An A330 plane of Finnair / Courtesy of Finnair

By Lee Hyo-sik

Finnair, Finland’s flagship carrier began offering flights services between Incheon and Helsinki from 2008. This summer a new schedule offers flights to new destinations.

The airline said it will start year-round flights to a new Asian destination, Chongqing in China, beginning from May 9. The new direct flight to Chongqing operates four times per week through the year. Finnair is the first airline to operate non-stop flights between Europe and the Chinese city.

Since April 2, the airliner has also been operating flights between Helsinki and Dubrovnik, Croatia, which will continue through the end of summer.

The company said flights to Tokyo and Barcelona from Helsinki will increase to 10 times and nine times a week in the summer. Flights to Budapest and Prague will also operated twice daily over the summer.

Finnair has introduced an anti-jetlag headset for its passengers as part of efforts to upgrade customer services.

The airliner said it began supplying the headset to customers on April 1, the first aviation firm to do so in the world.

`` Introducing the Valkee bright light headset is one way of adding interesting experiences onboard Finnair flights. Finnair is an innovative airline and we actively look for new ways to improve the wellbeing and comfort of our passengers,’’ an airline spokeswoman said. ``A bright light headset is a device that brings wellbeing by channeling bright light into the brain via the ear canal. It stimulates passengers and helps them adapt better to jet lag and the fluctuation of the circadian rhythm.’’

The airline has arranged a pilot test of the benefits of the device for airline passengers on particularly long flights, where the need to adjust to a new time zone often causes natural challenges. The pilot service is offered to passengers in business class on the route between Helsinki and Shanghai in April. The device will then be added as a sales item in May, the company said.

Passengers who wish to take part in the pilot are asked to fill in a questionnaire after testing the Valkee device in accordance with the instructions of the cabin crew. For passengers who are on a flight bound for Shanghai from Helsinki, the Valkee device should be used about an hour before landing in the early morning.