Review of SriLankan Airlines; flying from Mumbai to Colombo and back

By Riddhi Doshi

As a travel writer and an avid explorer, I can’t stress enough the importance of choosing the right airlines. If you are on a cramped aeroplane with inattentive, rude staff, seats that don’t recline, screens that don’t work and bad food, you will end up spending a couple of days just recovering from a stiff back or an upset stomach. Add to it, the damning effects of jet lag.

Just like you, even I used to always opt for the cheapest flights. But, over time, I have realized that that’s just being penny-wise and pound-foolish. Let me explain. You might save, say, Rs.5,000 on flying in an uncomfortable aeroplane, but end up spending more money by wasting a day at your destination just recovering from a bad flight.

So, always choose carefully. My husband and I flew SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, for our recent trip to the island nation. We were on a late flight out that reached Sri Lanka at about 5 am. That’s a good time to reach Colombo, especially if you are going to be travelling to any of the tourist hot spots such as Galle, Candy or Yala. All of these places are about three to five hours away by road, which means that you reach your destination in time for the hotel check-in time and start exploring the place right away. No day wasted. On our way back, we took the early evening flight, again a convenient option because you don’t have to kill too many hours at the airport after checking out from your hotel.

Check-in
Our check-in process at the Mumbai airport was way slower than at Colombo during our return. The Colombo airport has several SriLankan Airlines counters including the self-check-in kiosks, which make the entire process of getting a boarding pass to checking in your luggage so much easier and faster. If you follow the instructions right, you are done in 15 minutes flat. Even the airline staff at the Sri Lankan outpost are smarter and more efficient than in Mumbai. They know how to operate these machines well and are happy to assist you with any problems or queries you might have. Their aim is to get the travellers to check in as soon as possible, which is great. That gives you enough time to explore the Colombo airport.

The airport experience
The SriLankan Airlines gate in Mumbai is located close to most shops and cafes at the Colombo airport. There are tea shops, souvenir shops, spices shops and cafes selling pizzas, burgers, Sri Lankan food and more. It’s easy to pass your time here. Plus, there is free WiFi.

Flight seats
The airplane that flies from Mumbai to Colombo has the 2-4-2 seat configuration in its economy class, but has decent leg space, and gives good support, to your back and your head. They also give pillows and blankets. We were lucky to fly in a relatively empty aeroplane. I had all four seats to myself, which helped me lie flat throughout the 2.5-hour flight. The business class seemed to have much wider seats and better leg space, of course, but I am not too sure if the seats stretch out completely, letting one lie flat on it.

Food
The simple rice and curry with a dessert and some curd made for a filling meal. The best part, though, was the generous serving of the aromatic Ceylon tea. It felt nice to sip on the warm drink on a late-night flight. They also had a limited selection of wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages, but as a teetotaler, I didn’t pay much attention to it.

Entertainment
This is one area where the airline needs work. The system looked quite old. The movie menu was limited and not very interesting. The earphones were also not of great quality. That said, I found their safety instruction video very entertaining. It’s animated featuring cute characters that compels you to see the entire video. Now, that’s a rare and a big win.

The final verdict
But overall, it was a good experience. The flight crew is courteous. Our checked-in bags were unscathed and were at the conveyer belt as soon as we got there. Plus, the seats were better than most domestic airlines of India, and they served warm meals and gave clean, comfortable blankets. The amazing Ceylon tea, though, is the biggest winner.

Samida Perera, Head of Marketing, SriLankan Airlines, tells me that they are already working on providing a better flying experience and better connectivity to Indian travellers who currently make up the highest number of tourists visiting Sri Lanka. In this short interview, he answers a few important questions for Ivorystation.

How many cities in India do SriLankan Airlines operate from currently?

Currently, the airline operates 97 weekly flights out of nine cities in India. 25 flights a week from Chennai, double daily flights out of Mumbai, daily flights out of Trichy, five flights a week from Madurai, 10 flights a week from Cochin, six flights a week from Trivandrum, five flights a week from Hyderabad, double daily flights from New Delhi and 11 flights from Bengaluru.

Pre-pandemic, the Airline operated over 100 flights a week from India, and, as we look ahead for a range of additions to our fleet, we will certainly look at restoring our pre-pandemic numbers.

What are the airlines’ plans to attract more Indian fliers?

As a prime promoter of Sri Lanka’s inbound tourism, our network in India has largely helped the country’s tourism development efforts, to the extent that India has remained the number one tourism source market for Sri Lanka. We intend to capitalize on this advantage and continue to pitch Sri Lanka as an all-encompassing destination, which has a multitude of experiences, from its rich culture to ecology and cuisine to metropolitan charms. See here.

Above all, our messaging has always given so much emphasis to the trademark hospitality that one gets to enjoy in Sri Lanka, which is very much inherent and second to none. This is the single most characteristic that has sealed Sri Lanka’s profile as a getaway—from the deep west to the farthest east, time and again, travellers have sought these shores simply for this reason.

Are there any plans to fly into and out of new countries this year?

Our focus is to strengthen our fleet, which will pave the way for us to proceed with the planned network expansions. Currently, our network spans across Europe to Australia. Once we have the desired fleet of aircraft, we will look at fortifying our presence in our familiar markets, of course, with the inclusion of India, and then look at adding new countries/ destinations.

How was 2023 for the airlines’ business?

In the context of recovery, 2023 was a year to remember in terms of the progress that we have made in restoring our frequencies. In comparison to the last three, or four years, 2023 had no major glitches that compromised our operations, which means, we could fly more passengers, and operate more flights compared to the last few years.

What other changes are in the pipeline for the airlines in terms of service, food & beverage offerings, check-in and entertainment?

Fleet fortification would be the key to our plans, and with it comes the intended service and product enhancements across the network. Our inherent care and hospitality will continue to be the trademark feature of our service.