SriLankan Airlines Official Reviews 

My wife had a fully paid ticket with SriLankan Airlines (Flight UL606, scheduled departure 26 April at 00:20), but was informed at check-in that the flight had been overbooked and she could not board. This left her stranded in Sri Lanka, with no prior warning.

To the airline’s credit, accommodation and transport were provided, which we appreciate. However, the experience caused significant emotional distress and disruption — especially given that this was meant to be a confirmed ticket.

We are loyal to SriLankan Airlines and want to continue supporting our national carrier. But situations like this undermine trust. Overbooking might be industry practice, but passengers deserve clear communication, advance notice, and fair compensation when bumped off a flight they paid for in full.

I also had a chaotic experience once with Sri Lankan air, where my stopover was suddenly extended and afterwards my flight got completely cancelled but I had the choice to either get a refund or a new flight as I bought my ticket from the webside „lastminute“. I chose the new flight and got a ticket for qatar airlines woth better conditions in exchange without having to pay extra.

So this time i booked Sri Lankan air again due to their price and baggage allowance. All the bad experiences on here really scared me and made me insecure about my upcoming flight. BUT this airline surprised in so many positive ways. It’s so underrated. I flew from Karachi to Colombo and then to Frankfurt. The check-in and boarding were unproblematic. The staff was very VERY kind and helpful. Their hospitality was great. The service was a 11/10. I have literally no complaints. The food was decent. I preordered my meals for free online according to my preferences. The planes were clean, the flight attendants worked quickly. One of the fastest services in a flight I have seen. They have a great variety of movies available in the tv screen. It’s comparable to the entertainment of qatar airlines. I literally did not want to sleep because they had so many nice movies. The blankets smelled so good, I cannot describe it.
Only the seats are a bit problematic as they are a bit small and for broader people they might feel uncomfortable but as my connecting flight to Frankfurt was very empty, almost every or maybe every passenger was able to lie down and sleep. I slept for 6 hours and I loved it. The air conditioner worked perfectly. My checked in baggage arrived very fast and was not damaged, nobody stole stuff from there, my bags were not lost. More people with good experience should rate this airline. If everyone who flew with me gave this airline a rating, it would have much more stars already.

The air conditioner wasn’t working properly throughout the flight from Colombo to Bangkok. We complained many times but the crew manager was extremely rude and denied that there was any issue with the air conditioner. It was a terrible experience throughout

We recently flew from London Heathrow to Sri Lanka. The flight was excellent and staff were charming.Very good value for money.

Do not use reserve a booking with their 'time to think' offering – it is meant to last for 48 hours but it doesn't.

This happened to be and they implied they'd fix it. This was 2 weeks ago and I'm still chasing a tickets are $500 more! The service is shocking and they never reply. AVOID.

Our flight to Sri Lanka was cancelled on the day , we were put up at a hotel and flew 24 hours late. They DO NOT respond to our complaint and request for a refund, when our agent emails they get an instant response telling them the customer has to contact them! 6 emails over 4 months and still silence. DO NOT FLY WITH SRI LANKA AIRLINES.

On Nov 25 2024. I was flying From TRV to CMB on Business Class. First the ground staff were not aware that Malaysian Long Term Visa Holders do not require to fill the MDEC. I had to go to the MDEC link and show them the requirement. Secondly I was requested to downgrade from Business Class to Economy. I was told I would receive a refund in 30 days. I received an email asking for my bank details. I responded telling them to credit the same credit card I used to purchase the ticket in the first place on Dec 9 2024. To date I have not received any response or refund. I will not fly this airline anymore.

If I could give 0 stars, I would. After I cancelled my return flight (on time) at the beginning of January, I received a confirmation email that I would receive a refund within 20 working days. I have not received any refund to date and it has been two months now! To make it worse, they are not replying to emails under the email address that is supposed to be contacted in these matters. It has been two months and they owe me 529.90 GBP. The customer helpline is anything but helpful, telling me they cannot find my ticket number in their system (strangely enough I paid for these flights and took the first under the ticket number). How is this supposed to be a professional airline? This is scandalous!

This review relate to the flight from Colombo to Dubai UL225 on 27/02/2025. First of all, would like to mention that this Five star rating was given to the professional, friendly and hospitable service given by Ravishka. He was very friendly and the service was commendable.

Even though the check-in process took longer, the service was ok. The meal served was hot, but the taste could be improved (the dessert was very tasty :-) )

In overall experience, I would give 3 stars.

I have just flown with Sri Lankan airlines from Sri Lanka to Heathrow on 13 February. The flight left on time, was very comfortable in economy and the service was outstanding. Food was delivered hot and tasty and drinks were served whenever required. The comfort, food and service was far better than on the outward BA flight to Delhi in premium economy! We landed in Heathrow 10 minutes early. I wanted to thank our flight attendants for delivering such a great experience over 11 hours. I nearly didn’t book with Sri Lankan as I had read all the negative reviews, so felt it appropriate to write this review given that my experience was so good. I will fly with them again.

