Dear Sir, We the "Alliance of Unions - Srilankan Airlines"

OUTSPOKEN #UPENDRA WHO TRAMPLED TOES OF THE CURRENT BOARD-#NOT -GUILTY WHY SRI LANKA WAS CLUELESS WITH THE EXACT  METHOD OF TESTING A CAPTAIN FOR ALCOHOL INTOXICATION.OSTENSIBLe- OBSERVATION BY A CO-PILOT DESPERATELY NEEDING  A PROMOTION IS NOT THE  accepted aviation laws ways WAY.HENCE TEST DONE ARE NULL  AND VOID. AS PER AVIATION EXPERTS.

Mr. Ajith Dias, Chairman, Srilankan Airlines. Airline Centre, Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake. Dear Sir, We the "Alliance of Unions - Srilankan Airlines" write with reference to your recent communique to all employees regarding the future of our National Carrier as we wish to place on record our opinion on this crucial matter, in the best interest of all employees. The Board chaired by you, was appointed by the Government of Sri Lanka nearly three years ago to ameliorate our projected financial decline and rectify many malpractices and misappropriations your predecessors had allegedly committed. This collective task was entrusted to you and your Board, with the target of resurrecting our Airline and preventing or reducing it from being a further burden on the National Economy. It is also prudent to mention that our Airline was also used as a center-piece in the political campaign of the current Government and to that effect, high profile investigations were made by the Administration with a view to rectifying this situation. Although plagued with such allegations of mismanagement,he Board and yourself accepted the task of bringing stability to the Airline in the short term and to turn-around the Airline's financial woes to a sustainable, if not a profitable entity. As per your statements highlighted in the media and for reasons best known to yourself and the Board, you had dismissed any such alleged malpractices as nothing but reports based on hearsay; therefore it could be reasonably assumed that the only burden taken over by your Board was the accumulated debt, but with a free hand to turn-around tlre fortunes of the Airline. In stark contrast however, your communiqu6 on the present status of the Airline now serves to substantiate what has been echoed on many occasions at numerous forums; that your Board does not have the prerequisite competencies or the attributes to manage our Airline, leave alone bring any stability to it. The task entrusted and accepted by the Board and yourself was not to compromise the livelihood of nearly 7000 employees and their families by giving yourselves priority to stature, travel benefits, bonuses, or having dealings which could itself be a conflict of interest for a director in any company. You are well aware that there has been a formal request through the RTI by the ALPGSL, for information regarding the benefits enjoyed by individuals of the top management, as well as details pertaining to the exorbitant lease agreements and its eventual cancellation, which have been denied on the grounds of "Confidentiality". We the employee's, request your clarification on how this information can be labeled as confidential, when it has contributed to the further accumulated debt that you now state. mav result in a potential loss of employment of nearly 7000 individuals. For this Airline to gain a firm footing once more, a team that would lead by example is required. In fact, there are many Companies who have returned from the very brink of bankruptcy, solely thankful to those who have lead from the front by sheer example, whilst uplifting the morale of its employees. You must now ask yourself whether your team has been worthy of such praise or mention, or whether the morale of your employees has been bettered, since the time you took to the helm of our Airline. Nearing the eve of the third year of your management, the Administration has now decided; or been compelled to invite - in your own words, an "experienced international consultant" to attend to the task that you had first been entrusted to complete. Perhaps it rnay have been more prudent to have hired such a competent person locally or internationally from the inception when you had first assumed office, and observed that the task was beyond the competency of yourself, the Board and specifically the current CEO; who had absolutely no business or managerial experience of any significance, to qualify for a task of this scale at such a critical time. It needs to be stressed that all these controversial decisions were implemented during your tenure as the Chairman and that you too must bear accountability and liability, for what is going to transpire within the next few months. For the first time in the longstanding history of our National Carrier, you as a Chairman; having enjoyed all the benefits of your position for the last 3 years, have achieved the distinction of being the first in your capacity to state that the lives and Sustenance of nearly 7000 employees and their families is now in jeopardy, through no fault of their own. We also believe that it is unwarranted and inequitable for any Government of Sri Lanka, to criticize the fiscal performance of the Airline, as throughout history; with the exception of the Emirates partnership, we have always been managed by Government appointees who have had minimal if not no experience or credentials, to run a dynamic airline business. Therefore, we kindly request that any restructuring process be formulated, whilst taking into consideration and including the opinions of the employee bodies, thereby maintaining transparency to the employees as well as the Nation. We wish to very categorically state that if you, the CEO or any one of your members from the Board of Directors is retained and remains a constituent of the Management of our Company; post restructuring process, we have no confidence in, or trust that the said process will be effective and yield the desired results. We also wish to place on record that we will consider the liabilities and accountability of the Board, for the present state that the employees have been subjected to. AIR LINE OF SRI PILOTS GUILD L Al:r,r, Pie#ent Reg No 8164 ent - EASLEY Sri Uanfan Airlines

why i ditched # Air Asia from Colombo to Kuala lumpur now taking #Malindo

why i ditched  # Air Asia  from Colombo   to Kuala lumpur now taking #Malindo

why i ditched  # Air Asia  from Colombo   to Kuala lumpur now taking #Malindo

#MALINDO-----------------#AIRASIA WITH  #SETMIL-  COLOMBO my personal experience- no unjustifiable additions. By the writer -staff of #setmil incompetent t read passport and visa hence the danger of getting exposed to unsla delays at the checking counter.BE READY COME 4 HOURS BEFORE

