Weโre always looking to introduce new voices on The Milelion, and weโve got an aspiring guestwriter in Sam. Over the next few days and weeks, weโll be publishing Samโs flight reviews and adventures bit by bit. Please let us know what you think in the comments, especially if youโd like to read more!
Circuitous Curry Routings: Introduction
Sri Lankan A320 Business Class CMB-DOH
Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge DOH
Qatar Airways A320 Business Class DOH-NBO-DOH
Sri Lankan A330 Business Class DOH-CMB
Galle Face Hotel Colombo
Emirates 777-300ER First Class CMB-SIN
I’d started the day at 3AM, so I was pleased to get a quiet room and some sleep in the lounge. My Sri Lankan flight was the last departure of the day, but that doesnโt mean much in a hub airport like DOH, where a bank of flights starts to arrive around 1am. What it did mean was that the lounge and airport were delightfully quiet. I took the opportunity to get some pics of the Al-Mourjan lounge for a review.
My gate was a short walk away from the lounge. I find the duty free at Doha to be exceptionally bland, and uncompetitively priced. Bar some novelty camel milk chocolate and the odd book, I donโt think Iโve ever bought anything here.
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Sri Lankanโs A330 business class is in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration. Looking at it online I thought it would be more like Cathayโs long-haul product, but in the flesh, it more closely resembles Vietnam Airlinesโ 787 seat.
Itโs worth noting that the arm rest can be recessed to make the seat wider in bed mode, which is a welcomed addition.
I was one of only about 2 people in the Business on that flight, so the cabin was virtually empty. This meant a healthy FA to passenger ratio and I was seated, offered a pre departure beverage (PDB), presented with menus and offered an amenity kit in rapid succession. There was also a selection of newspapers, but no Economist.
The light load meant boarding was completed quickly and we soon pushed back. Flying time was estimated at around 5 hours. My early start meant that my priority was sleep, but I figured that this could be balanced with a curry and opted to have mine at breakfast just before landing.
I reclined my seat into bed mode as soon as the seat belt sign went off. It was comfortable enough but by this stage I probably would have slept on a rock.
I woke up around the South-East coast of India with about an hour until landing. My curry was duly presented, and I duly gorged. The lack of chapatti was a shame, but not a show stopper.
We touched down in Colombo on schedule at what transpired to be a busy time for the airport. I had about 9 hours before my next flight (Emirates First to Singapore) so Iโd planned to leave the airport, and find more curry and try and get some sleep at the Galle Face Hotel.
Overall I thought this was a decent product, with well intentioned service but a little unpolished. Sri Lankan sometimes has some very good fares ex Jakarta and I’d be happy in it on a longer flight (e.g. London to Colombo which is ~12 hours).
