SriLankan Airlines on Image Revamp Process to Give Passengers a Richer Taste of the Paradise Island

21st February 2010, www.nation.lk, By Azhar Razak

Sri Lanka’s national carrier, SriLankan Airlines has embarked on a total image revamp process to give passengers a richer taste of the paradise island while signalling a new journey to the carrier, the airline announced last week. The airline has introduced a whole new experience on ground and in the air that promises passengers a total “Change in the way you fly”.

“We are changing in a multi-dimensional manner whether it is the uniforms or the in-house hospitality, our change will be genuine,” SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Manoj Gunawardena said last week announcing the launch.

Beginning the journey with its iconic logo, the monara or the peacock, the airline’s frontline staff from cabin to ground crew is to sport a brand new look and a warmer smile although the charm, elegance and grace of the peacock is to be preserved while undergoing the transformation, officials said.

“The iconic Kandyan Saree uniform still retains its oriental charm, but yet will have a distinctive modern appeal and contemporary look,” Gunawardena said. The new colour palette plays with the soft hues of sea blue splashed with multi-hued motifs of the peacock feather with its shimmering iridescent bursts of electric orange mottled with dark, light blue and white.

“The ground and in flight staff will offer a vastly improved level of service, decked in their new uniforms. The airline’s onboard kitchen has turned an entirely new chapter in their in flight meal service and offers its passengers a tempting array of signature dishes and cocktails never served on board before,” Gunawardena said. He said that passengers will also have the added choice of ordering from a new A la carte menu and having their meals literally cooked on board.

“Trimmings and trappings on board like the seat covers will also change to give a completely new look while we have added a new list to the duty-free products sold onboard,” he said. He said that the airline had recently hired the renowned airline rating organisation, Skytrax to conduct a full audit of the customer experience.
“The audit is in progress and will run for several months as the Skytrax team travels on board Sri Lankan flights in all regions and evaluates every aspect of customer service and our product. I’m proud to say that refurbishment and re-fleeting are on the cards in the near future, and these will reflect in our aim to achieve a five-star status in the quality of our service”, he said.

He said that it was a public fact that the industry had struggled to survive in the last two years.

“However, the time is now right to dispel this notion and bring the customer into focus,” he added.

The government of Sri Lanka has a majority 51 percent stake of SriLankan Airlines while Emirates Airline holds a stake of around 43.6 percent. The airlines serves 44 destinations in 29 countries in Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Far East and has connections that link Europe and the Middle East on one side with Southeast Asia and the Far East on the other.