Travel

Sri Lankan new look and warmer smile

SriLankan Airlines promises its passengers, "We are changing the way we fly" a SriLankan Airlines has embarked on an exciting new journey that would give their passengers a richer taste of the paradise, they already know and love.

The Airline is introducing a whole new experience on ground and in the air, that promises its passengers a total 'Change in the way You fly! Beginning the journey with its iconic logo the monara or the peacock, the airline's front line staff from cabin to ground crew will sport a brand new look and a warmer smile.

The new uniforms Pic by Sudath Nishantha

But the charm, elegance and grace of the peacock will be preserved as stewardesses at SriLankan Airlines undergo the transformation.

Their iconic Kandyan Saree uniform still retains its oriental charm but yet have a distinctive modern appeal and contemporary look.

The new colour palette plays with the soft hues of sea blue splashed with the delicate multi-hued motifs of the peacock feather with its shimmering iridescent bursts of electric orange mottled with dark, light blue and white.

While the women and men who take care of every little detail of a passengers' comfort on ground and in flight, will offer a vastly improved level of service, decked in their new uniforms, the airline's onboard kitchen has turned an entirely new chapter in their in flight meal service and offers its passengers a tempting array of mouth watering signature dishes and cocktails never served on board before.

And passengers have the added choice of ordering from a new A la carte menu and having their meals literally cooked on board! 'While new menus, served by a cabin team with a brand new look is guaranteed to tempt the most discerning passengers' taste buds, a whole new experience in, in flight entertainment also awaits movie buffs.

SriLankan Airlines will continue this journey of new discovery with more comfortable seats on board with more leg space and flat bed seats in the business class.

Trimmings and trappings on board, like the seat covers will also change to give a completely new look and feel to the experience of travelling with SriLankan Airlines, which aims to be one of the best in Asia.

Passengers who fly SriLankan Airlines may wonder if they are really airborne or at a gourmet restaurant in one of the world's top gastronomic capitals.

The airline's flight kitchen led by a team of chefs from the Hot and Cold Kitchens; Bakery; and Confectionery headed by Production Manager Sudhish Kumar Pande and Executive Chef Anthony Gibson has designed menus to pamper the palate and titillate the taste buds beyond imagination.

'Passengers will have an entirely new experience of an intimate, personalised service as the in flight staff wheels a five-star meal to your seat whenever you wish to dine.

All boundaries of space and time have been stretched enabling passengers to enjoy a multi-gastronomic experience at their will.'

The new menus reflect a truly global feel and flavour. Complementing the wide international array on offer, Sri Lankan dishes have been re-defined and re-invented to encompass a sensational range of aromas and tastes to seduce our thousands of passengers.

IATA, US agree on aviation security cooperation

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) hosted an historic aviation security summit with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). IATA Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani and DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano spearheaded a new era of industry/government cooperation to improve aviation security around the world.

'The aviation industry is committed to keeping the global skies safe and secure. We live in a global world with global connectivity and global threats.

The challenge is to protect the benefits of aviation connectivity and eliminate the threats. Governments and industry have the same goals but different expertise. Governments understand the threats and the tools needed to mitigate them. Industry has the operational expertise for effective implementation.

Working together is the only way forward,' said Bisignani.

The summit was held at IATA's headquarters in Geneva and included the Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), top executives from 25 airlines as well as participants from the US government.

Bisignani commended the fresh approach of the Obama administration to proactively engage industry. 'We applaud Secretary Napolitano's commitment to engage industry and find workable and effective solutions.' A single meeting cannot solve all the security challenges we face but it is a major step in the right direction. We had a lot to teach each other and today is the start of a regular high-level dialogue on this critical issue.

Emirates doubles business rewards

Emirates Business Rewards, the airline's innovative loyalty programme tailor-made for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), will offer its customers double reward miles throughout February and March, highlighting the airlines commitment to supporting SMEs in the UAE.

For every US$1 spent on travel with Emirates and booked via Business Rewards in February and March, the company will be awarded four Business Reward miles, rather than the standard two.

These miles can be redeemed for free flights on Emirates services worldwide.

This exciting offer is available to all new and existing Business Rewards members globally.

This innovative loyalty programme, which is free to join, has been tailor-made to suit the ongoing needs of SMEs through reward flights for both the company and the individual employee.

Since launching the Emirates Business Rewards programe in May 2008, Emirates has helped multiple SMEs across the world earn and book reward flights quickly and efficiently; utilizing a streamlined business travel system, which allows administrators within the company to manage employee travel on a dedicated Emirates airline portal.

Emirates Business Rewards now has nearly 8000 registered accounts across the globe and firms in 57 countries availing the broad range of benefits.

The double miles promotion is valid for travel commencing from February 1 to March 31. All travel must be completed by 31 March 2010.

Qantas axes first class as profit drops

Australia's Qantas Airways Thursday said it was axing first class from all but a handful of routes in a post-financial crisis overhaul, as half-year profit slumped 72 percent to 52 million US dollars.

Chief executive Alan Joyce said passengers would only be able to fly first class between Australia and London, via Singapore, and between Australia and Los Angeles after demand dropped dramatically in the wake of the downturn.

"Our first class product will remain on key routes," chief executive Alan Joyce told reporters. "It's a re-balance - there are more business class seats and less first class seats," he said.

The flag-carrier will reconfigure 29 aircraft and upgrade some planes' in-flight entertainment at a cost of 400 million Australian dollars (360 million US), leaving first class on just 12 Airbus A380s.

"The reconfiguration is driven by the longer-term trend of what we believe is happening in demand," Joyce said.

"The long-term trend in first class has been for a decline.

Our seat factor (load) in first class has been below 40 percent, so we have plenty of room to cope with all expected future demand," he added.

The first-half announcement, and failure to pay an interim dividend, sent shares into a tailspin with Qantas down 7.4 percent at 2.75 Australian dollars by lunchtime.

However, Joyce was upbeat despite the steep on-year slump, pointing out that many competitors were booking losses as the world recovers from the downturn.

AFP