International Connecting Flight Colombo (Sri Lankan Airlines)
Aug 30, 2016, 6:30 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: China
Posts: 817
International Connecting Flight Colombo (Sri Lankan Airlines)
I have a 1.5 hour international connection in Colombo, both arriving and departing flights are with Sri Lankan Airlines. Will time be sufficient and am I required to pass through immigration and re-check in or is there a specific transit procedure at Colombo?
Aug 30, 2016, 8:43 pm
#2
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Jakarta
Programs: Flying Blue, Marco Polo, Skywards, Etihad Guest, IHG, Aeroplan
Posts: 269
1.5 hrs is more than enough if you connect from UL to UL. You don't need to clear immigration and re-check your luggage as long as your luggage is tagged to the end destination. The terminal is quite small, it's just one long pier. it's actually pretty painless process. Security is done at each gate (like in Singapore) so the gate area might get very crowded
Aug 31, 2016, 7:09 am
#4
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: CMB/LHR
Programs: QR Gold / OW Sapphire, Le Club Accor Gold, Shangri La Jade
Posts: 144
Agree with other posters - do not worry you will have plenty of time - especially since your luggage will be tagged through to your final destination.
The minimum connection time at CMB is 60mins
There is an extensive thread on transiting at CMB (involving CX-QR, on two different PNRs) which you can read here....
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/qatar...ansit-cmb.html
The minimum connection time at CMB is 60mins
There is an extensive thread on transiting at CMB (involving CX-QR, on two different PNRs) which you can read here....
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/qatar...ansit-cmb.html
Jul 27, 2017, 2:39 am
#5
Join Date: May 2017
Programs: British Airways
Posts: 2
1hr 15 to connect from UL to QR
1.5 hrs is more than enough if you connect from UL to UL. You don't need to clear immigration and re-check your luggage as long as your luggage is tagged to the end destination. The terminal is quite small, it's just one long pier. it's actually pretty painless process. Security is done at each gate (like in Singapore) so the gate area might get very crowded
Jul 22, 2019, 2:00 am
#6
Join Date: May 2007
Location: London, UK and Occitanie, France
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 517
Similar question...
Mr EB is booked through on a single PNR from LHR-MLE on UL with a connection time of 50 mins (apparently legal as they sold it to us!)
I am on the same flight but my PNR is LHR-CMB and was going to buy a flight from CMB-MLE on UL. I won’t have checked bags. Does UL do online boarding passes or will I be able to check in for the second flight when I check in for the first at LHR? And how good are UL at re-arranging things if we are delayed etc?
Many thanks!
Mr EB is booked through on a single PNR from LHR-MLE on UL with a connection time of 50 mins (apparently legal as they sold it to us!)
I am on the same flight but my PNR is LHR-CMB and was going to buy a flight from CMB-MLE on UL. I won’t have checked bags. Does UL do online boarding passes or will I be able to check in for the second flight when I check in for the first at LHR? And how good are UL at re-arranging things if we are delayed etc?
Many thanks!
Jul 23, 2019, 9:19 pm
#7
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: EVA Air , * G, QR Privilege Club S
Posts: 5,187
EB, If you buy your CMB to MLE on UL early enough and not in CMB, then when you check in at LHR you can always get UL to check in you to MLE. They normally do that even though you have different PNR since it being on their airline. Now a connection time of 50 mins is not that short in a small airport like CMB but from my experience in CMB( I cannot remember how many times I have been to CMB) it is not that simple. The LHR flight would come to the Gates on the pier being A330s and then the disembarking and your Gate could be the just the next one which could be a two minutes walk if they have A330 to MLE. On the other hand it could be a longer walk and down the escalators to the B gates where mostly the MLE flights operate from. These are bussing gates. Where a passenger could get stuck in the huge security queue there.
Now UL if they have a decent number of passengers connecting normally hold their flights for the arriving flights if the delay is reasonable. But they also have to bear in mind that MLE is extremely busy and could expect huge holding delays of around 45 mins sometimes to even an hour. UL has so many flights to MLE daily and even if you miss one they will put you on the next for sure.
I know it complicates things when you arrive in MLE late and if you have another connecting flight on the seaplane or a domestic flight in MLE.
Now UL if they have a decent number of passengers connecting normally hold their flights for the arriving flights if the delay is reasonable. But they also have to bear in mind that MLE is extremely busy and could expect huge holding delays of around 45 mins sometimes to even an hour. UL has so many flights to MLE daily and even if you miss one they will put you on the next for sure.
I know it complicates things when you arrive in MLE late and if you have another connecting flight on the seaplane or a domestic flight in MLE.
Jul 26, 2019, 10:53 am
#8
Join Date: Jul 2019
Programs: Etihad Guest
Posts: 1
Short connection
I have a 55 min layover in CMB after arriving from HYD going to LHR, will I make my connection since I am coming of an A321 on the other side of the pier and onto a A330?
If I do miss the connection will Sri Lankan book me on the next flight to london along with accomdation for the stay in CMB?
If I do miss the connection will Sri Lankan book me on the next flight to london along with accomdation for the stay in CMB?
Jul 26, 2019, 9:37 pm
#9
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: EVA Air , * G, QR Privilege Club S
Posts: 5,187
Anish, Yes if you have a UL ticket all the way they normally do that. 50 minutes is tight in CMB knowing how late some of the flights are. It is more easy to connect from the B gates to the pier gates than vice versa. Your baggage is what you should be worried about. I would let UL HYD know about your connecting flight and normally UL does keep a GS on arrival for to escort passengers to the Gate.
Aug 3, 2019, 9:57 pm
#10
Join Date: May 2007
Location: London, UK and Occitanie, France
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 517
Thank you so much for the insight Dave!
