In Finland, Friday 13th travellers take chance on flight 666 to HEL :)

[pampango]

Last edited Sat Sep 14, 2013, 07:20 AM - Edit history (1)

Would you board flight 666 to HEL on Friday the 13th? For superstitious travellers, that might be tempting fate. But Finnair passengers on AY666 to Helsinki apparently were not too bothered. Friday's flight was almost full.

"It has been quite a joke among the pilots," said pilot Juha-Pekka Keidasto before flying the Airbus A320 from Copenhagen to Helsinki. "I'm not a superstitious man. It's only a coincidence for me."

Some airlines, such as Scandinavian Airlines, take such fears seriously and do not have a row 13 on board. However, the negative connotations are a relatively new phenomenon for northern Europeans, and Finnair and other regional carriers such as Norwegian and Estonian Air keep row 13.

"Less than 100 years ago the number 13 did not have this sinister meaning. It's quite recent in the north," said Ulo Valk, professor of comparative folklore at the University of Tartu in Estonia.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/13/friday-13th-flight-666-hel

I know some US tall buildings don't have a 13th floor. Don't all US airlines have a row 13, though?

[Autumn Colors]

1. That's a great day to fly!

I took a flight from NYC to Paris once on a Friday the 13th and I had 5 seats in the center section all to myself! Put all the armrests up, grabbed a pillow and blanket, stretched out (I'm short) and went to sleep.