EVEN BEFORE TAKE OFF WHY TRAVELLER FRIENDLY MALINDO SITE

Main reason   is

#SETMIL  THE GROUND HANDLER OF BARE BONE  AIR LINE  # AIR ASIA

#SETMIL  THE GROUND HANDLER OF BARE BONE  LAIR LINE -AIR ASIA IN COLOMBO - REFLECTING LOW COST AIR LINE SETMIL IS NOTHING BUT A RAGE COMPANY WITH  POOR SERVICE, UNCIVILIZED, MANED BY  STREET SECURITY MEN , LOUD CONDUCT NO SUAVE  MANNERS AND UTTERLY IGNORANT ON HOW TO CHECK VALIDITY OF  PASSPORT -  VISA  ETC. AS THEY NEED TO GET A THIRD PARTY  CHECK CAUSING LONG AGONISING  DELAYS WAITING TO BE CLEARED AT  THE #BARE BONE #AIRASIA CHECKING COUNTER.

PAY PEANUTS GET MONKEY  SERVICE FROM# SETMIL  COLOMBO

NATURALLY PAY PEANUTS GET MONKEY  SERVICE THAT  IS SETMIL COOMB THE GROUND HANDLER OF LOW COST #AIR  ASIA  THE  BARE BONE AIR LINE.

SAVING  CONSIDERABLE AGONISING  BOOKING TIME WITH #MALINDO.IT IS A TRAVELLER FRIENDLY  WEBSITE#MALINDO- MORE I WILL BE LANDING  AT  KLIA AND NOT  THe WORST AIRPORT IN THE  WORLD that make a marathon walker like it or not -#klia2.

HISTORY AND ENCOUNTER WITH  #SETMIL  CROOKED EYES

TRAVELLER HAS TRAVELLED SINCE 1978 FINISHING OVER 15 PASSPORTS  NEVER AN ENCOUNTER AT THE CHECKING COUNTER DOUBTING VISA ENDORSEMENTS BUT FOR  SETMIL  OOOOOOOOOO YES THEY SEE WITH TRAINED CROOKED MIND WITH CROOKED EYE BY CROOKED MEN OF #SETMIL

I TRAVELLED AIR  ASIA-CMB- KUL SINCE INAUGURATIONS FLIGHT. NOW I AM GLAD I  HAVE A CHOICE I DO NOT HAVE THE HASSLE OF AVOIDING PITFALLS IN GETTING  TRAPPED IN THE AIRASIA BOOKING SYSTEM THAT  CONSTANTLY ADDING TO COST THEREBY  GIVING ME THE HEADACHE OF ELIMINATING.

2-  MALINDO PRICING MAY BE LITTLE DIFFERENT BUT THEN I  GET A FREE MEAL PLUS 30 KG BAGGAGE.

3- IT IS FRESH AIR LINE NOT A WRINKLED AIR LINE LIKE THE BARE BONE AIR ASIA.

ADVICE TO  ANY - TRY  MALINDO MAKE A COMMENT-FOR  THE  BENEFIT OF ALL.-

IF THEY  NOT SATISFACTORY

AT LEAST FOR NOW I REALISE THEIR WEB SITE#MALINDO  HAS NO HANKY -PANKY ADDONS, HENCE BOOD FLIGHT IN  BREEZE. HURRAY

THAT S HUGE RELIEF AND AIR ASIA web booking TAKE HOURS TO BOOK DUE TO CONSTANT  ADDON S AND ME HAVING TO  SAY  NO ALWAYS AFTER ADDITIONS AND NOT BEFORE ADDITIONS. IN CASE OF -IN A HURRY  I END OF PAYING  FOR SOME UNWANTED GARBAGE SERVICE.

LIKE THE MEAL FROZEN ON  BOARD HEATED TASTELESS.AND REHEATED TO SERVE.

THERE IS  NOT AN OUNCE OF TYPICAL ASIAN HOSPITALITY DESPITE BEING  AN ASIAN AIRLINE. WHERE AS MALINDO THE WEB  SITE ALONE GIVEN ME A TRUE FEELING OF PEACEFUL ASIA AND NOT RED HEART BEATING READ.

#TRAVELLER EXHAUSTED BY THE WASHING MACHINE LIKE FLIGHT  EXPERIENCE  OF # AIR ASIA AND MONKEY  HASSLE OF SEMIL  THE GROUND HANDLER OF AIR ASIA  IN COLOMBO

But MAY I REITERATE DITCHING COLOMBO KUL FLIGHT THE SOLE REASON IS  MONKEY LIKE STAFFED  #SETMIL  THE#AIRASIA GROUND HANDLE IN COLOMBO- YES PAY PEANUTS GET MONKEYS TO SERVE. NO SURPRISE.

