FINNAIR APPOINTS ZAPWATER AS THE PUBLIC RELATIONS & MARKETING AGENCY OF RECORD IN THE UNITED STATES

CHICAGO (February 14, 2018) – Finnair, one of the world’s oldest operating airlines, has selected Zapwater Communications as its U.S. public relations and marketing agency of record. The agency will manage Finnair’s marketing and communications in the U.S., including media relations, influencer relations, strategic partnerships and events.

As the only Nordic network airline with a 4-star Skytrax ranking and a member of the oneworld alliance, Finnair has retained Zapwater to be responsible for driving creative initiatives that will help position the carrier for successful operations year-round from JFK International Airport (JFK, and also seasonal service from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Miami International Airport (MIA) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

“This is an exciting time at Zapwater,” explains David Zapata, Zapwater’s President. “Our travel and destination practice continues to grow, as does our experience with global airlines. It is an honor to be selected to represent Finnair in the United States, one of the world’s great airlines. We look forward to seeing their continued growth and expansion in the United States.”

Finnair has also won the World Airline Award for Best Airline Northern Europe for the past seven years running. The airline flies between Asia, Europe and North America with an emphasis on fast connections via Helsinki, carrying more than ten million passengers annually. In 2017, Finnair's extensive network connects 19 cities in Asia and 7 cities in North America with over 100 destinations in Europe. The airline, a pioneer in sustainable flying, was the first European airline to fly the next-generation, eco-smart Airbus A350 XWB aircraft and it is the first airline listed in the Leadership Index of the worldwide Carbon Disclosure Project.

Zapwater has a previous working relationship with Finnair, having represented Visit Finland, Finland’s national tourism organization since 2016.  Zapwater’s partner agencies in the Travel Lifestyle Network (TLN) PC Agency (UK) and GroupExpression (France) also represent the airline in their respective markets.

Zapwater’s engagement with the airline began in January 2018 and will be managed primarily out of the agency’s Chicago office.

For more information about Finnair, please visit www.finnair.com.