Connecting Flights
When combining two or more
airlines to get to a destination not directly served by any
online carrier, it is necessary to consider whether
an offline carrier has an agreement with an online carrier
to the destination of your choice, through a SPA (see
Jargon Buster). For
example, an airticket from Colombo to Heathrow may cost LKR 90,000
on SriLankan Airlines, and an airticket from Heathrow to Los Angeles may cost LKR
130,000 on an US carrier, but through agreements and market
fares, it may be possible to obtain a single
return ticket on a carrier to Los Angeles for LKR 120,000 using the same
airline combination. Fares are for illustration only.
Have a look at the
Planning Your Trip page for important tips on Ticket
Validity etc.
If you are visiting Europe or the Americas, and plan to
explore by train or low cost airline, it would be worth your
while considering an
Open Jaw
ticket.
How to get the best airfare quote
When asking for a quote, please let us know:
1) the names of the passengers to book
Note: When making a booking, just any first name
that appears in the passport (preferably the one with the
most recognition by you) and a last name/surname are enough.
There is a limit to the characters that can be held in your
booking (this varies), so you
might be denied boarding if the name booked
is too long. This applies to multiple surnames too. Initials
are not accepted to Egypt, Australia and the US, and any
full first name
is required. We will not make a booking until you instruct
us to do so. See:
Company Policy
2) the Destination
3) the Dates of Travel, or the maximum
validity of the airticket required. In the case of a
multi-destination itinerary, please specify each travel
date.
4) your telephone number and email address and if possible,
the passport or citizenship status of the passenger
Budget Airlines
Budget Airlines, also known as Low Cost Carriers (LCC),
are point to point airlines, which take you directly where
you want to go. Since they are point-to-point you should
avoid making fast connections, as you may not have time to
re-check your bags at the via point. If you miss your flight
for no fault of the airline, you will have to buy another
ticket. You should also check
on additional
Fees and Charges.
Special
Requirements and Preferences
Before you fly, if you have any seat, meal preferences or
wheelchair requirements please do tell us in advance. These
can usually be accommodated free of charge, and you
will be served first before the usual menu meal service is
brought round.
Reverse Direction and itineraries not including Sri Lanka
Many people assume that the cost for flying
London-Colombo-London for example. is the same as flying
Colombo-London-Colombo. This is called Reverse Direction,
and fares are usually very different. Only a few airlines
sell reverse direction fares here in Colombo, and options
are limited. The choice is even more limited where
itineraries do not include Colombo at all (for sale here in
Sri Lanka).
Frequent
Flyer Programmes
We recommend that you join the Frequent Flyer programmes of
the airlines that you use most often. If you fly frequently,
advantages such as extra baggage allowances, use of airport lounges
irrespective of the class of travel, business class priority
on the baggage belt, priority checkin,
guaranteed seat reservations and eventually, upgrades and free flights.
Note that Frequent Flyer programmes are for frequent flyers,
so the benefits are not that attractive for infrequent travel. Still, it's
free, and it's very easy and quick to join on the web.
Frequent Flyer programmes are not very developed
for "other benefits" in Sri Lanka.
The multi-Freddie-winning
Skywards
programme, by
Emirates
is the best one to
join. Skywards, with probably the best web interface of all,
will enable you to earn benefits on both westbound and
eastbound flights of Emirates and their partners. You also
earn miles by using your StandardChartered Bank credit card, and by
using your Dialog mobile phone as well (conditions apply).
SriLankan introduced a
new frequent flyer programme on 1 April 2008,
SmiLes, which is also worth joining
since they have the most flights out of Colombo.
E-tickets: what you need to know
Paperless-
or E- tickets, mandatory
since 1 June 2008, mean that you cannot lose your ticket, wet it or otherwise
mutilate it and it will be stored in our reservation
system until the end of your journey, if you wish to recall
details for a travel insurance claim, among other benefits.
You can also date change your itinerary easily without
having to "sticker" your ticket if the airline allows it, at
only the airline charge for doing so. This is sometimes free
of charge.
The latest trend in the industry is the tendency towards
forming alliances, with combined frequent flyer
programmes, code-sharing and reselling each others' flights.
The three main alliances are, in order of size,
Star Alliance,
SkyTeam and
Oneworld. Click on
each name to be redirected to their websites.
The following links may be useful to you.