HILAROUS #SRILANKAN AIR LINES MANAGEMENT

PROBABLY MANAGEMTN OVER PAID THAN THE MOST PROFITABEL AIR LINE IN IN ASIA#SINGAPORE AIR LINES

 

Mind boggling lapses.Unprofessional management #sri lankan

unprofessional testing methods of  captains on alcohol consumption

Having tested  unprofessionally declaring captain drunk.

Ignoring in total history of flawless flying,conduct of the captain.WHO BOAST BETTER ACADEMIC,MANAGEMENT AND FLYING QUALIFICATIONS THAN THE BOARD MEMBERS

Air line losing heavily yet Board overpaid

.Questions have been raised as to why SriLankan Airlines is scared to reveal information sought under the Right to Information Act, by the Airline Pilots’ Guild of Sri Lanka.

By letter dated June 29, 2017 the Airline Pilots’ Guild requested the Information Officer of  SriLankan Airlines to provide information pertaining to the alleged misuse of public funds and the multitude of irregular practices and the losses incurred by the airline since the new management took office in early 2015. The request had been turned down by the Information Officer by letter dated July 19, 2017 claiming that the institution does not give consent to disclose any of the requested information.

Information Officer Shihara Sellamuttu had refused to provide information on grounds that such information was exempted from being granted under Section 5 of the Right to Information Act.

Subsequently the Pilots’ Guild had made an appeal on August 2 against the Information Officer to Lalith Vithana, the Designated Officer SriLankan Airlines. Upholding the Information Officer’s stance, by letter dated August 23, to the Airline Pilots’ Guild, the Designated Officer too declined to provide the information requested.

Sources from the Pilots’ Guild, on condition of anonymity, said that Section 5(1) cannot be invoked by SriLankan Airlines to refuse disclosure of the requested information as the public interest is disclosing such information that outweighs any purported harm that would result from such a disclosure in terms of Section 5(4) of the Act.

“Under the Right to Information (RTI) Act No. 12 of 2016, the Commission has vested absolute powers with the organizations to provide requested information and does not interfere with the proceedings. Having known the regulations of the RTI Act, the Information Officer, who is also the Group Legal Affairs Manager, had requested RTI Commission to advice on the matter to which the Information Officer had been advised to take their own decisions which the Commission will not interfere unless there is an appeal to them (Commission) by the requested party,” sources added.

According to the sources, the Pilots’ Guild had requested the Information Officer to reveal the remuneration of the Chief Executive Officer – Cap. Suren Ratwatte, Chief Commercial Officer and the Head of Human Resources – Pradeep Kekulawela as it was learnt that they are obtaining higher salaries than that of their predecessors. “Even the Weliamuna Report had clearly noted how irregular it was for the then CEO Kapila Chandrasena to obtained a salary of Rs. 1.5 million a month.

(later Weliamuna himself declared the commission is waste of public fund no measurable benefits have been realised to the natio- like all other commissions just a pubic  show)

Unconfirmed reports reaching us state that Ratwatte is drawing three times more than what Chandrasena was paid. Even the Chief Commercial Officer’s salary too is more than what Chandrasena got. Pradeep Kekulawela who is now working hand-in-glove with the new administrators too have got promotions and even thumping increments although Weliamuna reports has identified how corrupt Kekulawala is. Despite of taking action against him, more promotions and salary hikes are given to him by the present management in order to get all the ‘dirty’ work for them,” sources added.

The sources further added the reason to refuse furnish details of the salary particulars of the CEO, CCO and the HHR claiming such information is exempted by Section 5(1) (a) and Section 5(1) (g), which is untrue.

The sources said that they had no other options but to make an appeal with the RTI Commission and to take the airline before the Commission. “We made an appeal to the RTI Commission on September 15 and is waiting to go before the Commission together with the Airline Officials for an inquiry,” sources added.

According to the sources, although many requests were made to the Board after they took over office in February 2015 to allow the airline’s own accounts department to handle the salaries of the senior management that had been outsourced during Emirates administration to conceal their salary details from rest of the staff, no action had been taken and followed the same footsteps of their predecessors.

“The Board of Inquiry (BoI) headed by J. C. Weliamuna, U. H. Palihakkara, B. A. W. Abeywardane and M. K. Bandara had found out that the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kapila Chandrasena’s remuneration was over Rs. 1.5 million in addition to other allowances and was also remunerated as the CEO Mihin Lanka till he left that position. There were no transparency and that was why we wanted the new management to allow the airlines’ own accounts department to handle the salaries of all its employees irrespective of their positions. This could have saved millions of rupees from the cash strapped airline. The reason why our own accounts department was not given to handle the senior management’s salaries was to hide it from the others. That is why the Information Officer does not want to reveal these details,” sources claimed.

Although the Weliamuna report had observed how the HHR was engaged in irregularities and that there are trends contributing to mal-governance and abuse of power, it is disheartening to note as to why the HHR is still allowed to continue in the same position with more responsibilities rather than removing him from the post temporary till an inquiry is held.

