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Sri Lankan airlines is falling apart not because of the crisis. It's falling apart because of the mismanagement and politicians (previous regime) putting so much staff, making their loyal stealing deal making dumbasses as the management. Right now it's a burden to the tax payers. I don't want it to go down but I'd rather see it in the hands of the Lankan private sector owning it. To fix those flights would just mean spending the little dollars we have on a Lossing game.
Seriously? They kept me 3 hours inside an aircraft due to delay [ with covid risk ] and 1 hour in the airport 🛫 The customer service manager wrote to me saying , she doesn't see the inconvenience 😀😀😃😄 so myself and my staff 29 people, now fly Emirates, that's 29 tickets per quarter 😀
Correct. I flew with UL 454 and 455 a few months ago and was very sad about their poor service. No welcome towels, or hot towels. when it comes to meals no salt and pepper come with meals. inside, the flight seat covers look very old and dull. but the flight crew was friendly.at least I was happy about that.
A wide smile with the most welcoming warmth wishing you a long life as you board an aircraft, it just doesn’t get any better than that. Specially when it’s Sri Lankan food on board, you literally experience culture and flavour in a single bite. With that welcoming music playing in the background, or the inflight entertainment documentaries of what Sri Lanka has to offer as a paradise island, you literally feel that you already step a foot in Sri Lanka before you even arrive to Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan’s are the warmest human beings I ever got to experience. Called this tear drop southern Asian paradise island home for almost 3 years and have the best memories there. With all that I had to say, I’m far from giving it justice, both the airline as a passenger experience and the country. I extremely recommend visiting Sri Lanka.
As a crew I prefer pax coming to galley if they can. Then we don’t disturb other pax with walking two or three times in the isle, this of course after the service.
Especially annoying for passengers sitting at the aisle ... On a 3 seat configuration I tend to sit aisle seat and after coming back from SFO two weeks ago I had a visible bruise on my shoulder from constantly getting bumped into by the crew members ...
I love the service on Sri Lankan Airlines. The staff are so lovely. I took the 10hr flight from Colombo to Melbourne twice on economy. The seats weren't that great, but the food and service made up for it.
I find it totally unacceptable that people can damage an airlines reputation by using purposeful misrepresentation to get views. Thank you Josh for giving honest reviews, great video as always. Viel Spaß
Hmm, I thought this video was very much made by a man talking from a home turf perspective. Sri Lanka is in a horrible mess at the moment. Was Josh a little scared to actually speak negatively about the government? Just saying.
16 isn't that bad. British Airways operate a lot of much older planes on their short haul and domestic routes. Quite a number of 20+ year old planes in their fleet.
When I saw the title, I thought the video would be about Czech Airlines 😄 One of the oldest airlines in the world, which just last week sold the last aircraft which they still owned and they are now operating with ONE leased A320. Which is sad because next year it'll be the 100 years anniversary of this airline 🇨🇿
I’ve never flown Sri Lanka- but have worked with many of its wonderful people and they have all been polite, generous, good people, so I am not surprised their service is good. Thank you so much for making these videos, just wonderful 👍
Really hope Sri Lankan gets the necessary budget to refleet......sadly due to the current state of the country's finances,it's not a top priority. Lanka REALLY need to recover the loot stolen by their political thieves.....
I actually flew on this airline on a 45 minute flight A320 from Madurai (India) to Colombo (Sri lanka) and then a 4 hour flight on an A330 200 from Colombo (Sri lanka) to Dubai (UAE) and it was really great and amazing. I also found out about the economical crisis from my mother on the 45 min flight and I was so sad.
As a flight attendant I am ok if passengers use the call bell or approach the galley as long as they are polite! For my particular airline you can order snacks and drinks from your IFE and we respond accordingly from the galley. Great vlog Josh!
As a cabin crew I prefer when passengers como to the galley, but if you don’t want to bother your fellow pax, it is a good idea to use the call bell . As long as you do not abuse it as if you were transmitting a Morse code signal 😂 ( unless if it is an emergency) .But to be honest either way I will attend you because it is part of my job.😊
Does it bother you when people get chatty with you when come to galley? I’m one of those chatty people, if the crew isn’t busy that is lol. I carry a few Starbucks gift cards with me when I fly to hand out to anyone that I see is going above and beyond to make any part of the flying experience more fun for us passengers. It’s normally a FA that takes the time to talk to me that gets a card but I have wondered if y’all would just prefer if we get our coffee and water and go away instead of trying to strike up a conversation with you in the galley?
