Journey: London to Colombo – Sri Lankan Airlines – Economy
THE FLIGHT: On December 27 2019 at 20.40 I flew from LHR Terminal 3 to Colombo, Sri Lanka, on their A330-300.
CHECK IN: Check in was quick and efficient. The member of staff was very polite and helpful – they went above and beyond to change our initial seats to put my husband and I next to each other.
THE SERVICE: I was welcomed onboard by mainly female cabin crew wearing their traditional saris with the exotic turquoise peacock design and bare midriffs. The staff were all smiles and very attentive throughout the flight.
THE CATERING: Supper was served soon after take off. The meal included a salad followed by a choice of main dishes: Jaffna chicken curry, with curried vegetable and ghee tempered rice, salmon fillet with dill cream sauce or a vegetarian option. We opted for the non veg-options, both great flavours.
Breakfast was served just before landing: fresh fruit, yoghurt and a choice of omelette with chicken sausage, Kiribath – Sri Lankan style milk rice – with fish curry and Seeni Sambal (onion relish), or a veg option, potato white curry again with Seeni Sambal and string hopper pilaf. I chose the first option and was very happy with my decision. Kiribath is a must, reminds me of rice pudding (not so sweet) but with a curry on top!
RETURN JOURNEY: Our flight home on January 12 was at 2.20 am, but we were kindly offered lounge access. Considering it was so late, the lounge was surprisingly busy but there was plenty of space to relax, read, watch TV or use the quiet area. There was a good range of food: fruit, salads, curries and an open bar. We also took up their offer of a 15-minute Ayurvedic foot massage. Perfect, before a long flight, to help with the circulation.
THE VERDICT: The plane itself was a little tired, and the seats were quite hard for a long flight. Legroom in Economy was just about sufficient. There was a very good choice of films on the IFE system, but I could not get the news channels to work. However, these were the only issues, and overall it was an enjoyable flight with excellent service.
srilankan.com