“For the first time in the SriLankan Airlines history, a Grade 11 officer was sent to Singapore as the Country Manager. The HHR should take responsibilities to all these. Although allegations on sexual harassments have to be taken up seriously, the HHR says that there should be evidence beyond reasonable doubts to find an employee guilty of sexual harassment. Most of these complaints are against officers holding managerial positions and because of the connection the HHR is having with them, no action had been taken against any of them. When the BoI investigated into the staff strength, it was revealed during the Emirates time, it was 5,000  but it had increased to 6,578 by the end of first quarter 2014. The staff cost had exceeded the budget over the years. The explanation given by the HHR was that it was due to some requirements of the industry and the SriLankan Airlines is the lowest employees cost per aircraft in the region. However the BoI was of the view that this position does not seem to be accurate having regard to overall standards in the region,” sources said.

The HHR is further accused for selecting his choice of staff members to fill the vacancies although the vacancies are advertised internally. “Well before receiving applications, the HHR selects his choice of employees to fill the vacancies which is against the regulations. Recently interviews were called for the post of Country Manager Thailand to which many applied and faced interviews. But it is now learnt, an individual who did not face the interviews had been selected to the post. A military officer who had no knowledge in HR was recruited during the former administration and due to a disciplinary issue, where he had tried to assault an officer, was transferred to another section. During the present administration this officer had been promoted as Head of Service Division.

“It was the same with Dimuthu Tennakoon against whom there are allegations but recently he was promoted Head of World Sales under whom the entire commercial division comes. Tennakoon who was the Regional Manager – Asia Pacific is accused of disregarding the appointment procedure under the General Sales Agents (GSA) manual completely in regard to the Appointment of GAS in the territories of Australia, Malaysia, Japan, Pakistan, Singapore and Thailand,” sources alleged.

According to the sources, the HHR is also accused of paying Senior Cabin Crew Member Nithya Samaranayake during the time she worked for Namal Rajapaksa for Tharunyata Hetak.

“Whilst serving for Tharunyata Hetak for which the Presidential Secretariat settled the salaries, the HHR did not take any action for paying her the monthly remuneration and allowances from June 2010 to January 2015 until she was released back to SriLankan work. Considering her as a full time employees, a total sum of Rs. 4.133 million, which includes the salary, tea allowance, productivity allowance, grooming allowance, attendance incentive and duty free commission, had been paid violating management Service Circular No. 33. In addition she was promoted to Grade C4 as the Cabin Service Supervisor on March 27, 2014 whilst she was working for Tharunyata Hetak. When HHR was questioned over this by the Weliamuna Committee, he had confirmed that the promotion and the payments made were not in order,” sources claimed.

Meanwhile the Pilots’ Guild’s sources said that even their request to obtain all information related to the cost borne by the airline for giving personal flying training for the A320 jet conversion for CEO Suren Ratwatte too was among the unanswered questions. “The Information Officer was able to give few answers to our request on Pakistan International Airlines correspondence with SriLankan Airlines and information related to the cancellation of the Airbus 350 order, but failed to provide details of the expenses borne by the company for giving personal flying training to the CEO.

“The CEO got personal flying training in the comfort of his office and he even demanded to have his own choice of simulators for his flying training. What would happen if trainee pilots too request instructors of their own choices? Trainees are not allowed to choose instructors of their choice and Ratwatte’s demand was a bad example for the trainees,” sources claimed.

Meanwhile, responding to the query as to why the SriLankan Airlines is scared to reveal information under the RTI Act, Manager Media Development stated that the disclosure of information sought by the Pilots’ Guild has been declined by the Company as the Company believes that majority of the information requested by them falls within the exemptions for disclosure provided in the RTI Act and that they are vague and uncertain.

“However, the Company has provided the information which can be disclosed as the Company believes already. The RTI Act provides for the Information Officer to seek guidance from the RTI Commission at any time and the advice of the Commission was sought invoking this statutory provision,” Manager Media Development said.

C-r to leader publication

Lali Asia-aviation enthusiast

At a time Airlines like Airasia ,Singapore airlines,and almost all airlines in China making thumping profits. Srilankan is bleeding yet board is heavily paid - FOR WHAT? IS IT FOR COMING TO WORK!

NOT

Average total compensation includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay. An Airline Captain with mid-career experience which includes employees with 5 to 10 years of experience can expect to earn an average total compensation of $126,000 based on 26 salaries

--------------------------------------

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for airline pilots and copilots is $117,290. The bottom 10 percent earned under $60,770, while the top 10 percent earned more than $187,200.Jan 23, 2015

------------How much does a Southwest pilot make a year?

Per Diem : 2.15

Year	Position	Per Year
12	Captain	$200,725.20
11	Captain	$198,572.40
10	Captain	$196,391.52
9	Captain	$194,238.72

--------

WHY DID SRI LANKAN, GROUND - DELAYED BY A DAY OR SO THE FLIGHT FORM FRANKFORT WHEN........

Airline captains are responsible for safely flying the aircraft to its destination. In a commercial airliner, captains fly with a co-pilot who can fly the plane should something happen to the captain. At #Sri Lankan no captain no flight.