@@Coldinwis I love when people chat to me but I know that not all my colleagues appreciate it. If you bring as a gift as a token of appreciation you’ll be treated like a Queen 😉. Honestly, thank you so much for your kindness and appreciation. You are always welcome to my galley 😀
Thanks for the response!! Hopefully some day I’ll end up in yours!! Thanks for all you do for us passengers, you got a job I’m super jealous of yet never want to do😂 Have a wonderful weekend!!
Brings back so many beautiful memories 💗 Beautiful crew, world class service, amazing hospitality. I was blessed to be a part of this airline when it was known as AirLanka. 💗💗💗💗💗
I traveled with them business class from London to KL and they were fantastic, I was impressed and normally travel with Qatar. My flight was in July 2022
If nothing else, they should refurbish the cabins, which would be more cost effective and allow them another 5-10 years of service on their older jets. I just flew Sri Lankan for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and aside from delay, the service was great on board.
I flew from Paris to Colombo in the business class and back to Paris in economy with Sri Lankan airlines last summer and that was way better than my flight with Emirates tbh. The food was top notch and I loved the hospitality. It was really enjoyable.
Thanks a lot Josh for this fantastic video,as a crew I don't mind the call buttons but any passenger that volunteer to come to the galley for a request will certainly receive a Royal treatment from me because I appreciate such efforts a lot
As a crew I appreciate that you highlight the call bell! 😅 I’m just like you mention, very understanding for people seated by a window or squeezed in, however if you’re on the last seat and with aisle access I don’t see any reason to call us instead of coming and having a little chat AND get some movement during the flight. A bit annoying is the people calling, asking what they need, you bring it and you come back and they be like “with ice” - if you’re lucky they add a please 😁 Great channel Josh, I enjoy every upload.
Man I couldn't agree more with ur review sadly our politicians won't understand it. U were right about everything and big thanks for visiting Sri Lanka and ur support 🙏❤️
Actually 9/10 times, the call bells are the flight attendants in the aisle doing cart service, trying to get the flight attendants in the galleys attention. Since they don’t have a phone in the middle of the plane to communicate, it’s the quickest way to get the back FAs attention. Sometimes to bring them more hot water, sometimes for ice, sodas they ran out of, etc.
Im a srilankan. But im not choosing this airline. Its not comfortable 😑 you can choos fly to srilanka. Qatar airways, Emirates, Etihad or Singapore airlines
I flew srilankan airlines few days ago and also had a good time with them. In my case, returning back cushions in the seats were getting removed might be due to low maintenance but nothing bothersome.
I think its about time you flew Economy much more often - flying Business, even on a poor airline, will always give a better image. For the majority of travellers who fly Economy, your experiences are very different from theirs. A true image of an airline is only gained by comparing Economy seats & packages - I doubt those passengers enjoyed a meal as good as yours and might well have a very different conclusion.
@@mingomo They do, but few travellers use premium - its about time that travel vids like this did more for ordinary travellers to see how the different airlines actually operate for the masses, not the elite travellers.
The thing is Sri lankan air lines is it is getting billions of loss every year. As it is owned by the government all those losses have to be bared by Sri lankan citizens.
I've never appreciated Sri Lankan Airlines cabin crew before , i was told they have a bad attitude and bad service So i had that idea embedded into my head , But i flew to London few days ago with Srilankan Airlines and to be honest the crew was amazing plus their service ,I regret not asking the Senior stewardesses name ,she used to go to each parent with a baby and hold the baby till the mother or father finishes their meals, I kept on observing her and other crew throughout the journey and they were really nice and brought us anything we asked for ,However the scenario was totally different when i took Air Canada from UK to Montreal ,the crew had a attitude issue ,i was dying in thirst and asked a cup of water but the crew told me she will give it to me during the meal service and the girl who was two seats infront of me who seemed like a Canadian citizen asked for headphones and the male crew told her, she will not need it because she will sleep throughout the journey ,i was really shocked and surprised to see this because all this time i thought the local service was really terrible and other Airlines does it better,
Totally true don’t fly with Sri Lankan airlines. I booked a ticket for London. They didn’t let me get on board due to the seats are full and I had to pay a fine and buy another ticket. But I must say Sri Lankans are super friendly and kind.
I flew the previous incarnation of Sri Lankan Airlines. It's sad what the country has been through as well as the airline. I booked a fabulous flight ticketed by Air Lanka from London Heathrow to Chennai Meenambakkam via Columbo The flight staff treated my friend and I and the entire economy class like VIPs. I hope things get better for them.
Flight to Melbourne UL 604 does not stop at an Indian Airport anymore for refueling. It was the case in July/August but its no longer the case. They fly directly to the destinations. We flew BOM-CMB-MEL in July and we had a stopover at Trivandrum for refueling. Other than a couple of hours of extra flying time, everything was great including cabin crew and their behaviour.
