King Sasanka – Sri Lankan Writer & Retired Aviation Professional.

  Flying Solo, But Never Alone: A Ground Handling Expert’s Guide to Stress-Free Travel for Senior Parents I frequently see posts on social media from anxious adult children worried about their elderly parents traveling abroad. The concerns are natural: What if they get lost? What if they don't speak English fluently? What if walking through a massive terminal is too tiring? What if they have special health or dietary needs? Having spent four decades in aviation ground handling, I want to reassure you: you do not need to worry. Airlines and airport operators have built-in, world-class systems designed specifically to care for passengers needing extra assistance. Best of all, these services are completely free of charge . All it takes is a little planning at the time of booking. Here is a breakdown of what you should request during booking to ensure a smooth, comfortable journey for your parents. 1. Request "Meet & Assist" for Language & Airport Formalities If your...

I gave up watching Television News for a long time for a few reasons. The first one being that all channels are very badly politicized and no accurate picture would never be portrayed by them. The second reason that most of them are being funded and run by ill-gotten money. However, yesterday I was forced to watch one such channel and at that time they were telecasting the Sri Lanka Police spokespersons statement about lifting the curfew in most part of the island. Unfortunately for us, we are still not out of the woods and that he was advising us not to use our private vehicles, instead to walk to go and get essentials from the closest possible outlet and the last number of the NIC rule still applies too. Thanks to this unwise and prolonged lockdown and curfew; we survived simply by dipping into our “In Case of an Emergency” money jar hidden in some secured place in the kitchen. Now do not waste your time by trying to figure out the location of the hidden money jar. The jar is depleti...