Game Me - Pelaa Minua!

Most of us have seen the bad examples of so called Google translations. One would think that if you make a visible item with many languages on it to Heathrow airport terminal that you would bother to check with native speaker that all are proper language.

Great initiative, a piano on a hallway by the gates with a "Play me" recommendation on it. But why baby why didn't you check the other languages...? The Finnish one is a fantastically horrible example of the Google style translator; It says - converting it back to English - "Game me". And yes, I "gamed" it...

Eli lyhyesti;
Tollot ovat hyödyntäneet Google -tyyppistä käännöskonetta tarkastamatta tekstiä natiivilla ja lopputuloksena Lontoon Heathrown lentokentällä matkustajien soitettavissa olevaan pianoon on kirjoitettu "Pelaa Minua". Ja pelasinhan minä...

More Finland Numbers

What about getting into - or getting out of Finland? Easy or not, how long does it take? And the few of you who are in the redneck-states wonder at this point in which state is Finland in...

Well, I can tell you fools we are on the other side of the BIG ocean. Do your homework and get smarter ;o)

Flight hours from Helsinki Airport are as follows:

Frankfurt 2 hours 40 minutes
London 3 10
Rome 3 35
Shangai 8 55
Tokyo 9 25
New York 8 40

Yep, we are not in the middle of it. We've got an extra length vs most of the world to get to where ever we wanna go.

Bon voyage - Hyvää matkaa!

How Belgish is this?

A right to go on a stike has been considered to be part of worker's rights. This is the case at least in most of the western countries. Some have learnt to use it better than others - or what do you think of the art of striking by the French?

In my mind a strike is never a best solution, since in most cases there are no winners. It is often so that the financial loss to the worker during the strike is bigger than the achieved benefit in for example 2-3 years. Also the rules set for strikes should be honored in order not to chop your own leg. By harming the business of the company you work for, you set your job at risk.

Harm to the business performance --> Harm to the customer --> Less customers & revenue --> Less income --> Cost cutting --> Staff reduction...

I think most of you get this.

Now the Belgium air traffic controllers have decided that a spontaneus strike is the correct action to state their opinion. Apparently some of the staff should move about 50 kilometers from Charleroi Airport to Zaventem Airport at Brussels, but is it the best way to act by a strike that grounds about 700 flights in / out of the Belgium airports?

You tell me...!

Some info from here.

Unacceptable rip-off at the Airports

I still have some Spain in my back pocket, but let's first talk about a negative outcome of the increased security rules at the airports.


I am sure you have noticed how brutally the airport shops and cafe's are abusing the increased security regulations to their benefits. Why else would you have to pay about 3 Euros for a small bottle of water or soft drink?

They are fully aware that people come through the check without any liquid and are likely to need some. Heck, you are recommended to drink at least 2 dl of water per hour on a flight and most people also tend to drink a lot of water during the day anyway...

Naturally the airlines are also adding their spice to the soup and - in their tight financial situation - minimizing all extra costs like free drinks onboard.

In Finland you can strike back at least a bit:
Take an empty bottle with you and fill it in a toilet after the check-in. The tap water has been tested to be cleaner than bottled Evian ;o)

Still room for improvement with the airport logistics

Malaga has got a brand new, shiny terminal with hopefully latest innovations and solutions. Or...?

There are bins (or trash baskets..) that enable recycling. Separate bin for paper, plastic/cans and mixed trash. Sounds good. The sad thing is someone forgot to take care of the next link in the trash supply chain;

The cleaning lady who emptied the bins one by one put all trash in a same black bag that destroyes all efforts made towards recycling. So sad but so true...!

The same place had however a security guard that gets respect by pure presence - I guess - or how would you react to a 150 cm and max 45 kilos of smiling lady? Handcuffs and all do not make that much of difference if you must tackle someone with more than double the body-weight...

Some of you might remember my earlier story about the security check logic in Madrid Airport. It is interesting to see that while designing a new terminal in Malaga ("new" might be overstated as it seems to be standard style in Spain, very much like Madrid terminal - and good thing is they both have one particular after-shave I had been hunting for), obviously no-one has asked the passangers if the existing systems are working well or not. Neither have they been watching what happens with the security check logistics.