The initial tasks performed by the captain before taking off include receiving weather information, conducting preflight checks on the navigation systems, and communicating with tower controllers to ensure no collisions occur. Once in the air, the captain and co-pilot rotate flying responsibilities to avoid either becoming too tired; additionally, modern aircraft include a cruise control or auto-pilot that helps keep the plane on course automatically. During flight, the captain also communicates the status of the flight to passengers, as well as checks location, flight path, and weather patterns periodically to confirm accuracy of the computer's flight plan.

A typical day for an airline captain may involve several flights a day, but commercial airline pilots are not allowed to work more than 12 hours. In a week, a captain may fly three to four days. An airline captain's job may become high pressure in emergency situations, requiring the ability to make a split-second decision under pressure that could affect the outcome of many lives.

There are two main routes to becoming a pilot. The first is military, and many pilots are former military personnel with previous flight experience and substantial technical training. The other route is civilian; a civilian must have a bachelor's degree and be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). To become certified by the FAA, an individual must be at least 18 years old, pass numerous exams, have 20/20 vision, and have at least 250 hours of flight time logged. Beyond the certification, most commercial airlines require at least 1,500 hours of flight time in many types of weather conditions and be at least 23 years old. (Copyright 2017 PayScale.com)

Captain  Upendra used his own funds by working to be a captain.He came from the ground hence know the onios of airline industry-with is top of the grade MBA supporting his intellectual ability.

Did the first officer who reported visually drunk episode performed his duty. Is it the standard method of airlines. visually druk hence captain is drunk. Could be due to food, could it be due to allowed medications interacting with food  Was the test performed to international aviation standards?Has #Sri Lankan air line published  to captain the standards of such procedure?How di the world wide publicity of the episode came about instantly. Were they or someone was expecting hence the media was lined up__ or….

wast the laboratory accredited to aviation standards worldwide or only to srilanka?

financials of sri lak air line

http://www.srilankan.com/A/coporate/annual-reports

http://www.srilankan.com/pdf/annual-report/SriLankan_Airlines_Annual_Report_2016-17_English.pdf

as you may seen it a tiny puny fraction of singapore air lines above all bleeding heavily fed,fattned with tax payers money-

FIRST QUARTER ending march 2017-OPERATING PROFIT RISES TO $281 MILLION

go for more

https://www.singaporeair.com/saar5/pdf/Investor-Relations/Financial-Results/SGXNET/sgxann-q1fy1718.pdf  Revenue improvement seen for all SIA Group airlines, but pressure on yields remains  Earnings supported by one-off items  Costs rose mainly on expanded operations  Integration of low-cost subsidiaries under Scoot brand completed; airline portfolio well positioned for growth  Group network to grow, including new service by Scoot to Honolulu, Hawaii

await for a very interesting subject for the wirter being aan invesotr of air line industry- favoirt counter is singapore air lines. It is like Gold. it is the gold standrads of air line indutry measurement.

----------------------------------------------------------

HILAROUS #SRILANKAN AIR LINES MANAGEMENT

PROBABLY MANAGEMENT OVER PAID -relatiely-THAN THE MOST PROFITABLE AIR LINE IN IN ASIA#SINGAPORE AIR LINES

Mind boggling lapses.Unprofessional management #sri lankan

unprofessional testing methods of  captains on alcohol consumption

Having tested  unprofessionally declaring captain drunk.

Ignoring in total history of flawless flying,conduct of the captain.WHO BOAST BETTER ACADEMIC,MANAGEMENT AND FLYING QUALIFICATIONS THAN THE BOARD MEMBERS

Air line losing heavily yet Board overpaid

.Questions have been raised as to why SriLankan Airlines is scared to reveal information sought under the Right to Information Act, by the Airline Pilots’ Guild of Sri Lanka.

By letter dated June 29, 2017 the Airline Pilots’ Guild requested the Information Officer of  SriLankan Airlines to provide information pertaining to the alleged misuse of public funds and the multitude of irregular practices and the losses incurred by the airline since the new management took office in early 2015. The request had been turned down by the Information Officer by letter dated July 19, 2017 claiming that the institution does not give consent to disclose any of the requested information.

Information Officer Shihara Sellamuttu had refused to provide information on grounds that such information was exempted from being granted under Section 5 of the Right to Information Act.

Subsequently the Pilots’ Guild had made an appeal on August 2 against the Information Officer to Lalith Vithana, the Designated Officer SriLankan Airlines. Upholding the Information Officer’s stance, by letter dated August 23, to the Airline Pilots’ Guild, the Designated Officer too declined to provide the information requested.

Sources from the Pilots’ Guild, on condition of anonymity, said that Section 5(1) cannot be invoked by SriLankan Airlines to refuse disclosure of the requested information as the public interest is disclosing such information that outweighs any purported harm that would result from such a disclosure in terms of Section 5(4) of the Act.

