rod with reel, lure. Fish: rainbow trout, trout, whitefish and perch.

8. Lappeenranta, Saimaa Canal
Lappeenranta is an fine summer town. The flat shores between the Kansola and Soskua locks make an excellent fishing area. This was the venue for the World Angling Championships when they were held in Finland. It is one of the few places in Finland where one can catch the rare ziege or sabrecarp.
Equipment: rod and line, rod with reel, bottom reel, and take-apart pole. Fish: bream, big perch, roach and ziege/sabrecarp.

9. Espoo, Luukki, Luukkaa Outdoor Area
Magnificent tranquil outdoor area near Helsinki. A circuit of seven ponds offers fine fishing opportunities.
Equipment: rod and line, rod with reel. In Kaitalampi pond: rainbow trout, trout and whitefish. In Halkolampi pond, two-kilo carp and bream up to four kilos.

10. Helsinki, Arabianranta
Diverse range of sea fish; shallow waters make this an excellent place to practise reel fishing.
Equipment: rod and line, rod with reel, bottom reel. Fish: bream, carp, crucian carp, perch, roach and bleak.

Jussi Jalkanen