Again you unload your stuff on a table into boxes - and of course this requires multiple boxes as e.g. laptop needs to be in a separate box. Then you should pick up the boxes + bags and walk few meters to the x-ray machine's belt that can fit only one box. Perhaps you do this bare feet, trousers hanging loose since you have taken off your belt and shoes to avoid being touched by strangers - in the name of security. I know I am not the prettiest guy around but I'm not sure if I can be profiled as a threat based on my appearance.

After you have walked through the beeping machine and survived the body-search, you should again pick up the boxes and walk few meters to another table where you put on the belt, shoes and start repacking.

That is one of the few things at Brussels Airport has done better.

While we are on it, let's put some shame over Finnair too;
Why do you arrange flights where you disable online check-in?

Why don't you arrange check-in in Malaga somehow other than 3 very slowly acting people handling close to 200 passangers in only 3 counters - starting about 1:45 hours before the flight? This results to unhappy travellers in a queue like this.

All these people waiting to check in to one flight - while there are 10s of empty counters to enable also other solutions!

I have some positive about Finnair too;
If you fly out from Helsinki before 9 am, you can check-in and drop your luggage the night before. But no on-line activities...

Well, not all problems are the airline's fault;
Our take off from Helsinki was first delayed due to flat tyre. That is all good, since my principle is that they should take all the time needed for fixing a technical problem. Bet it how ever small, it can become a big one while in the air.

Like that would not have been enough; while we were sitting in the plane and waiting for the guys to fix the tyre, the captain announces that a family refused to get onboard the plane. No reason was told to us, but again due to the security reasons the luggage of these passangers were to take out from the belly.

Yep, the whole plane was already loaded and ready to take off but there comes the luggage guys and start searching for these particular bags... No worries, we got to the destination safe and sound but a bit late. However not too late to put the swim trunks on and walk down to the beach for the first swim!

Just a reminder to finish off: Flying is still the safest traveling mode! Most of us know people who have died in a traffic accident on the road, be it with a car, motorcycle, bicycle, or as pedestrian. But do you know anyone who would have died in a plane crash...?

I love snow!

On Wed night we got again a taster of the winter. This time it stayed over night and actually it was veeeery icy on Thursday morning. It was fantastic to see the yard again in light. I knew well that the snow brings the glow but again it was amazing to realize the contrast between the wet, dark backyard and the same yard with the snow.

I was dooming our nation with the darkness last week, but I gotta say the snow brings some compensation at least in my mind. Last week the airport was barely visible due to gray weather, but yesterday time to time it was not visible at all thanks to the snow.

I love the winter weather! At least until it turns into watery slid and I start missing subtropical Belgium. Also it gets me back to the time I was choosing if I should continue playing football (soccer) or basketball. Yes, we played the winter series outdoors – no matter rain, shine or snow…

Anyways, today almost all the snow was gone at Helsinki area. But we had loads of slid = loskapaskaa, perkele! Tonight it has snowed again, but down here it is barely cold enough for any snow to stay white. You can check the latest road weather from here. Click one of the links on the main map or on the left side frame.

I can’t wait to get to the ski slopes – just hope they won’t screw up the Levi Worldcup with the strikes they have in mind.

Again it is about the money: Companies want to give 0.5 % raise while the workers ( = union ) want 3%. Go and figure who is right, but we gotta keep the service and price levels reasonably low in order to attract any tourists to this far edge of the world.

PS I have been bad mouthing the airports so much that it is time to say again something positive: Helsinki Airport luggage handling received award for world’s best baggage delivery! In addition to local paper Helsingin Sanomat, this was noticed also down at India. See the article at The Times of India.

Again: Airport Security

As I am writing this I have been now standing still at Brussels Airport security check line. That is quite normal, but I have been standing still for 10 mins next to a sign saying "10 MINS FROM THIS POINT".

I don't know yet what is going on, but I can give a tip to Helsinki Airport security check staff that went on strike a short while ago;

Few summers ago Finnish paper workers got greedy and tried to get even higher increases to their salaries that were already high. What happened little after?

