SriLankan Airlines doubles free baggage allowance for passengers

Travellers who purchase their tickets in Doha are now entitled to carry 40 kg of baggage on their return journey; double the amount of the previous allowance.

SriLankan Airlines Manager for Qatar, Mr. Lakshman Weerasooriya, believes that the extra allowance will provide an incentive for passengers to choose the carrier over other Middle East airlines. "All travellers flying with SriLankan Airlines have been entitled to bring back up to 40kg on the return leg of their journey - that's double the previous allowance and up to one hundred per cent more than our regional competitors," he says. "When added to the CAA permitted hand luggage allowance, it means that 47kg of baggage can be brought back on return flights; an additional benefit that is ideal for the summer season, when holidaymakers often want to carry home gifts and purchases from their vacation," he adds.

SriLankan Airlines is the largest foreign carrier into India, with 90 flights a week to 10 destinations and is currently involved in an aggressive expansion programme for its Middle East operations. Last year the carrier saw its business grow by 50 per cent over previous years. Part of the airline's regional growth strategy includes the introduction of a simplified on-line reservation procedure, aircraft capacity increases and a greater number of flights and choices of destinations. The plans will see the carrier's services to the Middle East rise to approximately 45 flights per week, in a market that the World Travel and Tourism Council has predicted will increase by 4.4 per cent annually until 2016.