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:
| 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 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 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 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 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 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 May 2025, House Arkko, Kauniainen, Finland Travel; Flying | |
| Geneva and Ferney-Voltaire - two countries, "one" airport? What an airport! Or two... or two sides maybe. I flew to Genève but wanted to rent a car from the cheaper French side of the airport, so had to change sides. Exit was easy, coming back was quite an adventure. You have to drive to Ferney and take the only road -- a road fenced off from both sides -- to enter the airport to return the car back on the French side. Full story April 2025, Geneva Airport, Genève, Switzerland; Ferney-Voltaire Airport, Ferney-Voltaire, France Flying; Travel | |
| Failing paint on Finnair's A330 I was coming back from a business trip, on a flight from Amsterdam to Helsinki. I was kind of expecting an A350 ... I prefer to fly them if they happen to be on the routes I have to fly. It turned out to be an A330, however, which was very nice, too, and empty seat next to me at the back of the plane. Still wondered about the winglet paint being in less than ideal condition. I realize the paint nor the winglet are actually essential for flying. Full story April 2025, Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, Netherlands 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 April 2025, Frankfurt Airport, Frankfurt, Germany Travel; Flying | |
| Unreliable luggage I had a Samsonite hard case for couple of decades, but when the locking mechanism broke I ditched it and got a new modern Samsonite. Nice looking case, but ... unfortunately the quality wasn't what I was used in the previous Samsonites. The case broke on first trip, corner broken. Ok, perhaps the airline mistreated it but still.. then I got a new one on airline's cost. And another one later when it started having zipper problems. Full story April 2025, House Arkko, Kauniainen, Finland Travel; Flying | |
| DFW's AA Flagship Lounge vs. Capital One Lounge. Which is better? If you flying to or from the North America on Finnair, the changes are that sooner or later you'll have to fly through Dallas Forth Worth airport. This presents a major first world dilemma: should you use the American Airlines Flagship Lounge or the Capital One Lounge? Both boast to be the best. But what's the truth? Full story March 2025, Dallas Fort Worth airport, Dallas, Texas, USA Flying | |
| DUFRY Business Club lounge in Belgrade Since I had an upgrade on Lufthansa, I got access to another lounge, this time at the Belgrade airport. The DUFRY Business Club. Small but semi functional, and not too packed. Full story March 2025, Belgrade Airport, Belgrade, Serbia Travel; Flying | |
| PLANEWEAR - Best airport shop in the world? I was flying through the Seattle-Tacoma airport, and I run into an unusually interesting airport shop. And maybe not just interesting, possibly the best ever airport shop that I have ever seen, anywhere. At least for plane enthusiasts! Full story March 2025, Seattle-Tacoma Airport, Seattle, Washington, USA Flying | |
| Lufthansa business class upgrade for 55€ Sometimes the flight upgrades can be caught at a reasonable price. I got an offer for an upgrade to business class on a short Lufthansa intra-European flight, for only 55€. Took it. Got a nice meal and space for it, when tourist class would have been packed. Full story March 2025, Frankfurt Airport, Frankfurt, Germany Travel; Flying | |
| Tire Change Oopsie, this will take some time. Apparently the front tire had to be replaced on my plane. On the gate! Full story January 2025, Belgrade Airport, Belgrade, Serbia Flying; Travel | |
| DAT flight Finnair has a large fleet, but in the last couple of years they seem to be having to lease other planes. Today I was on a Berlin-Helsinki flight that was flown by Danish Air Transport or DAT plane, an A320. Nice seats, decent service (including frequent flyer benefits for Finnair, like a free drink). Full story January 2025, Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Berlin, Germany; Helsinki-Vantaa, Vantaa, Finland Flying; Travel | |
This is the 1th set of articles. The next sets are set 2, set 3, set 4, set 5, set 6, and set 7.