SriLankan Airlines

We upgraded to J class from Y class for a flight from Shanghai to Bangkok a stopover point between Shanghai and Colombo. At the time of the upgrade the call centre informed me that the plane was a new updated A340. After the upgrade was complete and the seat plan made available for J class it became evident that it was in fact an old A340 with bucket seats rather than lie flats. Check-in took 45 minutes in the J Class counter with 2 people in front of us. and an empty business class. The Lounge at Shanghai Terminal 2 was mediocre and the lounge staff incompetent not knowing where the flight was boarding or when we should be boarding. They actually made us almost miss our flight by taking us for an unnecessary drive along the tarmac. We eventually got back to the terminal building and found our way to the plane after running away from lounge staff. The flight itself was ok. The plane was old with uncomfortable seats. Once the person in front put his seat back you were completely restricted and could not extend your seat fully. The seats were not great. The staff were very good and friendly and so was the food. All in all they did make up for the sub-standard equipment. The IFE was almost non existent. The airline has a long way to go.

BKK - CMB. Terrible experience before even checking in. They cancelled our flight two weeks before departure without even offering an apology just a terse email. Had to ring customer service to get new e-tickets. They moved us onto a later flight and then when we got to the airport they told us they had over booked the flight and we would have to come back tomorrow. No discussions or compensation offered. After much complaining they finally admitted that there were a few seats left and let us check-in. Planes are old. Seats uncomfortable and my partners in-flight entertainment system didn't even work. Avoid.

Flight back from Colombo to Frankfurt 5th January 2014 we arrived at the airport 3 hours before departure. Check-in at all counters was very slow We waited more than 1 hour and when it was out turn we were told the flight was over booked and there were no seats for us! We got the information about 1 hour before departure. On our flight to Frankfurt there were 8 people on standby and the flight to London and to Sydney was over booked. We finally got a plane at 2 am to London and arrived in Frankfurt the late afternoon instead of 5 am.

CMB-MLE Business. Had bought two coach tickets and bid for a Business upgrade which was confirmed several days prior to departure. The CMB SriLankan Lounge is newly refurbished and had an amazing buffet. The older A340-300 had about 35 paxs and 6 of us in Business. The cabin is a little dated but clean. A nice breakfast menu was handed out for this 1.5 hour flight to Male. Food was good not exceptional. No inflight entertainment was available. Colombo is a great stopping point to spend a few nights before heading to Male. Arriving in the late morning allows for day arrival connections to the islands. Look forward to SriLankan becoming a member of OneWorld.

DXB-CMB-BKK KUL-CMB-BKK. A real variety with the seats and IFE but consistent in excellent service and food. DXB-CMB on A320. AVOD but seats not comfortable. CMB-BKK on an A330 with AVOD and pod like sleeper seats. KUL-CMB on a A340 with cradle seats and no AVOD. CMB-DXB on an A330 new flat seats (more flat than other A330) but no AVOD. Online check in didn't work so took 15-20mins checking in each time. Only given Bvlgari amenity bag on DXB- CMB. Would fly again but plan for A330.

Had an excellent Business class return flight COK-CMB-MCT on 29 November 2013. COK-CMB sector with a new A320 with Flew A320 SIN-CMB followed by an A330 CMB-CDG in business. A320 seats mildly comfy but the A330 seats are excellent (being ex Emirates). IFE is limited on UL but adequate enough. Amenity packs are basic but I never get excited by them so were OK by me. Food looks good on paper but average in reality. Drinks are OK. Service is very patchy the FA's try but this is an airline from the third world and service reflects this. NB: no noise cancelling headsets (or sleeper suits/pyjamas) so if this is important to you bring your own. If space on a budget is what you want I think Sri Lankan will please. If you want to be blown away by service and luxury pay the extra and fly with a legacy or middle eastern carrier.

I flew from Singapore via Colombo to Frankfurt in Business Class - this was my first B-Class flight - the flight was excellent service and food exceptional and top value for money. I shall be back!

Had an excellent Business class return flight COK-CMB-MCT on 29 November 2013. COK-CMB sector with a new A320 with IFE and CMB-MCT an old A320 which has no IFE but provided an IPad. Seats not fully reclining but very comfortable. Crew very polite attentive and pleasing and full of energy to serve the passengers with their warm welcome. Choice of tasty food and quality beverages but no amenity kit provided on the CMB-MCT night flight. Cabin and Toilet very clean and tidy. On time performance. Announcement from the Cockpit were clear and audible. COK Business Lounge (Earth Lounge) very average but at CMB the Serendib Lounge is well maintained food is adequately stocked but good selection of beverages. Lounge toilets are spotlessly clean and well maintained at CMB. Only one charging point for laptop Wifi connection. Other internet available are either very slow or cannot access. Apart from minor points overall an excellent experience with SriLankan airlines and will fly again.

LHR-CMB. Planes are dated worn and seats could be more comfortable. reasonable selection of films on the inflight entertainment screens were viewable but the image quality not great.

Excellent service at business class desk in Colombo lounge too busy. But ok. On board excellent service better than many 1st class services. Excellent food and attention to service the inflight entertainment was poor but it is on British Airways. The wash bag was excellent but on arrival at London nobody knew about the car service which was booked. Excellent flat beds on board.