At a Finnair press conference at Helsinki-Vanta Airport earlier this month, I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with some of the airline’s flight attendants. Wearing their dark navy uniforms with stripes of cherry blossom white, the ladies were there to introduce Finnair’s new menus created by two well-known Finnish chefs and unveil the airline’s new livery and amenities designed by Finnish fashion house Marimekko.

While in Helsinki, I learned about some of the fun activities the flight attendants have participated in and planned during flights, such as in-flight karaoke and their choreographed dance routine on a flight from Helsinki to New Delhi in honor of India’s Republic Day. Two dozen flight attendants dressed in Indian attire danced in the aisles to “Deewangi Deewangi” from the Bollywood film Om Shanti Om.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEsnb3kUDAw&list=UUbaCe–Oy0N8qtb-LMOGHBQ&index=45[/youtube] 

Aside from being excellent dancers and singers, some Finnair flight attendants are also published authors. At the press conference I received a copy of Airborne: Tales from a Thousand and One Flights, a collection of true travel accounts written by Finnair flight attendants. Published this past October, the 256-page book features humorous and interesting anecdotes from staff who have worked with Finnair over the last five decades. The book kept me entertained on my flight back to New York with its brief tales about encounters with ill-mannered passengers and well-known celebrities. Reading it provided me with a new appreciation for the men and women who serve hundreds of passengers, both kind and rude, each day. The profits from the book are donated to the Finnish Central Association for Mental Health. Check it out!

— Monique Barrett, advertising and editorial coordinator