SriLankan Airlines to break even by March 2017

State-run carrier SriLankan Airlines is planning to break even by March 2017, after running about 335 million US dollars of losses in the intervening years, an official said.

The national carrier is buying 13 new aircraft from Airbus which will be more fuel efficient saving costs and will also upgrade the product allowing better prices and yield, chief executive of the airline, Kapila Chandrasena said.

The first of six A330-600s will arrive in October 2014 resulting in 6-8 percent in fuel savings. From 2017, the first of A350-900s will arrive with more fuel savings of 12 to 15 percent, he said. The firm was keeping fuel prices forecasted at 337 US cents a gallon.

Chandrasena said it was a worst-case scenario as projections were for fuel prices to ease. Global commodity prices including oil, base metals, precious metals and food rose sharply until 2008 due to Federal Reserve money printing which debased the US dollar, and fell when credit collapsed and the monetary policy-fired bubble lost traction.

Floating away? The luxury holiday home that’s really a RAFT

From shepherd’s huts to tree houses, the UK has no shortage of unusual places to stay. But now glamping experts Canopy & Stars have gone one step further and have added a raft, complete with a luxury two-bedroom cabin on top, to their offering.

Luckily for nervous sleepers, the raft is tethered to the bottom of a private lake and comes complete with solar-powered amenities and a calor-gas powered shower.  Other luxe touches include teak recliners, a Lloyd Loom chair, squishy bean bags for the deck and a glass viewing hatch with underwater lights.
Located near Maldon in Essex, the quirky holiday home, which sleeps up to four people, also comes with its own trout tutor and is surrounded by spectacularly pretty countryside.


A stay at the Raft at Chigborough starts at £149 per night. For more information, see canopyandstars.co.uk/raft or call 01275 395 447

"Did you eat the food? You're not supposed to eat the food!" Spoof United Airlines Twitter feed fools complaining passengers

Furious airline passengers complaining to United Airlines on Twitter have been receiving some rather unexpected tongue-in-cheek replies after mistaking a parody account for the company's official feed.
The @unitedairlanes Twitter account was first set up more than a year ago but had been dormant until the person behind it discovered dozens of irate messages from United passengers who had mixed the account up with official @unitedairlines (now just @United) Twitter account.
A Tmblr user called LeonsBuddyDave is believed to be behind the spoof account and when he realised what was happening, began to have some fun by posting some unusual responses.

Twitter victim: United Airlines has had a spoof account set up with a very similar name

Spoof account: The United Airlanes Twitter feed has fooled many United Airlines customers

Twitter user Bruna Payne ranted: "The @unitedairlanes staff at Gate C8 in @Dulles_Airport are a complete disrespect #news"
The account replied: "Count your blessings. At JFK they throw knives."
Still unaware she was messaging a parody account, Ms Payne responded: "@unitedairlanes is that supposed to be funny? @JetBlue for one takes tweets regarding their company serious. Might want to take some tips..."

But United Airlanes had the last laugh, saying: "@BruPayne @JetBlue No, it's a very serious warning. We accidentally hired bounty hunters to run that desk and now we can't stop them."
It is just one of many mix-ups which LeonsBuddyDave has created in recent months.

Quick wit: Some users realise the account is a parody sooner than others

On his Tumblr page, he admitted: "Found out last night that for months, angry customers have been tweeting at my fake parody airline account, United Airlanes, to b***h about their experiences with United Airlines.
"God has given me a great, beautiful funnel through which angry people flow in the worst possible mood."
While some of the unusual Twitter arguments leave passengers none-the-wiser about the account, United Airlanes does sometimes come clean about its identity.

Parody: The Twitter account has been active for a year

Absolutely amazing! How did they build and carve on a mountain face ?