I first flew Sri Lanka in the 1980s to Dubai which was always fantastic out of Gatwick. used to be fun flying out in November because of fog in Dubai. quite often plane was in Kuwait because it could not land in Dubai which meant plane over 12 hours late getting to Gatwick. the cabin crew was great in calming any anger there was. used to fly Sri Lanka about twice a year to Colombo 2000 - 2010 to India via Colombo. always perfect. on one occasion in there was trouble in Iraq so flow via Urals and Pakistan. there was a lot or air turbulence which made many of us sick. once again brilliant way crew looked after us. never missed a bit. my only problem had was the uncontrolled screaming kids but crew quickly sorted that out.
I’ve never used the call bell in my life. I drink a lot of water and coffee on my flights & most of my flights are 8-16 hrs of being cramped in economy. I struggle with bad leg veins so I need to get up and walk around to try to prevent clots and those many trips to the galley give me a chance to sometimes find a really friendly FA which I absolutely love.
Last month we flew London to Sri Lanka, then Sri Lanka to Male, then the same in reverse a couple weeks later, so 4 Sri Lankan flights in total all in economy. Can’t complain too much other than the planes were old. The staff were very friendly and everything went smoothly
I’d prefer call bell to the galley, because people think it is their space. You can use the galley all you want as long as you don’t assume it is your space like so many passengers do.
I think United has older A320s that are better maintained. I think it's more about the standards than pure age. You should know that even planes only 2 years old can still look like it's falling apart after constant *cough* (vistara) *cough* usage and little opportunity for maintenance or proper cleaning.....
Great video as always Josh! It is sad to see how Sri Lankan is today compared to 15 years ago. That said, its good that privatizing the airline is being actively looked at - maybe a fleet overhaul would follow, fingers crossed! looking forward to watching your next video. Stay safe in your travels.
As someone who flew the airline as a kid.... I can say it looks similar, and I feel nostalgia just seeing the Sri Lankan airport.... and climbing into the plane c:..... Yet my experiences on their airline have usually only been fun as a kid, and enjoyable as a teen... the food always hits as a black kid with Sri Lankan parents
As a passenger, I prefer to got to the galley, because espacially when you sit on a window seat its often very difficult to talk to the crew member who is standing on the aisle
A cabin being dated isn't necessarily an indication that flight safety is compromised. In fact safety-wise SriLankan has been having a very good record and IMO not at all comparable to Lion Air. SriLankan has a long way to go in upgrading their hard product and sorting out their issues, but it's admirable how the ground staff have been keeping things safe thus far.
@@udarasamarasinghe8811 Thanks for the confidence boost......I am about to go on a long haul flight with them in the next 48 hours......I don't mind if they can't feed me and I don't mind if the cabin is old......I just want to know they regularly mantain their planes......That is all I care about.
@@karenmbbaxter If you flying Lion air long haul, you are probably flying to Saudi. My wife flew to Saudi last month for pilgrimage, and mentioned the aircraft was clean, with no issues, though they do pack you in tight. My wife is a small woman, so it wasn't an issue, but if you are western or very tall, you might be in need of a few walks up and down the isle to stretch out. Enjoy the Mosque
I would rank my experiences with these airlines as follows 1. Lufthansa 2. Spice Jet 3. Indigo (which i missed from my earlier list) 4. Vistara 5. Air Canada 6. Air India
Good luck in Sri Lanka . I was booked to go here with the wife and in the April someone blew up the hotel. Shame as it was our 2nd visit and was looking forward. Needless to say we ended up in Antigua.
Have to agree with Simon Parsons, a 16/17 year old aircraft is really not that old, as long as it,s properly maintained, especially mechanically.!!! They can fly for donkeys if that is done. Good video JC.
Great vid Josh! I prefer to not press "the button" but flag down an attendant & ask them to come by when they are not busy. Its much appreciated. Above 10k feet can be very busy at the start too...
They're a great airline with amazing crew. I agree, the fleet needs investment but hopefully as things get better, they will get some new orders placed.
Hello Josh, good to watch your flight video from Colombo to Delhi on Sri Lankan. I used to be a frequent flyer of Sri Lankan since 1990; That time it was Air Lanka. Anyway, I agree with your review with regards to the aircrafts. It's high time they seriously consider getting new planes or at least not so old aircrafts like the one you flew. If I remember correctly there was a time when they had partnership with Emirates, they had pretty new aircrafts. Unfortunately they broke up with Emirates and were doing business independently. But I could see the decline. As you said the crew and the service are excellent (except for very few unfriendly cabin crew!!!) But they need to get new aircrafts. They used to give hotel accommodation to transit passengers which I used to enjoy. Unfortunately not any more I guess. (I haven't flown Sri Lankan since the covid restrictions started)fAs you suggested if they take a bold step to privatise the airlines, certainly they can continue to provide better service by improving the business itself with new aircrafts. Hope the top-guns will give serious thoughts about it and salvage their flag carrier!