OK - thank you! that will be great. I actually have booked the connecting flight through BA using avios so hopefully that won't matter.
According the itinerary, it's A330 from CMB-MLE, so hopefully that' makes things easier!
I suspect there will be a few people on that connection coming from London! My partner is through-ticketed LHR-MLE on the same flights so as long as I'm able to get checked in, we will be in the same situation.
We are overnighting in MLE anyway so it's no big drama if we have to wait for the next one. Just hoping they actually would put us on the next flight. BA is not so kind when you miss a connecting flight on different PNRs!
Now a connection time of 50 mins is not that short in a small airport like CMB but from my experience in CMB( I cannot remember how many times I have been to CMB) it is not that simple. The LHR flight would come to the Gates on the pier being A330s and then the disembarking and your Gate could be the just the next one which could be a two minutes walk if they have A330 to MLE.
On the other hand it could be a longer walk and down the escalators to the B gates where mostly the MLE flights operate from. These are bussing gates. Where a passenger could get stuck in the huge security queue there. Now UL if they have a decent number of passengers connecting normally hold their flights for the arriving flights if the delay is reasonable. But they also have to bear in mind that MLE is extremely busy and could expect huge holding delays of around 45 mins sometimes to even an hour.
UL has so many flights to MLE daily and even if you miss one they will put you on the next for sure.
I know it complicates things when you arrive in MLE late and if you have another connecting flight on the seaplane or a domestic flight in MLE.
I know it complicates things when you arrive in MLE late and if you have another connecting flight on the seaplane or a domestic flight in MLE.
Aug 4, 2019, 8:54 am
#11
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: EVA Air , * G, QR Privilege Club S
Posts: 5,187
UL does put you on the next flight. It is better to tell them before departure at UL. I mean UL and not the handling agents themselves. I have to say that 50 mins it tight for CMB and as far as I know it is 1 hour and 10 mins their minimum connecting time.
Oct 28, 2019, 4:46 am
#12
Join Date: May 2007
Location: London, UK and Occitanie, France
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 517
Hi all, just to report our experience with short connections at CMB and with the mixed ticket I had (e.g. LHR-CMB, CMB-MLE on avios redemption). Thanks to dav662 for all the insight - which was also borne out by our experience.
On check-in the agent quite happily linked my revenue and redemption bookings and checked my bag through. We made sure that all three could fit on Mr EB's allowance but it wasn't necessary.
We were about an hour late taking off from LHR and arrived in MLE with 20 minutes before our connecting flight's departure time. I checked with the flight attendant and she said "don't worry, there are several people on this flight going on to MLE. They will hold the flight."
We got off and zipped straight to the MLE gate - all the international gates and the MLE flights at least seem to be on the same corridor so it was only 50 metres or so - and had no problem. Our luggage made the flight too. In speaking with a few other folks in the queue this is completely normal and they've all had it happen before. (apparently people go to the Maldives again and again - the folks on our dive boat had been 15 times.)
On the way back we were similarly delayed on MLE-CMB. I was connecting on to Singapore while Mr EB went back to London. He had plenty of time but I dashed over to the SIN gate and they were still boarding so no problem there. Again, luggage made it.
I flew back SIN-CMB-LHR and had two hours layover - the SIN-CMB flight was about 30 minutes late but still had an hour plus in the Serendib lounge. Wifi very slow, food pretty decent.
Overall (though I know this is not a trip report thread) - service a bit odd, seat decent, and completely pleasant flights. Would definitely book them again, especially for the price. Out of the six flights, three of them late; all seemed to work out ok. The paper-based collection system of boarding passes was quite impressive - like something out of the 1970s. :-)
On check-in the agent quite happily linked my revenue and redemption bookings and checked my bag through. We made sure that all three could fit on Mr EB's allowance but it wasn't necessary.
We were about an hour late taking off from LHR and arrived in MLE with 20 minutes before our connecting flight's departure time. I checked with the flight attendant and she said "don't worry, there are several people on this flight going on to MLE. They will hold the flight."
We got off and zipped straight to the MLE gate - all the international gates and the MLE flights at least seem to be on the same corridor so it was only 50 metres or so - and had no problem. Our luggage made the flight too. In speaking with a few other folks in the queue this is completely normal and they've all had it happen before. (apparently people go to the Maldives again and again - the folks on our dive boat had been 15 times.)
On the way back we were similarly delayed on MLE-CMB. I was connecting on to Singapore while Mr EB went back to London. He had plenty of time but I dashed over to the SIN gate and they were still boarding so no problem there. Again, luggage made it.
I flew back SIN-CMB-LHR and had two hours layover - the SIN-CMB flight was about 30 minutes late but still had an hour plus in the Serendib lounge. Wifi very slow, food pretty decent.
Overall (though I know this is not a trip report thread) - service a bit odd, seat decent, and completely pleasant flights. Would definitely book them again, especially for the price. Out of the six flights, three of them late; all seemed to work out ok. The paper-based collection system of boarding passes was quite impressive - like something out of the 1970s. :-)
Dec 25, 2019, 7:33 pm
#13
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: EVA Air , * G, QR Privilege Club S
Posts: 5,187
Expatbear I presume that your MLE flight was an A330? Usually they fly the A320 to MLE and it's from a different Gate downstairs. This is where the problem is because they have 4 gates and they have just one security queue there.
I am glad that everything went well.
I love the food at Serendib Lounge though it could be quite spicy sometimes. I am surprised that the wifi was slow. Normally it's quite good.
I am glad that everything went well.
I love the food at Serendib Lounge though it could be quite spicy sometimes. I am surprised that the wifi was slow. Normally it's quite good.