SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 29 June 2009 : by E Jardella

Customer Rating : 1/5

LHR-MLE return Economy - a dreadful experience. The boarding was slow and chaotic. I don't think they could have crammed anymore people/seats on board if they tried. I was sitting on a row of four next to the aisle and was smacked in the knee by a trolley rushing past as they aisle was so narrow (they rush a lot but the service is poor?). The seats were small and very uncomfortable. The food was hit and miss and IFE just awful - small screens, poor choice and old fashioned. The staff seemed to be rather annoyed that there were people on board and they did there best to ignore you.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 3 June 2009 : by P Harrison

Customer Rating : 4/5

LHR-CMB overnight flight. In economy many seats unoccupied and so was able to make use of 2 seats. IFE not fantastic - but adequate. FA's pleasant and helpful. Service was excellent throughout - hot towels, bar service, dinner with complimentary wine (and cognac with coffee), drinks available throughout and a good breakfast prior to landing. Return journey CMB to LHR equally good

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 21 May 2009 : by H Gomez

Customer Rating : 3/5

KUL-CMB-LHR and LHR-MLE-CMB-SIN-KUL. The seats had good pitch for Economy, although IFE is a bit too small compared to top-end carriers like Singapore Airlines, and Emirates. The service was of good standard, flight attendants were courteous and served with a smile, but seemed a bit disoriented. CMB-LHR they ignored me when I pressed the called button, and this was a bit annoying. Meal portions served are generous, and all meals tasted above average.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 28 April 2009 : by Wendy Meredith

Customer Rating : 3/5

Flew to Male. Despite booking our seat numbers and next to each other 3 months in advance (joined their air miles club) when we got to the airport early were told we'd been changed to non- aisle seats. KLM do the check in and they don't care a damn. Three hour delay at Heathrow with all the shops/cafes closed. Dirty old plane, not much leg room. Their cabin staff was nice. It's luck at the end of the day and you get what you pay for. Personally I would upgrade on Monarch.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 23 April 2009 : by P Cincotta

Customer Rating : 1/5

Recently travelled with SriLankan Airlines. It is a cheaper airline to fly so you get what you pay for. Old, dirty planes. The chair fabric and cup holders are broken. The food is not the best. The inflight entertainment unit is not as high standard as other airlines. Looks like you are watching a video cassette with the tracking all out. But worst was the rescheduling of our flights which added a 7 hour stop over in Colombo in the middle of the night and an extra leg to our flight. We were only advised of the change 1 month before our departure for flights we booked 11 months earlier.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 22 April 2009 : by K Mengers

Customer Rating : 4/5

FRA-CMB-DOH return. Staff friendly and attentive. A330/A340 in good shape. Colombo airport with very nice transit facilities - I was surprised they even provided single hotel room in the airport for 8 hour transit.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 26 March 2009 : by W Jarratt

Customer Rating : 1/5

LHR - Male business class. Cabin staff inattentive, poor food, seating uncomfortable. No toiletries bag, No toothpaste / brush available despite overnight flight of 11 hours. Films on screen not functioning nor seat arm cassette. On return 10 days later same seats but nothing had been repaired. Eleven hours is a long time with nothing to watch. We paid 2176 pounds each to upgrade expecting some comfort. After considerable complaining we have received a 100 dollar onboard voucher for our next trip - as if we would fly with them again!

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 17 March 2009 : by B Walberer

Customer Rating : 4/5

HKG-BKK upgraded to business class. The seats offer plenty of space but unfortunately not very comfortable. The food was the highlight - four choices for the main entrée on this 2½ hour flight, and quality and quantity were quite good. The wine selection was just ok, though, and no refill was offered. The service, while attentive, was also somewhat rushed. However, I can’t complain too much as I was upgraded from economy at the gate due to overbooking.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 6 March 2009 : by O Brock

Customer Rating : 3/5

FRA-CMB-BKK return in Business Class. Very friendly staff, but inconsistent service eg serving drinks (sometimes they ask for an aperitif, sometimes they offer a preselection) or darkening the cabin for takeoff (or not). In three of four trips business class was occupied to 25% only (and its very small), then service was better. Video on demand worked in satisfying matter. Its not the latest technical equipment, but the price was unbeatable and about 25% cheaper than other carriers. Transit time in the CMB lounge was nice despite arrival time at 430am. One get a free massage there or have a shower. Would recommend for the not overly picky business class traveller. However keep in mind that travel time to/from eg BKK extends by 3-4 hours!

