Both before and after Christmas, airports are expecting a lot of travellers, and flights are often fully booked.
Helsinki Airport’s busiest hours are in the morning, between 5 am and 8 am, and in the afternoon, between 2:30 pm to 6 pm.
Rule of thumb: make sure that you have enough time
The staff at Helsinki Airport is prepared for Christmas passenger peaks, but passengers should book more time. Holiday-goers often have a lot of baggage, so there might be some waiting at the check-in and baggage drop before you can proceed to the security check.
Passengers should also allow enough time for arriving to the airport, as well as for parking, if arriving with a car.
Smart packing for hand luggage
For speeding up the process at airport security, make sure portable electronic devices, including computers, tablets and cameras are easy to remove from your bag.
Liquids in containers of up to 100 millilitres should be packed into a single transparent bag, which are also available at the airport. Remember to remove the bag from luggage before security scanning.
Ham is allowed as hand luggage; Christmas casseroles need to be checked in
Some passengers, especially on domestic flights in Finland, take Christmas food with them on the flight. Christmas ham can be taken through security, as well as the traditional Christmas star pastries, gingerbread and confectionaries. The ham can be frozen as well, and not be regarded as a liquid.
Traditional Christmas casseroles, however, are regarded as liquids, and must be placed in the checked baggage.
Read more about how to pack Christmas food for a flight.
Power banks in hand luggage, fireworks not allowed onboard
Power banks, as well as other electronics bought as Christmas presents, for example, must be placed in hand luggage, not in the checked luggage.
Fireworks or sparklers are not allowed in the airplane, not even in the checked baggage – they must be bought at the final destination.”
To double check if an item is allowed onboard, see Finavia’s baggage instructions.
