Welcome to the Planetflyer website, with flying-related stories from being a passenger to being an aviation nut and geeking out in museums. You can also click on the map below to see where in the world they took place.
The Planetflyer articles appeared originally in the Blogspot Planetskier series, at TGR posts, or at the Relaa website. See also the articles about skiing, caving, urban exploration, climbing, cycling, swimming, and saunas.
All flying-related articles:
| Oulu Airport Managed to visit Oulu airport on the way to ski at Pyhä; flights to Rovaniemi and especially car rental prices there were exorbitant, so Oulu was a good backup choice. Three more hours to drive, but ... much cheaper. And as it turned out, less of a hassle as Rovaniemi airport became a disaster zone during the storm season in end of 2025, as many flights were cancelled and hundreds of tourists had to camp at the airport. Can't understand why better accommodations couldn't be organized, in local schools, emergency shelters, etc. Finavia, are you doing anything about this??? Full story Alternate link December 2025, Oulun lentokenttä, Oulu, Finland Travel; Flying | |
| Long delay when a BA 787 turned around I was coming back from Montreal, when the incoming plane turned around, reportedly due to one the GPSes failing, and that not being allowed for an overseas flight. This caused a six hour delay on our departure from Montreal. On the positive side we had lounge access to the Air France lounge (that BA uses) and amazingly they extended their closing time from 10pm to half past midnight to accommodate the waiting passengers. Well done! Full story Alternate link November 2025, Montreal Airport, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom; Helsinki-Vantaa, Vantaa, Finland Flying; Travel | |
| Lufthansa banana bread vs. Finnair cinnamon roll Had the Lufthansa 3.90€ banana bread today. It was ok, but really no comparison to Finnair's massive - and heated - cinnamon rolls that they nowadays serve in business class instead of champagne. Full story Alternate link November 2025, Frankfurt Airport, Frankfurt, Germany Travel; Flying | |
| October ski weekend at Levi It has been a while since I skied properly. I skied in July at an indoor ski resort in Madrid and Oslo, and in June also in Oslo. But after that in August and September only on some snow piles outside ice skating halls... so it was time to ski again! Last year for October I went for a day trip to Levi (alt. link), but while fun that was a gruelingly tiresome travel and way too short time in Levi. So this year I went for the whole weekend. Full story Alternate link October 2025, Levi, Kittilä, Finland; Levi Hotel, Kittilä, Finland; Helsinki-Vantaa, Vantaa, Finland; Kittilän lentokenttä, Kittilä, Finland Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Walking; Hiking; Swimming (Indoor, Outdoor, Water, Waterbody-Pool); Sauna (Normal, Steam); Flying; Travel | |
| Flying Finnair's washed A321s Finnair has managed yet another unnecessary screw-up: washing their A321 seat covers using water, when dry cleaning would have been the approved method to avoid the fire repellent treatment to deteriorate. The previous screw-ups included ground collisions that damaged one of their wide body aircraft for instance. And this is on top of the incredibly long period of strikes and flight cancellations. Full story Alternate link October 2025, Helsinki-Vantaa, Vantaa, Finland Flying; Travel | |
| Athens airport Had a chance to fly to and from the Athens airport, coming in on KLM and flying out with Lufthansa. It is a nice airport. Not having had time to eat breakfast, I particularly liked that the even at the downstairs bus gates there were kiosks with warm food on offer. Usually those kinds of gates are void of any services. Well done. Full story Alternate link October 2025, Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos, Spata, Greece Flying; Travel | |
| Montreal. Busses all the way. Arrived in Montreal for IETF. Last leg on a 747, the bus, just in time before there’s a public transport strike. And the previous leg was a rare chance to ride a mobile lounge from the plane to the airport, before that a 787 and a 350 and a 740 😀 Was good to start discussions already during the trip, many friends on same flights and buses ❤ Full story Alternate link October 2025, Helsinki-Vantaa, Vantaa, Finland; Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom; Montreal Airport, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Travel; Flying | |
