A very mixed experience! Arrived at airport at 6.30am for 9am flight only to learn that it had been delayed until 4.45pm! No explanation for the delay was given, which everyone found frustrating. After approximately 1 hour we were all transferred to a hotel in Colombo and given a room, breakfast and lunch. We returned to the airport in the afternoon (a real white knuckle ride in a local coach!) to check in. At check in I asked staff to reconfirm my hotel reservation in London in view of our very late arrival. I was assured that this would happen and that a taxi would be available to take me to the hotel. On arrival in London, they knew nothing about this and the airline staff were initially unhelpful and with lots of fellow passengers. With no public transport running many were left in a mess. The airline were willing to book people into a hotel overnight, but would then leave them to their own arrangements.

When we boarded the plane the in-flight experience was excellent. Great staff, good food and good entertainment. I felt really sorry for the flight attendants because their superb level of service was let down by the poor time-keeping and administration of the airline.

We never did get an explanation of the delay although someone had heard that the original flight was cancelled because there were not enough passengers on it - they were waiting for a full plane before taking off. I don't know if this is true or not.

In conclusion, if the in-flight experience is a priority then I would have no hesitation in recommending this airline to you. If timing matters and you want to be certain that you will take off and land on time, then I would suggest you look elsewhere.