SriLankan Airlines

I have flown Sri Lankan many times and had little to complain about. However this flight was a nightmare. I flew from Colombo to LHR and back. The entertainment system was not working properly (No Volume). This I brought to the notice of the cabin crew member who changed my headset 3 times with no result. Then I was told that the flight was full and that if they could not get the system working it was "hard luck" which is not the answer I expected. I managed to get it working by gently kicking the box under the front seat which I know now is something to do with the entertainment system. I usually stay awake on my flight to London as it helps me to overcome jetlag when in London. However due to this I was always trying to sleep as the entertainment system kept malfunctioning and as a result had a lousy stay in London for the 1st 2 days. The food too was not what it was and was mediocre. However ignoring the reply I got regarding the entertainment system the service was very good. The aircraft's need to be changed as they are old and this was the case on my return flight as well. All in all I see a deterioration in the quality that was offered by Sri Lankan and gives me the indication that I need to look at other options. Another issue is the price of the tickets fluctuate greatly which is not the case with other better known airlines.

London to Colombo return airbus 330-200. Aircraft's were a bit tired but clean and on time. Seats are hard and uncomfortable and beware the window seats with IFE underneath in boxes if you are tall. Food is average and service slow. Return flight: Inflight entertainment did not work for window seat or aisle passengers in many cases - tried to get cabin crew to fix this- eventually it was done but very late. First choice meals for second meal ran out and some did not get a meal for a long time while crew ran around trying to find something for them to eat. To be fair our particular cabin crew were very polite and helpful. Both flights full.

Our flight from Heathrow to Colombo was without doubt the worst flight experience I have had. I don't sleep on long haul flights so distractions and entertainment are absolutely essential for me. It soon became apparent that there was a problem with our system in our window side seats with the entertainment system we alerted a cabin crew member who said they would reset the system no follow up communication was received and the system still did not work and after food had been served staff were not very visible and as the flight deck also operates the call button this was not an option either as it was not working. Eventually a second flight attendant was alerted and again we were told that it would be reset again nothing was done. A third member of staff was told of this and yet again nothing was said or explained to us. 9 hours had passed during this time and I was going stir crazy no sleep and not even able to read as the controls also operate the reading light. Eventually it was time for our second meal and we made one last attempt to resolve the problem and this time the staff member had the guts to admit that it was not working and would not do so for the flight and that several other people were affected as well. 11 hour flight with no entertainment whatsoever no way to read or call a flight attendant they were rarely present between meals and the only way to get there attention was hope someone else used the call button. No offer of refreshments between meals and fairly surly staff this is not acceptable treatment for human beings trapped in a metal tube for such long periods of time and should be taken very seriously by the Airline. I was praying that it would be over and have never been so relieved or eager to leave an Aircraft. In defence all of our short flights were fine and the return flight from Colombo to Heathrow was such a staggering opposite to the original that I find it hard to believe that they are the same airline unfortunately the first experience was too terrible.

We travelled from Singapore to Colombo and then onto London. The shorter flights were older planes but still comfortable. The long flights both ways had lie flat seats and we all slept for about 5 hours perfectly comfortable. One of the planes had on demand TV the other you had to wait for movies to start but it was fine. Where they really excelled was their food and service the food was very good and served very nicely and they also changed the choices around for my daughter. They put us up in a hotel on our return transit through Colombo so it was very easy. Much better than Qantas business class and for about a third of the price on our dates.

Flew LHR-CMB. A330-200. I was apprehensive about my trip after reading reviews on this airline. I needn't have worried. Check in at LHR was very efficient the only time I have ever been able to have a joke and laugh with the staff at check in. Boarding was slightly late but flight still left exactly on time. Being over 6" I had an aisle seat a lot of legroom for an economy seat! Encountered turbulence over the Channel staff were very good at dealing with passengers that clearly did not understand what the Seatbelt Sign meant. Amazing food followed by a very comfortable sleep the cabin heat was turned up to make it very cosy for a night flight. IFE is very dated but you can live with it Sri Lankan are supposedly updating during next year. Landing was an hour early and baggage was ready for collection very promptly. A very pleasant experience and looking forward to the return!

Flew BOM-PVG and PEK-BOM with a stopover in Colombo. We were very pleased with the level of service with SriLankan. All flights were on time and the aircraft were okay. Seats were pretty comfortable. Meals were adequate although some combinations of food were a little odd. Inflight entertainment was joke with very poor sound and picture quality. The toilets on the plane were regularly cleaned and the attendants made sure that they were well stocked. Would I fly with this airline again yes especially for the price I paid. FA's were very attentive and friendly.

Flew from Bangalore to Bangkok via Colombo and Back. On the Bangalore-Colombo-Bangalore sector food was pathetic portions very small and no drinks served. Sad considering it is an international sector too. From Colombo- Bangkok-Colombo food was good aircraft old and only wine and beer were served - no other alcohol. Flights were on time and their 30Kgs baggage allowance is a bonus. Considering I am over 6' tall I found the seats comfortable and legroom good. Not a bad airline considering I found the food better than Emirates. Only complaint I had was that the gates on the ground floor lacked air-conditioning seating capacity and was stuffy and sweaty.

Pittsburgh-Toronto-Ottawa-Frankfurt-Colombo-Heathrow-Toronto. Also included as part of our itinerary was Colombo- Trichy-Colombo. The SriLankan code share flights A340/A330 were old. The A320s used for short hauls are not that bad. The hospitality used to be very good few years back but now standards have dropped quite badly. The most annoying thing was that I pre-booked for AVML throughout my entire journey but it came with an absolute shocker in two separate instances. I was offered beef salad along with AVML main course on my way to Colombo. The cabin crew were rude in their behaviour. On my return the same thing happened chicken or fish salad was served along with AVML. Despite those incidents the AVML tasted good. I hope the airlines would take better measures and educate cabin crew on respecting the beliefs of its customers or at least keep them informed of what's being offered them.

On my return leg my opinion has completely changed. LHR-CMB-SIN. I will never fly them again customer service is the worst I have come across. I am yet to see a lie flat bed delays mean that I am out of pocket the lounge simply does not rate. My care factor of this airline is the same as the care factor shown to passengers - absolute zero. I get better service from no frill airlines!

LHR-CMB-MLE-CMB-LHR. Very old and dated aircraft entertainment old style loop system. My remote control was broken so couldn't play any games notified crew who didn't care didn't even write down/look at seat number. Terrible service both ways. Outbound - the cabin wasn't even a quarter full yet still had our meals thrown at us and not even offered anything to drink just given a very small glass of water. Crew seemed more concerned with getting to crew rest (curtained off passenger seats at the back). Inbound - even worse service than outbound! Asked for a veg meal was told there wasn't any yet the crew member on the other aisle was handing out plenty of veg meals. Basically there wasn't a veg meal available for me! Were not given bread like everyone else had to ask for it. During drinks service asked for a sprite was given a glass decanted from a standard sized can. Other passengers around us were bring given the whole can. Safety onboard is almost as bad as the customer service. Seatbelt sign went on numerous times for turbulence and numerous times this was completely ignored by most passengers. Crew didn't say anything and were not enforcing it. Completely undermines the pilots why bother putting it on in the first place! Also flight from MLE-CMB there was no cabin crew sat at either of the third set of exit doors!