Paper companies started to close paper mills in Finland.

What is the learning here then???

Don't get greedy or blame others. Fix it or someone else will do it. Cheaper.

...Now it has been 20 mins and still another to go...

Something positive about Belgium for a change

I said I have for a change something positive to say about Belgium so let’s go back to airport security arrangements. Please note that this is not the only positive thing in Belgium, but it’s just soooo easy to pick the negatives in stead of positives like the hundreds of different Belgium beers...

Before you walk through the airport metal detector, you are expected to release all your belongings, leave them in open boxes or on the conveyor belt to be taken through the machine (which is now lacking the English name – suomeksi se on läpivalaisu). You need to take off your jacket, belt (which I try to avoid as said earlier), watch, glasses, empty your pockets, unpack your laptop from briefcase and so on, but how is this all facilitated?
At Brussels International Airport at Zaventem I think it’s organized relevantly smoothly; you’ve got almost 10 meters belt and piles of boxes to do this while waiting for your turn. Boxes roll forward smoothly and you just need to watch that nobody snatches your stuff from the boxes.

After the machines – while in my case I am being checked – the line continues and it is again long enough to enable picking your belongings at your own pace.

What about other airports then?
In Madrid someone had a great idea. Let’s have separate packing tables where you can put your stuff to these boxes at your own pace and then walk 5 meters to the beginning of a 1 meter long belt to the metal detector. Good idea if you have only shorts & t-shirts and a back-bag but what about the rest of people who have got e.g. the box for jacket (incl. perhaps your coins, glasses, wallet, mobile, belt etc), one box for the laptop (since they demand it to be separately), briefcase and in ladies’ case a handbag and my case the suitcase – how am I supposed to manage these boxes and bags nicely to the belt?

Swedes have taken this one step further; In Arlanda at least Terminal 5 (e.g. SAS) you have the 1 meter belt like in Madrid, but since they don’t have any of these “unpacking” tables people wait in the queue while one person at the time takes off the jacket, belt, watch, empties pockets, takes the laptop… you get the picture. I have not traveled with ships for a while now but if the security system is onboard there too, I know who I should talk to when it comes to the Port of Helsinki. Or if you are out there and need some consultancy, I am happy to share one of my many opinions by a glass of wine ;o)


PS The low carbon diet is on with some exceptions (like pizza with normal dough once a week) and on last week’s flight I ate from the pasta meal the bacon pieces and the (yes, only 1) champion and a piece of cheese. Luckily I’ve discovered that tomato juice tastes quite good even without Tabasco. And please don’t introduce it with vodka – I’ll try to stay out of it.

I have given up with the Airport security check

In the past years the airport security system has developed a lot, but not necessarily always to smart direction. At some level I have given up with them. Let’s take as an example the toilet bag: You are requested to put all liquids in a transparent plastic bag and separately take it through the machine. I never do it. I have shaving gel, after shave, toothpaste & lotion in my toilet bag which I keep in the bag. Only once in about 50 flights within Europe I have been asked to show what I have there, and even then the concern was if shaving cream metal can was one of the non-approved sprays…

Then the belt-problem; I hate to take my belt off and then put it back when there’s a queue behind and no space to keep your stuff. I keep it on unless they separately ask me to take it off and in most cases the metal detector beeps and I’m searched. But then again it beeps too often even without the belt… I don’t either get why one day one pair of shoes I have cause an alert in BRU, but next week same pair doesn’t.

One funny thing happened last week – sexism I’d say. I went through security in Stockholm, machine beeped and then this security man went through my body grabbing all over. Behind me comes a woman, machine beeps and the same man searches her but with a small metal detector only. I know rules say a man can’t search a woman but question is why wasn’t the metal detector enough to search me?

Then the laptops; nowadays they demand you to take the laptop out from the bag and put it separately just like the liquids. They even open the cover to see if there is something in between, leaving of course finger prints all over the screen. But not at all airports. In Sofia, Bulgaria I didn’t need to take it out at all.

I think I’ll leave the stupid arrangements for pre and after metal detector for next time. Then I have something positive to say about Belgium!