Sri Lankan has one of the best value for money business class product.
I flew Sri Lankan Airlines to Europe because of their value-for-money business class. Sri Lankan retained much of its ‘Emirates’ service even after they parted ways. This to me is another pivotal decision (besides the monetary value) on why I choose to fly them.
Recently, the country’s president ordered the removal of cashew nuts served in business class after Maithripala Sirisena got furious over the nuts served to him on a flight from Kathmandu to Colombo.
“Returning from Kathmandu, I was served some cashews on board a SriLankan flight, but it was so bad even a dog wouldn’t eat it,” Maithripala Sirisena said on Monday.
“I want to know who authorised the purchase of these nuts,” the president told a meeting of farmers.
Sri Lankan Airlines responded to the President’s remarks by removing all cashew nuts currently served in business class and would change its Dubai-based supplier.
Sri Lankan Airlines has yet to turn profitable and is looking out for an equity investor. The airline was profitable when Emirates was at the helm but Mahinda Rajapakse, the country’s former president, terminated a management agreement with Emirates in 2008.
Rumour has it that the airline had refused to remove fare-paying passengers and give the seats to Rajapakse’s family.
Rajapakse removed the Emirates-appointed chief executive of Sri Lankan and made his brother-in-law Nishantha Wickremasinghe head of the company.
Wickremasinghe is now under investigation for corruption and mismanagement.