Skywards to donate miles for aid efforts

SKYWARDS, the frequent flyer programme of Emirates and SriLankan Airlines, is appealing to its members to donate Skywards Miles to support relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the South Asian earthquake.

Donated Miles will be exchanged for tickets to transport volunteers and aid workers to the affected areas.

To start off the appeal, Skywards donated one million Miles to each cause. Members have already donated 3,022,500 Miles to the Hurricane Katrina appeal and 1,137,500 to the South Asian Earthquake appeal.

Brian LaBelle, Skywards' Vice President, said: "Earlier appeals to members for Miles to help relief efforts have been enthusiastically responded to and we are pleased that members have joined us in contributing to these two causes."

In July 2004, Skywards celebrated its millionth Skywards member by donating one million Miles each to the charities UNICEF, CARE INTERNATIONAL and Dubai-based Beit Al Khair. Members also contributed an additional 12.5 million Miles.

By the year's end, members again gave their support when the tsunami struck Asia, answering Skywards' appeal for relief support with an outstanding donation of another 12 million Miles, which was supplemented with one more million Miles by Skywards.