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 28 February 2009 : by S Burrows

Customer Rating : 3/5

LHR-MLE return. Economy. Check in at Heathrow a nightmare. Herded into a holding pen before being allowed to join another queue then yet another queue - took 2 hours to check in. Talk about treating people like sheep! As a result only 45 minutes between getting through checkout and take off. No time for drinks or snacks or shopping. Flight was fine, good food and service. Cabin very hot. Entertainment limited and sound quality not good. No landing cards for Male were given out which resulted in chaos on landing at Male airport. Return flight good, check in at Male airport much more organised. Would probably use them again because they fly straight through to Male but would make sure I took a tranquilizer before hitting check-in at Heathrow!

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 19 February 2009 : by David Starr

Customer Rating : 4/5

HKG-BKK Return economy. Extremely friendly cabin crew. Tasty airline food with a choice of three dishes. I liked the little touches such as menus. A very camp touch just before landing at Bangkok when all crew stood in aisle and bowed.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 18 February 2009 : by Y Ram

Customer Rating : 1/5

SIN-CMB-SIN return. I was travelling with Sri Lankan airlines after 7 years and shocked at the service. Dirty seats, torn off in-seat pockets, the pillow given had stains on the cover etc etc. On my inward flight I asked for a blanket and was told it is only for children. On my return flight asked for it again, and the attendant told she will give it to us. Again reminded in about 30 minutes same answer - but it never came. But I should mention the price is cheap.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 18 February 2009 : by S Morley

Customer Rating : 1/5

We booked tickets from London to Colombo and Singapore a couple months before our holiday and choose Sri Lankan because they were slightly cheaper than others. A month before the holiday they cancelled one of the flights and rescheduled the remaining flights without giving us any option for a refund. The flights we were left with were horrible (9 hour layover and a long haul flight leaving at 4am) and we were forced to take extra time off work as the new flights arrived on Monday morning. We would NEVER have agreed to the flights that were forced on us and definitely wish we had paid a bit more to fly with an airline that doesn’t screw their customers. When we complained (Ref:E/051108/26414/TP) we were told this was within their terms and conditions.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 19 January 2009 : by Vinay Jayadev

Customer Rating : 4/5

COK-Colombo-SIN was a good experience with SriLankan Airlines. There was a stopover for 12 hours and we were transferred to hotels in Negombo area. CMB-SIN the staff were friendly, and considering the S$ 550 return ticket price, the experience for both the inbound and outbound journey was good.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 24 December 2008 : by S Wijesinha

Customer Rating : 3/5

CMB-SIN, Business Class, A340-300. Excellent check-in; comfortable lounge; flight on time. Reasonably efficient and friendly staff though they forgot my main entree during meal service and had to be reminded. Plane clean and the old style seats were comfortable with good pitch - but, video didn't work properly at my seat and there was tacky masking tape around the main video monitor for the cabin.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 28 November 2008 : by John Brockhurst

Customer Rating : 3/5

Business class from Colombo to Heathrow and not at all impressed. The Colombo lounge was quiet, comfortable and well stocked. Unfortunately the aircraft did not compare. A rather elderly Airbus with narrow seats, games on the inflight entertainment were not working and to crown it all I could not have my choice for dinner - despite sitting in the second row back. It was a more modern aircraft on the outbound journey, but when I pay considerably extra for a business ticket, I expect quality as well as consistency, and I am afraid Sri Lankan Airlines failed in this respect.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 26 November 2008 : by S Sivarajan

Customer Rating : 1/5

Bought group tickets Paris-Kuala Lumpur return. School trip to Malaysia, charity project. Stranded in Paris for 2 nights because of engine failure. Put on a Malaysian Airlines flight on Day 3. Missed connecting flight to final destination. No help from SriLankan Airlines in getting this sorted. Return flight from KL to Colombo was okay. Colombo to Paris flight cancelled, instead we were put on flight to Frankfurt - which carried onto Paris. Major delay arriving in Paris. Missed train to Lille. Had to buy new set of train tickets. Highly recommend flying with SriLankan Airlines - if you're looking for an excuse to hate airlines.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 12 November 2008 : by Shravan Koganti

Customer Rating : 3/5

Chennai - Colombo. FA's were responsible. Though it was a 1hr flight, the snacks were good. The return leg was good, with good entertainment and leg room and seat comfort was good for Economy. Its value for money.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 6 November 2008 : by Matthew McGrath