“Under the Right to Information (RTI) Act No. 12 of 2016, the Commission has vested absolute powers with the organizations to provide requested information and does not interfere with the proceedings. Having known the regulations of the RTI Act, the Information Officer, who is also the Group Legal Affairs Manager, had requested RTI Commission to advice on the matter to which the Information Officer had been advised to take their own decisions which the Commission will not interfere unless there is an appeal to them (Commission) by the requested party,” sources added.

According to the sources, the Pilots’ Guild had requested the Information Officer to reveal the remuneration of the Chief Executive Officer – Cap. Suren Ratwatte, Chief Commercial Officer and the Head of Human Resources – Pradeep Kekulawela as it was learnt that they are obtaining higher salaries than that of their predecessors. “Even the Weliamuna Report had clearly noted how irregular it was for the then CEO Kapila Chandrasena to obtained a salary of Rs. 1.5 million a month.

(later Weliamuna himself declared the commission is waste of public fund no measurable benefits have been realised to the natio- like all other commissions just a pubic  show)

Unconfirmed reports reaching us state that Ratwatte is drawing three times more than what Chandrasena was paid. Even the Chief Commercial Officer’s salary too is more than what Chandrasena got. Pradeep Kekulawela who is now working hand-in-glove with the new administrators too have got promotions and even thumping increments although Weliamuna reports has identified how corrupt Kekulawala is. Despite of taking action against him, more promotions and salary hikes are given to him by the present management in order to get all the ‘dirty’ work for them,” sources added.

The sources further added the reason to refuse furnish details of the salary particulars of the CEO, CCO and the HHR claiming such information is exempted by Section 5(1) (a) and Section 5(1) (g), which is untrue.

The sources said that they had no other options but to make an appeal with the RTI Commission and to take the airline before the Commission. “We made an appeal to the RTI Commission on September 15 and is waiting to go before the Commission together with the Airline Officials for an inquiry,” sources added.

According to the sources, although many requests were made to the Board after they took over office in February 2015 to allow the airline’s own accounts department to handle the salaries of the senior management that had been outsourced during Emirates administration to conceal their salary details from rest of the staff, no action had been taken and followed the same footsteps of their predecessors.

“The Board of Inquiry (BoI) headed by J. C. Weliamuna, U. H. Palihakkara, B. A. W. Abeywardane and M. K. Bandara had found out that the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kapila Chandrasena’s remuneration was over Rs. 1.5 million in addition to other allowances and was also remunerated as the CEO Mihin Lanka till he left that position. There were no transparency and that was why we wanted the new management to allow the airlines’ own accounts department to handle the salaries of all its employees irrespective of their positions. This could have saved millions of rupees from the cash strapped airline. The reason why our own accounts department was not given to handle the senior management’s salaries was to hide it from the others. That is why the Information Officer does not want to reveal these details,” sources claimed.

Although the Weliamuna report had observed how the HHR was engaged in irregularities and that there are trends contributing to mal-governance and abuse of power, it is disheartening to note as to why the HHR is still allowed to continue in the same position with more responsibilities rather than removing him from the post temporary till an inquiry is held.

“For the first time in the SriLankan Airlines history, a Grade 11 officer was sent to Singapore as the Country Manager. The HHR should take responsibilities to all these. Although allegations on sexual harassments have to be taken up seriously, the HHR says that there should be evidence beyond reasonable doubts to find an employee guilty of sexual harassment. Most of these complaints are against officers holding managerial positions and because of the connection the HHR is having with them, no action had been taken against any of them. When the BoI investigated into the staff strength, it was revealed during the Emirates time, it was 5,000  but it had increased to 6,578 by the end of first quarter 2014. The staff cost had exceeded the budget over the years. The explanation given by the HHR was that it was due to some requirements of the industry and the SriLankan Airlines is the lowest employees cost per aircraft in the region. However the BoI was of the view that this position does not seem to be accurate having regard to overall standards in the region,” sources said.

The HHR is further accused for selecting his choice of staff members to fill the vacancies although the vacancies are advertised internally. “Well before receiving applications, the HHR selects his choice of employees to fill the vacancies which is against the regulations. Recently interviews were called for the post of Country Manager Thailand to which many applied and faced interviews. But it is now learnt, an individual who did not face the interviews had been selected to the post. A military officer who had no knowledge in HR was recruited during the former administration and due to a disciplinary issue, where he had tried to assault an officer, was transferred to another section. During the present administration this officer had been promoted as Head of Service Division.

“It was the same with Dimuthu Tennakoon against whom there are allegations but recently he was promoted Head of World Sales under whom the entire commercial division comes. Tennakoon who was the Regional Manager – Asia Pacific is accused of disregarding the appointment procedure under the General Sales Agents (GSA) manual completely in regard to the Appointment of GAS in the territories of Australia, Malaysia, Japan, Pakistan, Singapore and Thailand,” sources alleged.

According to the sources, the HHR is also accused of paying Senior Cabin Crew Member Nithya Samaranayake during the time she worked for Namal Rajapaksa for Tharunyata Hetak.

