Worldwide terror alert causes delays at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
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Two business travellers in dark suits stood before the check-in desk at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport on Thursday evening. They appeared calm, but displeased: their weekend plans had gone badly awry in the wake of Thursday’s terror alert. Their flight to London is late, and there is no knowledge of connecting flights.
"I was going to take a weekend off in Ireland. My family went there already on Wednesday", said Pat Dolan, who had been in Finland on business.
Dolan, the regional deputy head of Tellabs, was travelling with his colleague, sales chief Owen Heaney. The men had to wait for several hours at the airport, where passengers were quickly repacking their goods because of tighter security.
Heaney consoled himself. "Security measures save lives.
Passengers waiting to go to New York were also affected by the new regulations. No liquids could be taken into the passenger cabin - not even bottled water.
"We can’t even take an iPod with us", complained two Finnish girls who were going to the United States as exchange students.
There was no indication yet on Thursday how long the new security measures would be in effect. "We are observing the situation and acting accordingly", said Jyri Vikström, head of corporate security at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.
Passengers seeking to board the flights to London and New York were not afraid to get on the planes. However, many tried to change flights to avoid getting stuck in London
Dolan and Heaney, who travel much for their work, suspected that the situation would cause trouble for several months.
Finnair had to cancel two flights between Helsinki and London. Other flights were delayed by several hours.
Passengers on a flight that landed at Helsinki at about four in the afternoon had to wait for their luggage for over an hour. One of the passengers, Petri Possi, said that the wait was in vain for many of the passengers, as about half of the suitcases never left Heathrow Airport.
"The keys to my house and car were left behind, as well as my computer and telephone. I have a little bit of money with me", Possi said. He and other passengers were only allowed to take money, travel documents, and medicines into the passenger cabin.
The aviation terror threat that hit British airports is affecting travel plans of Finland’s Radio Symphony Orchestra. The RSO is scheduled to perform at the BBC Proms concert on Monday, the 14th of August, and at the Edinburgh Music Festival on August 15th.
The problem stems from the fact that musicians usually take their instruments into the passsenger cabin when they fly, lest they be damaged by the cold temperatures in the luggage holds. Cellists generally need to book two seats - one for the player, and one for the instrument.
The orchestra was looking into a possible "plan B" - chartering a separate cargo plane for the instruments.
On Thursday British officials allowed passengers on arriving flights to have carry-on luggage, but departing passengers had to give them up. If this practice holds, the RSO would probably be able to enter Britain, but problems would arise when flying to Edinburgh, and back to Finland.
The costs of the RSO tour are about GBP 100,000 (About EUR 150,000), and they are to be covered almost completely by their performance fees.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 11.8.2006 - TODAY |
 Worldwide terror alert causes delays at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
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