Customer Rating : 3/5

LHR-MLE-LHR Economy All flights on time. A340 to Male overnight. Family only seated together after intervention by the ticketing office at T4. Excellent service from attendant who ensured we were seated together on outbound and reserved our return seats together. Meals good outbound though limited drinks service. No AVOD and movies shown on individual screens were second rate. On return we flew an A330 to Colombo then A340 back to London. Ran out of white wine before first meal service! Clearly do not like serving alcohol so why do they bother offering it? Our children were only offered fish curry as chicken dish had run out. Service hit and miss with the attendants forgetting to offer my daughter anything on both meal runs. On return leg film choice marginally better but my screen would only work on a few channels and there was no sound at all ! Bags off quickly on both legs. Seats uncomfortable. Cabin crew do try, and some of the food delicious but overall the 3 star rating is entirely appropriate. They would need to do quite a bit more to improve this rating in my view.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 5 November 2008 : by Arun Anand

Customer Rating : 3/5

Bahrain-Colombo-Chennai Economy. Bah-CMB on A330, good service and food, staff willing to serve passengers with a smile, ok inflight entertainment. Prompt baggage collection at Colombo. CMB- Chennai on A340, no IFE for the short flight. Checked in on time and was told free seating as system was not working, but made to wait for 40 mins at boarding gate to let most passengers (who were transiting thru Colombo) to be seated, before letting me and a few passengers who were not allocated seats to board. No apology given or explanations offered. Sandwich and juice served for 1 hr flight. On the whole, an ok experience but when there is a crisis, no one knows to address it.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 18 September 2008 : by P Ravindran

Customer Rating : 4/5

KUL-CMB-FRA. Cabin crew excellent. A330 not so great, a bit worn out. A340 was better. Meals good. Inflight Entertainment is below ok and needs more programming and it would be better if it was on going / on demand since some time during the flight there was no entertainment showed.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 7 September 2008 : by C Roberts

Customer Rating : 2/5

BKK-CMB-TRV: Paid just under five hundred dollars for a 'last minute' Business Class ticket vs six hundred and fifty dollars for a Thai/Jet Airways through fare. A330 (BKK-CMB) was a bit worn, but seats quite comfy for the three hour flight. Service decent, with hot towel, pre-flight drinks, and a nice three-course meal. Overnight transit at Colombo was awful. Airline failed to provide "free hotel" as promised, forcing me to find my own room; this cost an additional one hundred and fifty dollars. Airline refused, and continues to refuse, any responsibilty for their error. The A320 (CMB-TRV) was well worn, and I was well looked after as I was the only passenger in Business Class. Full hot meal provided for this short flight. Airline is decent if all goes well, but loses major points when there is any sort of problem. Good price-point, but not an airline for (very) frequent flyers to rely on.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 28 August 2008 : by James Sturt

Customer Rating : 4/5

LHR-CMB-COK. AThe aircraft on both legs was an old A340 but we did have personal TV screens with an OK choice of movies. The crew were excellent and friendly. Hot towels, menu with choice of 3 main courses, wine from a proper bottle served in a glass, and plenty of top ups. No extra charge for alcohol. Ice cream mid flight. Paid less than 400GBP return so very cheap (considering I only booked 10 days before). Only complaint, LHR-CMB was delayed about 45 mins and not much info from crew as explanation. COK-CMB had a tech problem and went back on stand after push back. It was 30mins after push back before we heard from the cockpit to tell us what was going on. all other flights early or on time.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 16 August 2008 : by K Mia

Customer Rating : 2/5

LHR-CMB-CCJ Economy. I got the worst seat possible on the way there. The middle seat middle row with 2 huge box things restricting my leg room. The food was alright. On the way back my flight was canceled from CCJ to CMB and I had to wait until the next day. The flight from CMB to LHR was delayed by 3 hours. The seats looked very tired on the way back and IFE absolutely useless. You could barely see anything on the screen. I flew Sr Lankan in 2001 and it was a fabulous experience. Things have gone down markedly after that. I would rate this as a 2 or 3 star airline at a stretch.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 7 August 2008 : by C Berry

Customer Rating : 1/5

Heathrow to Male supposed to be 7th July but didn't fly out until 8th July for our Honeymoon. Should have boarded at 9.35 and finally got on plane at 10.20. Sat on plane awaiting take off but due to technical problems on plane, it was finally announced that we would not be flying out that evening and we would all be accommodated in a hotel - at Gatwick airport! Disembarked from aircraft at 1.45 after sitting on plane for nearly three and a half hours. Granted, we were fed a rather disgusting meal and offered one small glass of water over this duration, but we were questioning why we were not let off the plane as soon as the plane had exceeded the legal flying times for H'row which is clearly way before quarter to two in the morning. After disembarking the plane our coach co- ordination to take us to Gatwick was dealt with by KLM ground staff, SriLankan representatives were nowhere to be seen - a complete sham. To cut a long story short, we departed at 5.20pm the following day. Aircraft had clearly seen better days as several seats were broken and plane was filthy. It was hardly surprising that staff were grumpy and rude. Clearly standards have slipped with SriLankan airlines and we lost a day of our holiday due to this sequence of events. I will not recommend SriLankan airlines to anyone - they have a lot of work to do in order to improve Customer Service, cleanliness and maintenance standards.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 25 July 2008 : by S Sivarajah

