Why you should consider flying with SriLankan Airlines
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The airlines of a country define it in the global aviation market and bring in visitors from all parts of the world. One such airline is SriLankan Airlines – the flag carrier of Sri Lanka and a part of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is currently the largest airline of the island country and operates flights to 114 destinations across 48 countries around the world.
Over the years, it has undergone a huge transfer of ownership. Initially named Air Lanka, the airline was taken over by the Emirates partially in 1998. After that, in 2008, the Sri Lankan government took over, integrating it as their national entity. Although it was thoroughly rebranded during the takeover by Emirates, the national government did not make any considerable changes in its logo and livery. Since then, it has been one of the top airlines of the country.
The primary airport is located at Bandaranaike International Airport near Colombo, which is also the point of entry to Sri Lanka for foreigners. The airline currently operates a fleet of 26 sophisticated aircraft which includes the following:
- Airbus A330 (long haul) – 13
- Airbus A320/A321 (medium haul) – 13
Their livery is pretty simple and aimed at promoting tourism in Sri Lanka by using a related slogan on the underbelly of the aircraft. If you are traveling to or from Sri Lanka and looking for reasons to choose SriLankan Airlines, here are some listed below:
Great connectivity
One of the main features of SriLankan Airlines is its large fleet that connects to a number of destinations worldwide. The airline connects directly to 40 destinations through an online network, and codeshare with other airlines, including Air Canada, Air India, American Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Japan Airlines, and Malaysian Airlines to name a few, to take the number up to 48 countries. This is definitely a pretty healthy number for an airline to have. In fact, the largest connectivity of flights from Sri Lanka to India is through this airline service itself.
Cabin services
Like any other reputable airlines, SriLankan Airlines offers air travel packages to almost all the financial strata of the society. By moderating the prices, the airline caters to Economy Class as well as Business Class travelers across the globe. Seats in the Business Class are flatbed with a width of 19.5 inches and can be reclined to 180 degrees to converts them into a 79 inches-long bed. Each seat comes with a personal 15-inches IFE system. An upgrade to the modern Thales Avant IFE will be available in the newer fleets that are to be launched.
Seating arrangements
Airbus 330 has a 1-2-1 arrangement which makes sure that everyone has aisle access, something that is desired by most passengers. The A320 and A321 aircraft have a 2-2 layout which that offers extra space and reclining ability with the pitch ranging from 39 to 49 degrees. The Economy Class has a comfortable seating arrangement as well, whether it is the wide-bodied or narrow-bodied one. There is also the provision for paid access to the Internet and mobile telephone.
Entertainment
This is particularly important in long-distance flights and Srilankan Airlines understands the need pretty well. Entertainment is necessary to keep passengers occupied during the flight. The variants A320-321 and the A330 have the conventional RAVE ZODIAC type of entertainment service while the newer aircraft like the Neo Fleets have the Thales in-flight entertainment system. Also, in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity is available through OnAir. In fact, this Wi-Fi connectivity is the first of its kind in any aircraft in South Asia.
Food and catering
The kind of food and catering service that is provided is also instrumental for the reputation of an airline. This is completely handled by SriLankan Catering Limited, the company that is closely associated with the airlines and has its head office at Bandaranaike International Airport. Initially, when the airline was launched, there was a brief collaboration with Thai Airlines.
However, the deal lapsed with time and Air Lanka Catering service took over and got renamed ultimately. The SriLankan Catering Service can cater 25000 meals a day making it highly efficient in serving the best food to all its customers.
Frequent flyers benefits
People who frequently fly with SriLankan Airlines are entitled to many benefits. Although initially, the tie-up was with Emirates, the association died down and the airline shifted to a FlySmiLes system. After the airline became a member of Oneworld – the airline alliance, the benefits increased and became applicable for other airlines that had similar membership.
Overall, SriLankan Airlines seems to be scoring big in all the aspects of great hospitality and comfortable flights making it the airline of choice for passengers travelling to Sri Lanka.
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