Three air travellers were given a flying start to the new year literally and metaphorically by Emirates when the award-winning Dubai-based airline presented them with 250,000 Skywards Miles from its frequent flyer programme.

Mesers Anoop Kundanmal, Preethilal Fernando and Praveen Viswakumaran each won 100,000, 75,000 and 75,000 Skywards Miles from Emirates at the conclusion of a promotion conducted by the airline in association with the Trans Asia Hotel.

All they had to do was to fill in detachable coupons on tags attached to their laundry by the hotel’s laundrette and spend Rs 7500 or more at one of its signature restaurants to participate in this unusual promotion. The Skywards Miles won can be redeemed for free tickets on Emirates, for upgrades or a host of other benefits.

“The response to this promotion was most encouraging,” Devika Ellepola, Emirates’ Sales Manager in Sri Lanka said. “It was a pleasant and engaging little surprise to the customers of the Trans Asia’s laundrettes, and provided Emirates with a novel medium to communicate with this segment.”

One of the world’s fastest-growing international airlines, Emirates operates 17 services a week from Colombo to Dubai and four services a week from Colombo to Singapore.