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Lankan travellers stranded in Dubai?By Leon Berenger in Dubai
Thousands of Sri Lankans intending to travel home are stranded here with no available flights amid allegations that SriLankan Airlines was giving top priority to foreign nationals heading for South India via Colombo.

It is alleged that SriLankan Airlines is offering a near 30 per cent reduction in the fare to foreigners travelling to South Indian states through Colombo while SriLankans have to pay more and remain most of the time on the waiting list.
The average fare on SriLankan Airlines during the peak summer season (one way) is around UAE Dirhams 1250 (SL Rs. 33,000) while foreigners travelling to India are charged Dirhams 910, sources in the local travel industry said.
“This is horribly unfair and should be sorted out immediately at the highest level in the national carrier”, a leading travel operator in Dubai told The Sunday Times.

Even in an urgent case like a death or a serious illness in the family the situation is the same, said Rohan Kuruppu, Trico Travels International Manager. Trico International which also handles a large portion of the domestic cargo between the Gulf region and Colombo has been inundated with appeals from Sri Lankans pleading for a passage back home.

“We try to do everything possible on a case-by-case basis, but our powers are very limited. After all we are only the tour handlers while the larger authority is with the national carrier”, he said.

He added that what is needed here is an action plan by the national carrier to allocate a certain number of seats for Sri Lankans during the peak season.
“One must understand that Sri Lankan expatriate workers in the region are the second highest foreign income earners for the country, and this should be taken into serious consideration by the relevant authorities” Mr. Kuruppu said.
He also suggested that a special rate be provided for low-income workers such as housemaids and labourers who make up the bulk of the Lankan expatriate work force in the region.At present all flights to Colombo are booked till the end of August and even after.

A spokesperson for SriLankan Airlines in Dubai acknowledged the chaotic situation, but said it was the Lankans who have to blame themselves for the current crisis.

“This is the peak season and those intending to travel to Colombo during the summer vacation should make early reservations beginning from December and January” a top official with the national carrier told The Sunday Times on conditions of anonymity.

“Sri Lankans or foreigners it does not matter. We serve our clients on a first come first basis and nobody should be crying about this. True enough, ninety percent of the passengers are those heading for South Indian states, but they have already made their travel arrangements way ahead of the Lankans.
Many Sri Lankans are running away with the idea that they should be accommodated simply because it is the national airline. This is utter nonsense. We are running a business and the nationality of the client is not our priority”, the official said.

In case of an emergency we deal with it in the best way possible, but seven out of ten cases turn out to be false forcing us to make a thorough investigation before a seat can be confirmed. It appears that only during the peak season people report sudden deaths in the family, illness etc”, he said.
The official said the airline was operating with an eye on competitors in the sub-continent, but stopped short of saying a lower fare was being offered to foreigners on the Dubai-Colombo India sector.

But another SriLankan Airlines official said no special rate is being given to Indian passengers travelling from Dubai via Colombo to India till the end of July.

He said there was no such thing and that seating was based purely on booking priority. Those who pay and confirm their booking get priority.”.
The Consular General for the Sri Lankan Mission in Dubai P. D. Fernando confirmed the current crisis but said it was purely a commercial matter that should be tackled by the relevant authorities in that industry.

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