THE global aviation industry has been shaken in recent years with the decline of the old national carriers and growth of budget airlines. The low-cost airlines were latecomers to Finnish airspace but are now transforming the market.

This summer Finncomm Airlines caused a scramble in the industry when it announced it would no longer fly routes to Jyväskylä, Pori or Seinäjoki. The young companies Air100 and Wingo, interested in the possibilities, eyed the Pori route. Meanwhile, a few weeks later Finncomm changed its mind about Seinäjoki, saying it would reopen service to that airport.

Plane tickets are easy to obtain from the internet – but how do you find the best bargains?

OCTOBER seems like the perfect time to travel to New York City – temperatures are mild and pleasant, with just a hint of crispness in the air. The light is beautiful at this time of the year and the leaves are changing in Central Park. Be that as it may, rain or shine, there's always great stuff going on in NYC. How would I go about finding some reasonably priced plane tickets then?

The wonderful world that is the internet comes in handy once again, but the biggest problem in finding reasonable airfares online proves to be an embarrassment of riches.

AFTER decades of often uncomfortable and time consuming travel via crowded buses and trains, travellers across Asia and Australasia have welcomed the current boon in low cost airlines that have soared to record profits in recent times. Utilising the internet as its prime booking tool this new spate of budget travel opportunities means that these regions are now more accessible than ever before.

Similarly to Europe, passengers have the option to pay extra for food, drinks, entertainment and organising their seating preference, along with a tiered fee based around the weight of their luggage.

FOR the 22nd time Helsinki will become the stage of the Night of the Arts on Friday 27 August.

The Night of Arts is one of the highlights of the Helsinki Festival that runs from 20 August to 5 September and is Finland’s largest art festival. It has developed out of the Sibelius week that started in 1951 and was already organised 1968 for the first time. In 1971 the festival was moved from May to late summer and continuously expanded, shifting its focus from classical music to including other art forms.

The Saimaa Canal links Eastern Finland’s extensive inland waterways with the sea. A cruise along the canal is a great way to discover the former Finnish town of Vyborg at the southern end of the canal, in territory surrendered by Finland to the USSR after the Second World War.

The good ship Carelia sets out early in the morning from Lappeenranta towards Vyborg. Eager trippers line the sun deck as we leave the open waters of Lake Sai-
maa and enter the 43-km-long Saimaa Canal.

The canal was first built in the 1850s for barges carrying timber, tar, coal and other goods, and then widened in the 1930s to take larger sea-going vessels. History then intervened when

Back at the Finnish end of the canal, it’s well worth a detour to see the Imatra Rapids, the natural outlet of the whole Saimaa Lake system. Overlooked by the beautiful romantic-style Castle Hotel (Valtionhotelli), this spectacular rocky gorge has been a tourist attraction for more than two centuries.

Since the 1920s, the waters of the mighty River Vuoksi have been lucratively diverted through a nearby hydropower station, but huge sluice gates in the dam above the rapids are opened for 30 minutes daily on summer evenings to release the waters. “The bridge by the hotel is the best place to watch...

ONLY one year after Helsinki Region Tourist Information opened at Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, it is bustling – overall 100,000 customers have found their way to the information bureau in Arrivals Hall 2. In the summer months, around 40,000 information seekers visited the office, an average of 700 people per day. Moreover, on 11 June a record was set when over 1,000 customers used the services available – the Euroanaesthesia 2010 congress’s almost 6,000 delegates surely contributed to this achievement.

Creating an individual look with unique details has long been a trend when it comes to styling both yourself and your home, and flea markets are a popular place to shop for such items. There are many flea markets in the greater Helsinki area but the most popular of all – especially during the summer months – are the Valtteri and the Hietalahti “Hietsu” flea markets.

Located on the Hietalahdentori square, the Hietalahti flea market is the only one that takes place every day. On a trip to the kirppis, as Finns call them, you can discover many interesting items.

The sea, lakes, forests, saunas and islands belong to the idyllic image many see before their eyes when imagining Finland. When living in Helsinki or just visiting the city there might not be time to take a trip to the countryside but it is still possible to have the island and sea experience, which is just a stone’s throw away. Along the Helsinki shoreline are Pihlajasaari island, Saunasaari island and Uunisaari island, which have for years offered relaxation for tourists and Helsinki residents alike.

Travelling by cruise ferry on a city break is popular in Finland. There is enjoyable food, drinks and entertainment onboard as well as shopping in the duty-free stores. And, on waking, there is a new overseas city to explore. Helsinki is an ideal starting point for this kind of journey and now the route between Helsinki and St Petersburg has opened for passenger traffic.

The Princess Maria, operated by St Peter Line, is a former Silja Line vessel and has a capacity of 1600 passengers and 400 cars. The duration of the crossing is 12 hours and cabins can be booked in different classes. The ship features several restaurants and music bars and clubs, a casino, a cigar bar and a duty-free shop.

Another novelty is the fact that no visa is required if the return leg of the journey is started within 72 hours of arrival and a city-sightseeing tour is included in the trip. Another condition of the stay includes a hotel reservation for overnight stays. These are the perfect conditions for a city break and a relaxing sea journey in one.