“Whilst serving for Tharunyata Hetak for which the Presidential Secretariat settled the salaries, the HHR did not take any action for paying her the monthly remuneration and allowances from June 2010 to January 2015 until she was released back to SriLankan work. Considering her as a full time employees, a total sum of Rs. 4.133 million, which includes the salary, tea allowance, productivity allowance, grooming allowance, attendance incentive and duty free commission, had been paid violating management Service Circular No. 33. In addition she was promoted to Grade C4 as the Cabin Service Supervisor on March 27, 2014 whilst she was working for Tharunyata Hetak. When HHR was questioned over this by the Weliamuna Committee, he had confirmed that the promotion and the payments made were not in order,” sources claimed.

Meanwhile the Pilots’ Guild’s sources said that even their request to obtain all information related to the cost borne by the airline for giving personal flying training for the A320 jet conversion for CEO Suren Ratwatte too was among the unanswered questions. “The Information Officer was able to give few answers to our request on Pakistan International Airlines correspondence with SriLankan Airlines and information related to the cancellation of the Airbus 350 order, but failed to provide details of the expenses borne by the company for giving personal flying training to the CEO.

“The CEO got personal flying training in the comfort of his office and he even demanded to have his own choice of simulators for his flying training. What would happen if trainee pilots too request instructors of their own choices? Trainees are not allowed to choose instructors of their choice and Ratwatte’s demand was a bad example for the trainees,” sources claimed.

Meanwhile, responding to the query as to why the SriLankan Airlines is scared to reveal information under the RTI Act, Manager Media Development stated that the disclosure of information sought by the Pilots’ Guild has been declined by the Company as the Company believes that majority of the information requested by them falls within the exemptions for disclosure provided in the RTI Act and that they are vague and uncertain.

“However, the Company has provided the information which can be disclosed as the Company believes already. The RTI Act provides for the Information Officer to seek guidance from the RTI Commission at any time and the advice of the Commission was sought invoking this statutory provision,” Manager Media Development said.

C-r to leader publication

Lali Asia-aviation enthusiast

At a time Airlines like Airasia ,Singapore airlines,and almost all airlines in China making thumping profits. Srilankan is bleeding yet board is heavily paid - FOR WHAT? IS IT FOR COMING TO WORK!

NOT

Average total compensation includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay. An Airline Captain with mid-career experience which includes employees with 5 to 10 years of experience can expect to earn an average total compensation of $126,000 based on 26 salaries

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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for airline pilots and copilots is $117,290. The bottom 10 percent earned under $60,770, while the top 10 percent earned more than $187,200.Jan 23, 2015

------------How much does a Southwest pilot make a year?

Per Diem : 2.15

Year	Position	Per Year
12	Captain	$200,725.20
11	Captain	$198,572.40
10	Captain	$196,391.52
9	Captain	$194,238.72

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WHY DID SRI LANKAN, GROUND - DELAYED BY A DAY OR SO  THE FLIGHT FROM FRANKFURT WHEN........

Airline captains are responsible for safely flying the aircraft to its destination. In a commercial airliner, captains fly with a co-pilot who can fly the plane should something happen to the captain. At #Sri Lankan no captain no flight.

The initial tasks performed by the captain before taking off include receiving weather information, conducting preflight checks on the navigation systems, and communicating with tower controllers to ensure no collisions occur. Once in the air, the captain and co-pilot rotate flying responsibilities to avoid either becoming too tired; additionally, modern aircraft include a cruise control or auto-pilot that helps keep the plane on course automatically. During flight, the captain also communicates the status of the flight to passengers, as well as checks location, flight path, and weather patterns periodically to confirm accuracy of the computer's flight plan.

A typical day for an airline captain may involve several flights a day, but commercial airline pilots are not allowed to work more than 12 hours. In a week, a captain may fly three to four days. An airline captain's job may become high pressure in emergency situations, requiring the ability to make a split-second decision under pressure that could affect the outcome of many lives.

There are two main routes to becoming a pilot. The first is military, and many pilots are former military personnel with previous flight experience and substantial technical training. The other route is civilian; a civilian must have a bachelor's degree and be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). To become certified by the FAA, an individual must be at least 18 years old, pass numerous exams, have 20/20 vision, and have at least 250 hours of flight time logged. Beyond the certification, most commercial airlines require at least 1,500 hours of flight time in many types of weather conditions and be at least 23 years old. (Copyright 2017 PayScale.com)

Captain  Upendra used his own funds by working to be a captain.He came from the ground hence know the onios of airline industry-with is top of the grade MBA supporting his intellectual ability.