Customer Rating : 4/5

LHR-CMB-LHR. Flight to Colombo was delayed by an hour and no explanation provided to the passangers. Two-third of the flight was empty, so lots of seats to rest/sleep. Food was better than Air Canada during my YYZ-LHR leg. The service was ok - not exceptional. Colombo to LHR wasn't that great - check in staff not that friendly and couldn't get a seat assigned next to my wife. But we sorted that thru when we boarded inside the flight. Departed on time and the food was better than our LHR- CMB leg. Overall, it wasn't a bad experience and the ticket I got was approx $500.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 15 July 2008 : by Michael Scott

Customer Rating : 4/5

London-Tokyo return via Colombo. A long routing, involving an overnight stop in Colombo in each direction, but exceptionally low fare made it worthwhile. Punctual flights, very good legroom, excellent inflight service and efficient cabin crew. Personal seat-back videos, although the entertainment was somewhat uninspired and not on-demand. SriLankan Airlines paid for hotel accommodation and meals for the overnight stop in both directions. The airline is let down only by its slow and generally chaotic check-in and boarding procedures, particularly at Colombo. I'd have no hesitation in flying with SriLankan again.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 28 June 2008 : by M Kloetzel

Customer Rating : 3/5

FRA-Colombo-Kuala Lumpur return. Always delayed, plane in a bad shape and too old. Seats uncomfortable and old. Crew is friendly, meals pretty good. poor cleanliness! But good value for money, because we paid only EUR 437!

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 21 June 2008 : by Russell Barr

Customer Rating : 5/5

Heathrow-Colombo-Bangkok return in economy, our first flights with Srilankan. LHR-CMB half empty, four seats to myself, FAs excellent, food superb, IFE OK. CMB-BKK flight full but still OK. BKK-/CMB flight full, but again CMB-LHR flight half empty and four seats again! Bargain price £355 about half what Emirates charge, but it's swings and roundabouts, I would much rather have a long layover in Dubai than Colombo.

SRILANKAN AIRLINES review : 20 June 2008 : by P Karunaratne

Customer Rating : 4/5

CMB-AUH Economy. The last time I took this flight it was a nightmare. The e-ticketing and online check in through their website was fairly easy. Though at the airport there was no luggage drop off counter so had to be in the normal line which moved at a snails pace. A330-200 was in much better shape than their A320s. FAs were friendly in a chatty mood (not really a hallmark of Sri Lankan). The onboard meal again was below par. Overall, Cheap tickets, very friendly crew, average IFE, and if in a bulkhead seat, it is a pretty good flight.

SriLankan Airlines - by Kurt Müller

10 June 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

BKK to CMB in Y class. I chose this flight for its convenient schedule, as after pulling out of the Skywards program, UL holds little attraction for me. Another issue is that UL has dramatically cut its number of flights, particularly to Europe. This flight, which was almost full, was punctual in departing BKK and slightly early arriving at Colombo. Nice service, still with proper hot terry towels, and a tasty and well presented meal. Drinks plentiful. IFE quite good with some new releases. However, can someone explain why their IFE program repeatedly inserts advertising for the Skywards frequent flyer scheme when you can actually no longer earn miles on UL? Overall impression let down by crew not being able to distribute immigration cards, something that is not infrequent on UL. It simply means they can´t be bothered to stock up on these leaflets at their own home base. Ours was the only flight being handled at Colombo airport, yet the luggage took 30 minutes to arrive on the belt.

SriLankan Airlines - by L Rowlett

5 May 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-MLE and MLE-CMB-LHR in Economy Class. Cabin staff were on the whole fairly friendly but more business-like than anything else, A340-300 offered better leg room than Virgin equivalent, but internal appearance was a little tired and unloved. Food was good in my opinion, with regular snacks and drinks offered, particularly on CMB-LHR leg. Information at gates in London and Columbo pretty poor, with delays both times and no explanation offered. Sound quality of in-seat entertainment pretty bad, with crackling throughout on movie channels. Range of movies and TV ok, but would benefit from on-demand. If you're looking for the little extra touches that makes flying SIA economy so pleasant, then you'll be disappointed. A 3-4 star airline I'd say, but certainly not an unpleasant experience.

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