Great trip review - however I couldn't disagree more with your statement that a 'renewal fleet is overdue if they want to compete with the other oneworld carriers' and that the 'aircraft is a dinosaur'. This would also be a statement rejected by aviation industry professionals. What may be needed is a refurbishment of the cabins - but the age of the planes/fleet has no correlation with their standing as compared to other airlines let alone the soundness of their financial situation. Many airlines operate aircraft which are significantly older - but yet they are excellently maintained. British airways operates the 777's with an average age of 23 years. Or take a look Austrian airlines (different alliance - but same point) where some of their long haul aircraft are more than 25 years old). I can assure you their aircraft are thousand times better than Sri Lankan airlines, purely because their cabins have been refurbished. But the fleet itself hasn't been renewed (meaning they haven't renewed their fleet by buying new aircraft, they have merely updated their cabins/i.e. soft product etc). Look at Lufthansa, Swiss, Edelweiss and you will see the same. Sri Lankan airlines is haemorrhaging money for many reasons thanks to reckless politicians who have mismanaged it (due to greed, nepotism, favouritism etc). The sooner it goes private, and the sooner it can cut its losses the better, as it is an incredible burden on its tax payers many of who have never been and possibly will never be able to fly on their own flag carrier.
Enjoy your vids Josh, but the title of this one is a bit dramatic. A 16.5 yo. airplane is neither old or uncompetitive. What the airline does to refresh it's interior config. and service offerings matter more. Yes, newer airplanes would provide an updated hard product but Sri Lankan could do that without acquiring new aircraft.
The staff on these flights from Sri Lankan airlines are amazing. They always go above and beyond to assist and give you the best possible experience, hwoever i agree Its time that Sri Lankan Airlines gets privatised as this will then hopefully get them back on to equal level playing field with other airlines in the region.
Fun fact: after Air Deccan and Kingfisher Airlines, this aircarft 4RMRE used to be operated by government owned Mihin Lanka which ceased operations in 2016.
Great and honest video Josh, many thanks. My partner and I flew to Faro in Portugal and back recently in British Airways Club Europe and were pretty disappointed with their offerings. Two 21-year-old and second/third hand A320s which looked badly in need of refurbishment (previously operated by Brazilian airlines). The food was not very appetising either, and they'd run out of some food options with only a vegetable curry available (not everyone's cup of tea). The cabin crew working in Club Europe were, however, friendly and helpful.
I too do not like to bother the staff aboard the aircraft. Usually they are 2 steps ahead of me and will get to me as soon as they can. Looking forward to your next vlog. Happy travels.
Hi josh, it's really appreciate for the excellent feedback of our National carrier. Wanna do small corrections 1. 4R - MRE was giving her service to "Mihin lanka"( Srilankan Budget carrier) after "Deccan" since 2011 to 2017. 2. Regarding the crew behavior is perfectly other way around to the local.pssengers flying in EY cabin😖 3. Crew selection mostly happing with political influences so 80% of the crew is not in the perfect cabin crew profile I was a cabin crew / purser for 15 yrs and not happy with the above mentioned point no 2 & 3.
We always travel as a couple so it's always a window or middle seat. To not disturb our isle seat mate definitely the bell. If there's no one there then a little walk is always good.
Hey Josh please come back to pakistan..Im a Serbian and pakistani airlines are very interesting.. And btw I heard there is a new airline called flyjinnah please!
I think, this route Cmb-Del should be called international regional flight or short haul international flight as it is a flight between 2 different countries.
As a former flight attendant I don't mind the call button but for a good reason. If it's just for fun and games I am resetting the call light and won't go again to the seat as you were warned
Planes look old, but still maintained, operational, and with acceptable respectable customs and service. It's really sad that every country of the world is to be bankrupted and dragged down in the name of plutocracy, fiat currency debt economics, and privatization. When water to drink, air to breath as carbon credits, and things like food and accommodation are based on carbon or emission credits privatized by the global corporation, then it's a no longer a go for most people where regular mass tourism is only a thing of the past and those allowed to pass GO collecting $200 will only be a selected vetted few. The future looks really grim all around this mostly beautiful blue world that could have represented the will of the majority instead of plutocracy of the few who are mostly of the most evil quality. Airlines and many other services of the Asian countries proved to be most economical, non-hostile, non-confrontational, and actually very pleasant and convenient more times than not with actual good healthy food more times than not. Such isn't the case in our Western nations of the liberal world order like Biden proudly announced it as.
