On 9th of December 2012, the passengers flying to Singapore on Sri Lankan Airlines were first passengers who enjoyed a new flying experience as the first renovated airline- A 330 took its wings to air. On its entire fleet, the airline was embarked on a complete transformation of its cabin interiors. A subtle, traditional Sri Lankan aura, to its plush interiors as well as a new, state of the art entertainment system, in a complete overhaul of its fleet's cabins was added to the new look of Sri Lankan airlines flights.
With the introduction of flatbed seats on business class cabins of its wide bodied A330 and A340 aircraft has made travelling Business Class on Sri Lanka Airlines a luxury in the skies.
The flatbed offers the dual option of working at leisure and sleeping in comfort to the customers which is very essential. The flight gives the facility of buddy seat in front which enables other to sit opposite and can engage in a discussion.
When the seat gets fully reclined into a flatbed position, the flatbed gets fully extended to its full length up to the buddy seat. After extension the flatbed becomes a secured full length bed in 180° position along with a seat pitch that extends to 79″ inches. Work, relax and sleep facility can be experienced by on board passengers along with the seat seamlessly. When desired the seats can be separated with a screen, which can be closed by either passenger that creates absolute privacy at 30,000 feet up in the skies.
The seats have been developed by AVIO Interiors of Italy which has been roofed with earthy terracotta colored premium quality soft leather, in a deep rust tone. They are fitted with a pneumatic lumbar support system and individual in-seat massage units for comfort.
The carpet in airline is soft and high pile in black along with specks of terracotta that inspires a warm and cozy atmosphere. In supplement to the aisle carpet and headrest cover that has been both derived from the famed Dumbara designs – rust colored with black motifs. The designs of the curtains and the bulkheads have been taken from traditional 'batapellala' tats. Some of the scenery from Sri Lanka can be seen through in black and white glory at the back of the cabin.
Similar to other international airlines the new Business Class In-Flight Entertainment has been set to the state-of-the-art RAVE IMS system along with latest Audio / Video on demand (AVOD) function with games. A 15.4 inch wide screen along with high resolution picture quality for infinite sharpness has been complemented to this.
The common plight among travelers is paying excess baggage which has become a major cost in travelling from Sri Lanka by flight to some other destination. Some of the times the excess baggage charges can be same and some of the times the excess baggage charges becomes few times higher than the air fare of the flight.
Martin Wynn
