Recently I am a ’Srilankan’ fan. I mean, of Srilankan Airlines. I had my two recent trips back home through Srilankan. (i.e. 4 flights, given the fact it is a connection flight from Dubai to Cochin, connecting from Colombo Bandaranaike airport.)
Air Lanka was formed in July 1979 after closure of Air Ceylon in 1978. It entered into a managing agreement with the world famous Emirates Airlines in 1998 for 10 years (Emirates purchased 40 percentage of the stake in the airlines which later increased to 43 percentage) and took the name Srilankan Airlines from that year onward. Emirates however didn’t renew the managing agreement due to differences on agreements and the share was bought back by Srilankan government. The airline now operates to 44 destinations across the world, where the majority of the destinations are in the Middle East, India and Asia.
The price was the first attraction which helped me to select Srilankan in the first place, ignoring a few hours of delay in both ways. When I compare its price to many other airlines I was getting the best deal.
Check In: The check in procedure is comparatively easy. Comfortable! Don’t try to go with extra luggage where they will not permit much tolerance there. At one time I had to dispose some low cost items to garbage bins considering the cost of the product and the luggage rate they offered at check in counter. The fault was on my side; no way I can complain against the airlines.
Punctuality: The flights had some timing issues but in both trips that doesn’t made any delay in my reaching the final destination. In one instance, the flight from Cochin to Colombo was delayed for 2 hours but that only got deducted from the waiting time in Colombo and the airline staff was quick enough to take us there on time. In another instance, the flight from Dubai got delayed for 1 hour but that again we deducted it from the waiting time in Colombo. Since the main flight is coming from Kuwait and will be going to Singapore and Malaysia things like that can happen and I found the staff was trying their best to make things on punctual.
Welcome: We are assured of a warm welcome to the airplane by the typically dressed beautiful airhostesses with ’Aibuwan’. I like the colour and design of the Saree worn by the air hostess, i.e. peacock colour and design. The seats of the Economy class are matching to the uniform colour, which is nice.
Seats: Seats are comfortable with good spacing and push back facility and with foot rests. There is individual display screens for each seat for the long routes which has many options of games, Video channels (Hindi, Tamil, English, Arabic movies, cartoons and music), Audio channels (Music in various languages including Malayalam) and CCTVs (One giving the front view and the other giving the down view)
Food & drinks: Good! Srilankan Catering is known for supplying many other airlines as well and the quality of the food and comfort is evident. You will be given a menu card, but of course with few choices (as it is not a restaurant), like Chicken, Mutton or Vegetable, Juices, Orange, Mango Pineapple etc. All food is supplied fresh and the service is good. The airline, earlier known as Air Lanka was known for supply of sufficient hot drinks. Probably out of the hangover from the past, we could witness many people demanding extra supply of hot drinks in the flight and the crew tries to explain they cannot provide extra supply. There have some kind of disturbance in the flight in both trips. Since I am a person who doesn’t take hot drinks I could only enjoy the verbal dues by the hungry hot fans.
Flights: Srilankan uses big flights, Air bus 330 & 340 for long trips with around 300 passangers on board where the connections to short destinations are on smaller flights which can carry say 150 pax or so, still comfortable. Except in one instance where the small flight was giving too much of ear pain, rest all times the flight take on and off was smooth and less disturbing.
Connection: It is a mixture of cultures in the flight. When we get in from Dubai, we are occupying seats used by people who traveled between Kuwait and Dubai. Then, we can see people traveling to Singapore, Malysia, Hong Kong, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kerala all in the flight. Arab nationals, Indians, Some European nationals, Srilankans, it is evenly balancing population sample. I mean - not to assume that since it is a Srilankan flight, most people who travel in it is Srilankan nationals.
Airhostesses good and bad: Yes, through 4 fligths, I must have seen 30 or so Srilankan Airhostesses and in transit some 300 or so. The general opinion about their nature and behaviour is cordial. Then, there are exceptions like one air hostess spying on an old lady who took a beer for the fellow passanger and the air hostess warning her that she should not do that and took back the beer and know what she didn’t supply some soft drink to her as well. In another instance, there had little water leak from the air conditioning of the flight and water drops were coming to the seats of one passanger. He reported to one air hostess and she ignored him completely. Then, another air hostess consoled him later. In short, except few the general behaviour of the air hostesses are good.
Transit: Bandaranaike airport have good enough facilities for a transit port. There are many shops where you will find excellent antique items carrying stamp of Srilankan culture. A Buddist bookstall in the airport is a sure place for my visit on all trips. Restaurants, waiting lobbies and free internet facilities - the wait are comfortable! If you feel bored of waiting, you can have a walk and meet lot of people from different places. Oh, I still remember watching a multiple rainbow (first and last time so far for me) sitting in the Colombo airport lounge.
Overall, flying Srilankan was worth each Rupee we spend it. The airline has areas where they can improve their act but for the paying public the services are value for money. The airline has a slogan, ’You are our world’. I will say ’You take us to places’.