Absolutely amazing! How did they build and carve on a mountain face ?   Maytszishan Caves — China   Buddhist complex Maytszishan little known. It is located in Gansu Province in northwest China. This is a striking architectural complex, carved out of the rock. Maytszishan has 7,000 Buddhist sculptures and nearly 1,000 square meters of murals. 11 more images ...   Maytszishan is just a few miles south of the Great Silk Road. Many of the monks chose to stay in these caves and work there.       One of the earliest written records about this are found in the biographies of the two monks Tanhonga and Huanggang, who meditated there with his disciples.                 Huge Buddha is almost parallel to the side of the mountain - the highest is more than 16 meters in height. Stairs that lead up and around the caves were originally made of wood, but after been fitted with metal supports, for security purposes.   __._,_.___   . __,_._,___

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Tempted to climb on board? Top tips to help decide if cruising really is for you

There are so many different ocean cruises these days, the choice can seem quite daunting. And if you’ve never been on one before, you need to do your homework to avoid making an expensive mistake.
On the upside, there has never been such a variety of ships, cruise styles and itineraries, meaning there is a cruise for everyone. What is more, cruise holidays can be excellent value for money when you consider meals and lots of entertainments are included in the price. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Setting sail for fun: The Carnival Sunshine includes a water park

Try before you buy

Before you book that world cruise you’ve been dreaming of, dip a toe in the water with a ‘taster’ cruise. American line Royal Caribbean (0844 493 2061, www.royalcaribbean.co.uk) offers lively two- and three-night cruises from Southampton. On October 26, Independence of the Seas sails to Zeebrugge, the port for Bruges in Belgium, and then to Le Havre – handy for an excursion to Paris. Or stay on board enjoying the many bars and spa, or get active on the rockclimbing wall, ice-rink, zipline and Flowrider surfing pool. The three-night cruise costs from £399pp.

Find family fun

If your family loves the idea of an action-packed voyage, the revamped Carnival Sunshine will be  sailing across the Mediterranean this summer. The ship has a water park boasting slides and a 300-gallon bucket to drench riders, a ropes course and zipwire, and Hasbro, The Games Show, a giant interactive team game played in front of a live audience. A 12-night cruise from Venice to Barcelona, departing July 28, costs from £1,189pp including flights. To book, visit www.carnival.co.uk.

Special nights: A cruise is a great excuse to dress up for a formal night

Exercise in restraint

Going on a cruise doesn’t have to mean eating around the clock and piling on the pounds. This year Celebrity Cruises (0845 456 0523, www.celebritycruises. co.uk) is offering free Zumba classes, including Aqua Zumba in the pool and ZumbaGold for older passengers. A ten-night cruise of the eastern Med aboard Celebrity Reflection departs Rome on August 30 and calls at the Greek islands of Rhodes, Santorini and Mykonos. It costs from £1,338pp for a balcony cabin including return flights to Rome.

 

Plenty of ports

Cruises are often the perfect way to see lots of different places in one holiday. Crown Princess (www.princess.com) sails from Southampton on September 30 for a two-week trip around the Med, meaning you could be strolling around Barcelona one day and having a flutter at a casino in Monte Carlo the next, before exploring Rome’s treasures and then heading to Ajaccio, Napoleon’s  birthplace in Corsica. The break costs from £999pp.

Laid back: Relaxing on a Celebrity cruise - perhaps after an exercise class

An end to the cruise crimewave? Operators to release data on onboard incidents

From mysterious disappearances to rape allegations and even murder, cruise ships are no stranger to crime.
But until recently, operators have been reluctant to reveal details of incidents for fear that the revelations will damage their standing among travellers.
Now three of the largest US-based cruise lines have come clean on crime at sea and released data that reveal the extent and nature of onboard incidents in full.

Coming clean: Royal Caribbean is one of the three cruise lines to have released data on incidents onboard

While crime levels at sea remain low, the data released by Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line show that more onboard incidents have happened than previously believed.
Although the US Coastguard, to whom serious crimes at sea are reported, has logged just 31 allegations since January 2011, figures released by Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line reveal a total of 114 alleged incidents since October 2010.

 

Most of the complaints focused on allegations of rape and sexual assault, followed by thefts.
"We are doing this voluntarily to remove all doubt about the relatively low level of crime on cruise ships, especially when compared with comparable land-based crimes," Carnival spokesman Roger Frizzell told CBS News.
"The majority of these are never substantiated as actual crimes after the initial investigation."
Crimes at sea are unusual, although there have been a spate of disappearances in recent years. Among them was John Halford, 63, who vanished during a Red Sea cruise in 2011 and Rebecca Coriam, 24, who went missing during a cruise from Mexico to Los Angeles the same year.

Tragic: Rebecca Coriam was 24 when she disappeared while holidaying on a Disney cruise ship in March 2011

Full disclosure: Carnival will reveal details of incidents in the hope that it will erase doubts about crime at sea