Did the first officer who reported visually drunk episode performed his duty. Is it the standard method of airlines. visually druk hence captain is drunk. Could be due to food, could it be due to allowed medications interacting with food  Was the test performed to international aviation standards?Has #Sri Lankan air line published  to captain the standards of such procedure?How di the world wide publicity of the episode came about instantly. Were they or someone was expecting hence the media was lined up__ or….

wast the laboratory accredited to aviation standards worldwide or only to srilanka?

financials  of sri lak air line

http://www.srilankan.com/A/coporate/annual-reports

http://www.srilankan.com/pdf/annual-report/SriLankan_Airlines_Annual_Report_2016-17_English.pdf

as you  may seen it a tiny puny  fraction of singapore air lines above all bleeding heavily  fed,fattned  with tax payers money-

FIRST QUARTER  ending march 2017-OPERATING PROFIT RISES TO
$281 MILLION

go for more

https://www.singaporeair.com/saar5/pdf/Investor-Relations/Financial-Results/SGXNET/sgxann-q1fy1718.pdf
Revenue improvement seen for all SIA Group airlines, but pressure on yields
remains
Earnings supported by one-off items
Costs rose mainly on expanded operations
Integration of low-cost subsidiaries under Scoot brand completed; airline
portfolio well positioned for growth
Group network to grow, including new service by Scoot to Honolulu, Hawaii

Await MORE AS THIS IS STUDY- ONLY for a very interesting subject for the writer being an investor of airline industry- favorite counter is singapore airlines. It is like Gold. it is the gold  standards of airline industry measurement.

AS A CHILD IT WAS FASCINATING READING HOW THIS GIANT THING TAKE OF TO THE AIR AND   JUMP LONG AS 300O MILS NON STOP OVER OCEANS . HOW?

ARE SRI LANKA THAT BAD? NO THEY ARE NOT THEY ARE PROVEN COMPANIES LIKE HAYLEY, JOHKEEPL AIRTMEKE SPENCEN CARSONS JINASENSA. MARS,LIKE HAVE PROVED THEY ARE AS GOOD AS ANYBODY IN THE WORLD THEN WHY NOT GIVE THEM THE MANAGEMENT.

EVEN UPLAI  DURING HIS LIVING ERA. AFTER ALL  HIS WAS THE PRIVATE CITIZEN WHO OWNED  A FLEET OF AIRCRAFTS TRAVELED INTERNATIONALLY IN HIS OWN AIRCRAFT OWN CREW TRAINED   BY UPALI -USA   ETC ETC.AT THAT TIME NO SOUTH ASIAN HAD A PRIVATE JET  1980S EARLY.NOT EVEN IN SINGAPORE MALAYSIA,THAILAND INDONESIA.

TRANSCONTINENTAL   PRIVATE  JET OF# UPALI

SOME CRITIC MAY WHISPER HEY THIS IS  TOO SMALL TO COMPARE. HEY NO PRINCIPLE IS THE SAME BIG OR SMALL- ONLY VOLUME OF ADMINISTRATION. JUST BUYING THE RIGHT AIRCRAFT, TAKING THE RIGHT ROUTES, EMPLOYING THE BEST WITH BEST  REMUNERATION THE REST IS AUTO-

SIMPLE THINGS WORK NOT THE COMPLICATED WAYS.OFTEN BOOKS WORMS MAKING SIMPLE THINGS  COMPLICATED FOR THEIR OWN SURVIVAL , THEN  SAYING HEY LOTS OF  WORK, LOAD SHUFFLING  OF  PAPER FROM 8 AM TO 10 PM THEN SEEKING HUGE PAY--

More sri lanka  airline is without challenge and responsibility

As BUTS UP MONEY WITH TAMASHA, PARTY AND FAT SALARIES - AFTER ASK -HANDOUTS-MONEY FROM TAXPAYERS, IT IS EASY WHY GO WITH TIE-COAT ,HAVE 1000S OF MEETINGS TO LOSE SO MUCH MONEY -WHAT IS  NEED OF OFFICE- THIS IS CHILD'S PLAY.

THEY SHOULD BE TOLD TO A GIVE A CASH FLOW REPORT MONTHLY TO THE PUBLIC.ANY CAPITAL EXPENDITURE CLEARLY- AND WHEN AND WHERE SUCH EXPENDITURE APPROVED! STATED. ETC ETC

DON'T KNOW HOW ASK ? HALEYS JOHN KEELLS LIKE THEY DELIVER QUARTERLY .-PRIVATE SHAREHOLDER  FUNDS NOT PUBLIC-YES ALOYSIUS   COMPANIES  DO NOT GIVE SUCH INFORMATION EG WM MENDIS ARAK MAKER..

Captain  Upendra used his own funds by working to be a captain.He came from the ground hence know the onios of airline industry-with is top of the grade MBA supporting his intellectual ability.

Did the first officer who reported visually drunk episode performed his duty. Is it the standard method of airlines. visually druk hence captain is drunk. Could be due to food, could it be due to allowed medications interacting with food  Was the test performed to international aviation standards?Has #Sri Lankan air line published  to captain the standards of such procedure?How di the world wide publicity of the episode came about instantly. Were they or someone was expecting hence the media was lined up__ or….

wast the laboratory accredited to aviation standards worldwide or only to srilanka?

Singapore Airlines currently operates an all wide-body aircraft fleet of four aircraft families: Airbus A330, Airbus A350, Airbus A380, and Boeing 777, totalling 110 aircraft as of 31 August 2017.It has orders for Boeing 787 and Boeing 777X for a total of 196 aircraft

(later Weliamuna himself declared the commission is waste of public fund no measurable benefits have been realised to the natio- like all other commissions just a pubic  show)