| Tivat Airport - Kai Tak of Europe Had a chance to fly to Tivat, Montenegro. On Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, and Air Baltic. The airport is called the Kai Tai of Europe given the tight maneuvering needed to land there. Full story Alternate link September 2025, Tivat Airport, Mrčevac, Montenegro Flying; Travel | |
| I ordered a snow taxi, again These are challenging times, these are September times. Full story Alternate link September 2025, Ritorps ishall, Ulriksdahls idrottsplats, Solna, Sweden; Cyloq Arena, Sollentuna, Sweden; Medley Solna Simhall, Ulriksdahls idrottsplats, Solna, Sweden; Medley Sollentuna sim- och sporthall, Sollentuna, Sweden; Sundbybergs Simhall & Gym, Sundbyberg, Sweden; Arlanda, Sweden Skiing (None); Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Hiking); Swimming (Indoor, Waterbody-Pool, Water, None); Sauna (Normal, None); Swimming (Indoor, Water, Waterbody-Pool); Sauna (Normal); Flying | |
| Ski, swim, and fly in one day Myyrmäki, Pornainen and Helsinki-Vantaa An active day, for sure. I needed to fly out today, but before that I wanted to get my August ski turns in the massive snow mountains of Myyrmäki's ice skating hall (picture above), visit my mom, and do a quick swim at a swimming place near her in Pornainen's Hietasen uimaranta (Hietasen's beach) in Vähä-Laukkokoski. A nice package for the day! The skating hall was open and there was a pile of snow, saw my mom, visited the beach with warm water and sunshine and no one else around, and had a pleasant flying experience in the air and at the airports. Full story Alternate link August 2025, Myyrmäen jäähalli, Myyrmäki, Vantaa, Finland; Hietasen uimaranta, Vähä-Laukkokoski, Pornainen, Finland; Helsinki-Vantaa, Vantaa, Finland; Split Airport, Split, Croatia Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Swimming (Outdoor, Waterbody-Lake, Beach); Flying | |
| OSL lounge As I was flying out of Norway's Oslo / Gardemoen airport, I got a chance to visit the lounge that Finnair had a deal with for people with frequent flier status: the OSL lounge. The international side OSL lounge (there's two, the other one is at the domestic side). Full story Alternate link July 2025, Oslo airport, Gardemoen, Norway Flying; Travel | |
| Sala VIP Dali -- Iberia's Madrid Airport Lounge I was at a conference in Madrid. When flying out, my status at Finnair earned me a spot at the Iberia's Sala VIP Dali, their lounge. Nice experience overall. This was at breakfast time, and there was a decent breakfast foods available. I also liked the airport design. Full story Alternate link July 2025, Madrid Airport, Madrid, Spain Flying; Travel | |
| Sausage sauce at the Platinum lounge? Visited the Finnair Platinum lounge at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport again. This time they were going for some traditional Finnish delicacies, and it was my turn to taste the "sausage sauce", i.e., cut pieces of sausage in sauce, served with potato mash. It was good, even if not traditionally considered much of a gourmet meal... Full story Alternate link June 2025, Helsinki-Vantaa, Vantaa, Finland; Arlanda, Sweden Travel; Flying | |
| Pearl Lounge at Arlanda T2 Visited my long-time lounge in Arlanda's T2 (where Finnair flies from). They've changed name though, and the entrance is no longer at the back of the restaurant... which is an improvement. The lounge itself is still very similar to how it was before. Basic foods, decent breakfast though with eggs, pancakes, etc. Full story Alternate link June 2025, Arlanda, Sweden Travel; Flying | |
| It is a lonely planet ... at least in my bookshelf. I counted 80 Lonely Planet travel books. Most of the places I have even visited, some not (North Korea, for instance). Full story Alternate link May 2025, House Arkko, Kauniainen, Finland Travel; Flying | |
| Air France Lounge @ Frankfurt Airport Sigh. Not the greatest lounge. Crowded. Yes there is power and seats are ok, and there's some food. But this lounge is far too overused, so it is always packed -- and several times I have had to wait outside for a permission to come in later. Full story Alternate link April 2025, Frankfurt Airport, Frankfurt, Germany Travel; Flying | |
This is the 1th set of articles. The next sets are set 2, set 3, set 4, set 5, set 6, set 7, and set 8.