Flight 666 to HEL on Friday the 13th sounds like something straight out of a horror movie plot; though it sounds fake, such a flight existed and many passengers dared to board the flight.
The number 666 in biblical terms refers to Satan's number, the mark of the "beast." Similar to the belief 333 mocks the holy trinity. Friday the 13th has become synonymous with horror movies and unlucky events occurring.
"Less than 100 years ago the number 13 did not have this sinister meaning. It's quite recent in the north," Ulo Valk, professor of comparative folklore at the University of Tartu in Estonia, told the Associated Press.
Those who are superstitious would say boarding AY666 to Helsinki on Finnair would be pushing your luck, but it seems the passengers who got on the plane don't share that sentiment.
"It has been quite a joke among the pilots," pilot Juha-Pekka Keidasto told the Associate Press before takeoff. "I'm not a superstitious man. It's only a coincidence for me."
"It's hopefully smooth skies," said Keidasto. "And if there's some passenger who is anxious about this 666, our cabin crew is always happy to help them."
Good thing no one on the flight was superstitious; the passengers and crew landed safely later today.
In honor of Friday the 13th, here's a list of 13 common superstitions some people believe, in no particular order.
1. Black cats are bad luck, so don't ever let one cross in front of you.
2. Don't step on a crack, you'll break your mother's back.
3. Break a mirror? OH SNAP! Seven years bad luck right there.
4. Walked under a ladder? BAD LUCK is upon you.
5. Friday the 13th, of course.
6. Find a penny, pick it up, and all the day you have good luck.
7. Place a rabbit's foot on your car's rearview mirror, good luck will follow you.
8. Bad things occur in threes.
9. About to say something bad that may occur out loud? KNOCK ON WOOD FIRST.
10. Don't open your umbrella inside. Don't do it! It's bad luck.
11. Spilled salt? Throw it over your left shoulder and it will blind the devil from doing bad things to you.
12. Eyelash on your cheek? Don't brush it off! Make a wish; it's good luck.
13. Brides, want a happy marriage? Make sure to wear something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue!
