Sri Lankan to join oneworld
Jan 17, 2014 | 10:03 am
#91
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Denver DEN-APA
Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold Royal Air Maroc OW Emerald Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 22,532
Can't disagree more. Granted my experience is only two flights MLE-CMB-KUL but both UL flights were excellent... regional A320 service as good as EY, EK, SQ and CX regional service and worlds better than phony Euro-J.
Jan 19, 2014 | 6:32 am
#93
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Denver DEN-APA
Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold Royal Air Maroc OW Emerald Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 22,532
They had just reopened it following renovations when we were there last month. Some pics...
The New Serendib Lounge at CMB
Jan 20, 2014 | 3:44 am
#95
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Portugal
Programs: A3 Gold
Posts: 2,397
Their "flagship" Serendib Lounge ....... They had just reopened it following renovations when we were there last month. Some pics...
The New Serendib Lounge at CMB
The New Serendib Lounge at CMB
There are now machines for making our own tea/coffee instead of an attendant making and serving it. VERY BA-ish, and AC-ish! So much for the personal touches that UL prides itself in offering passengers.
Better food display with the new lounge. larger, brighter bathrooms too. Nice wi-fi availability too
Jan 27, 2014 | 11:02 pm
#96
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Sydney, Australia
Programs: QF Gold LTG (ow Saph), HHon Silver, Marriot Gold
Posts: 3,007
Confirmed for 1 March
http://www.ausbt.com.au/oneworld-to-...t-half-of-2014
http://www.ausbt.com.au/oneworld-to-...t-half-of-2014
Jan 27, 2014 | 11:44 pm
#97
Join Date: Jul 2007
Programs: QFF
Posts: 5,304
Confirmed for 1 March
http://www.ausbt.com.au/oneworld-to-...t-half-of-2014
http://www.ausbt.com.au/oneworld-to-...t-half-of-2014
Until such time as oneworld issues a release, best to mark this down as rumor.
Jan 28, 2014 | 6:25 pm
#99
Join Date: May 2001
Location: YVR
Posts: 3,918
Of course, Ausbt was "alerted" by my posting on twitter...otherwise they probably wouldn't even bother to ask the airline again on the date.
https://twitter.com/airlineroute/sta...03726851182592
https://twitter.com/airlineroute/sta...05875312111616
[KVS Availability Tool 7.3.3/Diamond - Operational Info: UL 503/01 Mar 2014]
Code:
Planned Flight Info Segment Departure Arrival Duration ------- --------- --------- -------- CMB-LHR 13:05/Sat 19:30/Sat 11:55 Segment Flight Note ------- ---------------------------- CMB-LHR MEMBER OF ONEWORLD CMB-LHR ARRIVES TERMINAL 4 CMB-LHR 2/ TELEPHONE CMB-LHR 4/ AUDIO PROGRAMMING CMB-LHR 5/ TELEVISION CMB-LHR 7/ DUTY FREE SALES CMB-LHR 9/ NON-SMOKING CMB-LHR ET/ ELECTRONIC TKT CANDIDATE
Jan 28, 2014 | 8:05 pm
#100
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 2,727
UL actually posted the remark of being OW member for flight information listed on/after 01MAR14 in the GDS.
Of course, Ausbt was "alerted" by my posting on twitter...otherwise they probably wouldn't even bother to ask the airline again on the date.
[KVS Availability Tool 7.3.3/Diamond - Operational Info: UL 503/01 Mar 2014]
Of course, Ausbt was "alerted" by my posting on twitter...otherwise they probably wouldn't even bother to ask the airline again on the date.
[KVS Availability Tool 7.3.3/Diamond - Operational Info: UL 503/01 Mar 2014]
Code:
Planned Flight Info Segment Departure Arrival Duration ------- --------- --------- -------- CMB-LHR 13:05/Sat 19:30/Sat 11:55 Segment Flight Note ------- ---------------------------- CMB-LHR MEMBER OF ONEWORLD CMB-LHR ARRIVES TERMINAL 4 CMB-LHR 2/ TELEPHONE CMB-LHR 4/ AUDIO PROGRAMMING CMB-LHR 5/ TELEVISION CMB-LHR 7/ DUTY FREE SALES CMB-LHR 9/ NON-SMOKING CMB-LHR ET/ ELECTRONIC TKT CANDIDATE
1. Absolutely I was alerted by the heads-up tweet from Airline Route. AR provides a great service which I've tapped and acknowledged in the past, as relevant (eg http://www.ausbt.com.au/singapore-ai......-upper-deck and others).
2. That said, GDS data is not always reliable, which is why as a journalist I sought confirmation from SriLankan Airlines, and a senior member of their Media/PR department confirmed the March 1st date.
3. But as it turns out, UL appears to have jumped the gun on their entry in to oneworld – the PR person was a bit too eager and the GDS entry would seem to be not accurate. Oneworld's corp comms manager called me this morning to advise that March 1st is in fact NOT the joining date for UL and they don't expect to announce that date for at least another month (my story on AusBT has been updated accordingly).
Jan 28, 2014 | 8:33 pm
#101
Join Date: May 2001
Location: YVR
Posts: 3,918
Unlike other industry which requires journalists/bloggers to contact company/association/whoever directly for confirmed information, this is an industry that always tells people refer to the GDS/Reservation system for the ultimate information, despite it loads inconsistent information from time to time.
Jan 28, 2014 | 8:59 pm
#102
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 2,727
Unlike other industry which requires journalists/bloggers to contact company/association/whoever directly for confirmed information, this is an industry that always tells people refer to the GDS/Reservation system for the ultimate information, despite it loads inconsistent information from time to time.
Of course that's not the fault of AR, which does a brilliant job of tracking and sharing GDS updates. Most of the time the GDS is correct and often the GDS gets the jump on what the PR folk know!
But there have been a few times of late where a GDS entry has been in error - this is one instance, and another was a reported change to CX BNE-HGK in late December - and on that one, I checked with CX PR AU and they confirmed the GDS entry was made in error.
So yes, the travel industry may hold the GDS up as The Source, but 'journalists/bloggers' reporting in this industry should continue to do as they do in other industries and as far as possible seek timely confirmation (or otherwise) from the airline and report accordingly.
It's no biggie, really.
Jan 31, 2014 | 1:55 am
#104
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Global
Programs: AAexp, UA*G, HY LT Globalist, FB Plat, Centurion
Posts: 994
Jan 31, 2014 | 3:29 am
#105
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: TPE / HSZ
Programs: CX GO (=SPH), IHG Diamond Amb, Hertz 5*, Accor, Hilton, National
Posts: 7,220
As I said on another thread, the OW press release that just came out seems to suggest that UL won't join until at least April.
http://www.oneworld.com/news-informa...nguageId=en_US
Also, unfortunately GDS info can be wrong, as in http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...s-flts-ow.html.
http://www.oneworld.com/news-informa...nguageId=en_US
TAM and US Airways will join on 31 March 2014 and SriLankan Airlines soon after.