The skiing holidays in southern Finland may cause congestion at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport at the end of February. The busiest days are from Thursday to Sunday in Weeks 7 and 8. Passengers are asked to complete check in formalities in advance and to arrive at the airport two hours before departure. The various check-in services offered by Finnair give passengers the opportunity to check in beforehand and thus speed up their departure. Check-in can be done easily on the internet, by text message or using the automatic check-in kiosks at the airport. During the skiing holidays, baggage intended for a following day's flight can also be brought to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport the previous evening. On Finnair's website it is possible to check in for all of Finnair's scheduled flights departing from Finland as well as for nearly all of Finnair's scheduled flights departing from foreign destinations. Check-in is also possible for journeys that include a connecting flight with Finnair or another airline. Check-in can be done up to 36 hours before departure. At Helsinki-Vantaa Airport baggage can be brought the previous evening between 8 and 10 p.m. for flights departing the following day. Particularly around the busiest departure days of the skiing holidays, 18-21 and 25-28 February, it's worth taking advantage of the quiet hours of the previous evening to avoid the morning rush. If you check in beforehand on the internet, you can take your baggage to the Baggage Drop desk. One family member departing on a flight can check in the whole family's baggage, providing he or she has the flight tickets for the whole family as well as his or her own travel documents. Please note that most ski waxes and cleaning agents are flammable or toxic and cannot for that reason be carried by passengers or in their baggage. Further information can be obtained from the Transport Safety and Security Agency TraFi's website www.ilmailuhallinto.fi/useinkysytyt and from the Winter Holidaymaker's checklist published by Finavia at the address http://www.helsinki-vantaa.fi/talvilomalle (Finnish-language sites). Finnair Plc Communications 15.2.2010 Further information: Finnair Media Desk tel. +358 9 818 4020 or media.desk(a)finnair.com Finnair blogs: http://blogs.finnair.com Photobank: www.finnair.com/gallery Finnair Group website: www.finnairgroup.com via.Helsinki: www.viahelsinki.com