I am writing this on behalf of my father:
My dad's baggages did not arrive on time. He had 2 bags and each of them arrived 2 days apart. At the Sri lankan airport he was asked to hand over his keys for custom clearance. If anyone reading this is faced with such a situation, please do not hand over your keys. Even though you will have the hassle of needing to go to the airport again to pick up your bags, you won't face what he had to. He is a 70+ year old person and opted to do the right thing by the authorities and hand them the keys. He got both his bags delivered to him, both with the padlocks still intact but he got only one of my keys. The other bag's key was missing. The interesting thing was also that from his bag which he was given the key to, specific items have been stolen by someone. These items were of sentimental value. One of them was even 2 Lindt SUGAR FREE chocolate bars that I had sent for a diabetic relative and a few other personal items. I have no words for what kind of a person would steal someone else's belongings and that too specific items such as this which are personal in nature. Not sure whom to blame here? The airline or airport I am not sure. The airline's response to us was that he should have told the delivery driver if his bag was mishandled. And so they can't do anything even though he informed the airline after he had gone through his belongings. So in other words what they expect people to do is to keep the driver, unpack all your bags, cross check items off a list and then let the driver go. Like I mentioned, there is nothing else for us to do now other than offer this advice to others to
a) not fly with Sri Lankan if they had a choice
b) Don't opt for transit flights with them
c) If your bags are delayed, never hand over your keys. As much as it will be a hassle for older people, you are better off not having to lose something valuable to you.
d) Or if you must have them deliver, keep the driver, unpack all your bags, cross check items off a list and then let the driver go only if everything is right.
Thanks

One of the worst airlines I have ever encountered. The unprofessional staff do not know how to speak in a respectful manner and have no manners at all. They suddenly changed my reserved seat to give it to someone else without even asking in a professional manner (they had done the same on a few previous occasions as well). Also, some passengers (not all) who travel are third-class and do not know how to act in a decent manner toward other people. If you want a good, calm travel experience, never use this airline.

I had an absolutely terrible experience with SriLankan Airlines, and I strongly urge travelers to avoid this airline at all costs. My baggage was mishandled on Flight UL504 (London Heathrow to Colombo) on September 23, 2023, and what followed was a long and frustrating ordeal.

Delayed Baggage – My luggage, which was not even lost but left behind, took 10 days to be delivered.
Tampered & Stolen Items – When my bag was finally returned, it had been forced open, and multiple valuable items were missing, including food, chocolates, and cheese.
Poor Customer Service – Despite numerous emails, follow-ups, and providing all requested information, SriLankan Airlines has failed to properly compensate me for the losses, damage, and extreme inconvenience.
Unfulfilled Compensation – After months of emails, they finally offered a meager LKR 23,000 (~$75) for all damages and missing items. However, even after submitting my bank details on January 29, 2024, I have not received a single cent to this day (February 5, 2025).
This airline has demonstrated complete lack of accountability and customer care. Their responses are robotic, their investigation was useless, and they simply hope frustrated customers will give up.

If you value your belongings and peace of mind, DO NOT fly SriLankan Airlines. Their baggage handling is unreliable, their customer service is dismissive, and their compensation process is a sham. Share this review and warn others!

#SriLankanAirlines #BaggageScam #NeverAgain

Great Experience

terrible customer service, constant mistakes at every corner, entertainment doesnt work, toilets didnt work, didnt include my infant in ticket and had to pay twice at airort, the worst airline i have ever flown with! problems at every turn! AVOID!!!

So where do I start. I had a flight from Heathrow to Colombo on 13th December which was canceled but what was bad about the whole situation is complete lack of communication from the airline. They put us in a hotel with 0 information and not even a rep on site to talk to us and we've been told to just wait for an update. This created a very stressful and confusing atmosphere with loads of people making different decision as we didn't know how long they will keep us in a dark. Now it's impossible to hear back from them regarding compensation which they are required to pay by law.
On my way back I've been harrased by a flight attendant to move to a middle seat as apparently my seat was needed for another passenger. When I refused , they never put that passenger in an empty middle seat but continued to ask other passages since apparently that passenger's screen didn't work. Mentioned passenger appeared to be on a friendly basis with couple of flight attendants on board. Absolutely horrendous experience both ways and it's still dragging as I still want my compensation

Cockroach infested flight on the way out. Bed bugs on flight home but my partners legs so bad! Never never again!

I used to be a loyal customer of this airline and flew with them for years, but a recent issue completely changed my opinion. Their customer service is virtually non-existent—I've been trying to get in touch for weeks, and no one has bothered to respond. Hugely disappointing. Never agan.

I am a frequent overseas traveller. I am mostly using SriLankan Airlines business class. Amazing on board service with well mannered staff and class food service. However, the ground staff of different airports are behaving poorly. The most recent travel experience: I was flying from Cochin to Colombo, I did not want to have extra hand carry as I like to travel with just my handbag. Because of 2kg extra weight, they denied my bag as luggage and asked me to take it as carryon. The lady at the counter who attended me was happy to take the bag but she wanted to confirm with the duty manager if she was allowed to. Mr Sreejith of SriLankan Airlines refused to count my bag as luggage, forcing me to carry it. They also changed my travel timings, but I am happy with that. At the same time, the staff should not make an issue of silly matters. At the end of the day, most of the fares are the same price but it's about preference, it's the customers decision to make a choice of the airline.

After reading the most horrific reviews of SriLankan airlines I thought I should try and balance out with my positive experience. Flew Heathrow to Columbo yesterday and the whole experience was faultless. From checking in to the in flight experience. Everything was at a very good standard. Very friendly and helpful staff.