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Riyadh King Khalid International Airport Passenger Reviews and Customer opinions
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RIYADH KING KHALID INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT customer review : 24 April 2013 by Brian Gunn (Oman) |
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Rating : 8/10 |  |
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Recommended |  |
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Really I am not sure why this airport got such poor reviews. Curbside drop off was convenient. I am at the
airport now, sitting in a comfortable seat and using free wifi. The airport is clean with a lot of natural light,
security was easy, fast, and as professional as anywhere else. I even found my gate very easily. I have been
to a lot of airports in the Middle East, Europe, and the US if you are complaining about this one then you are
simply too picky!
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RIYADH KING KHALID INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT customer review : 18 April 2013 by Wai Kit Lee (Singapore) |
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Rating : 2/10 |  |
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Recommended |  |
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Customs is slow, they stopped to talk about 2 to 3 mins after every 30 seconds while processing your
passport. Signage at the baggage handling area is not properly setup and the whole place looks rundown.
Took 10 mins to walk through the conveyor belts before I found my luggage.
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RIYADH KING KHALID INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT customer review : 4 February 2013 by Khalid Nadeem (Saudi Arabia) |
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Rating : 7/10 |  |
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Recommended | |
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Being a resident of Riyadh, I frequently travel through King Khalid International Airport. The airport is not as
par with the international standards, but still gives a sense of peace with the limited space it has as the
airport caters passengers through its 3 terminals. The duty free shops are good, the eateries are fine, and
washrooms are clean. The security issue is not that stringent as compared to the most western countries. So
you easily move out once you arrive or depart saving time. The only delay is for the first timers due to
biometrics. Owing to the increase in air traffic, the airport is getting chaotic a bit and need modernisation
especially the International Terminal - 1 serving all International Airlines except Saudia. The only area of
concern is the trolleys, usually at times you don't get even one. Overall it's a low profile air facility with all
the vital amenities.
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RIYADH KING KHALID INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT customer review : 7 December 2012 by G Chew (UK) |
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Rating : 7/10 | |
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Recommended | |
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I had a 10 hour connection between flights from Delhi to London. In short, the airside area is clean and
boring. The toilet facilities were much cleaner than elsewhere in the region. There were 3 cafes and 1
restaurant, as well as a small duty free shop. It looked like they were building a few more shops. If you
have a long connection, definitely pay to use the Saudia lounge. It's not a great lounge, but there is wifi,
and plenty of food and drinks.
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RIYADH KING KHALID INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT customer review : 19 June 2012 by Alan Holden (Saudi Arabia) |
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Rating : 2/10 | |
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Recommended | |
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I've spent many years in Riyadh and I'm still prepared to drive over 300km to Bahrain for long haul flights.
The check in hall is a disaster. As usual the local feel they can ignore any queues and just head straight for
the counter. The immigration lines are excessive when all they need to do is check you are OK to leave and
stamp your passport. The departure area is dull and there is absolutely nothing to do here except sit and
wait for your flight. OK, there are a couple of coffee stands, and a business lounge, but they are pretty awful.
Arrivals is a nightmare. Huge queues and gross incompetence are the order of the day. Expect up to 3 hours
to clear immigration and customs. This is not a joke but reality!
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RIYADH KING KHALID INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT customer review : 31 January 2012 by Olivier Rochelois (Belgium) |
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Rating : 5/10 |  |
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Recommended | |
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Frequently fly through KKIA, still the same. Some of the services have improved recently such as cleanliness
and ad panels giving colours to the classical and old interior design; however still a lot to be done. Queuing
is a mess, general cleanliness is much better especially at gates where we boarded for a domestic flight,
restrooms are acceptable. No Transfer Desks as we had to ask here and there. Food and beverage outlets are
being upgraded to Int'l names.
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RIYADH KING KHALID INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT customer review : 28 January 2012 by Mark Fun (Australia) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
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Recommended | |
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Don't expect to get your bags first because you are a first class or business passenger. I was the last person
to get my bag and I was flying first class from Dubai. Toilets are in very bad condition, some are just a hole
in the ground. Checking in to fly out of the airport was worst than arriving there. Lots of pushing and shoving
just to be able to get to the first class counter, where they were using only one luggage screening machine.
The first class lounge was very small and no where to sit. The food was disaster, the general conditions of
the terminals are out dated.
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RIYADH KING KHALID INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT customer review : 11 November 2011 by R Malik (USA) |
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Rating : 5/10 | |
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Cleanliness | |
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Recommended | |
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Immigration was slow (30-45 mins). Departure procedure is not well marked, but I checked in and went
through security is less than 10 mins. Shopping and food options are very limited. Terminal was not crowded
and found a quiet place to work. Flight departure info was not listed, even at gate, but confirmed at Saudi
info counter. Restrooms were acceptably clean and usable, but could be better. In summary, it was a fair
experience, but I arrived and departed without incident.
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Riyadh King Khalid International Airport customer review : 31 July 2011 by Steve Wilkinson (UK)
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |
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This has to be one of the worst airports in the world! I have traveled through African airports that are better
than this. If you can possible avoid going through this dump, then do!
Riyadh King Khalid International Airport customer review : 5 July 2011 by Waleed Chaudhry (UK)
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |
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I have travelled to and from this airport numerous times in the last 15 years and undoubtedly it is the worst airport
when it comes to ground crew service and maybe even trying to get something changed. The immigration is
always chaotic, especially if you are a bachelor male. For people who are travelling to KSA for the first time, good
luck as there is a dedicated queue which I have never seen moving. The immigration officers (well being polite
here, they act more like volunteers who seem to be doing you a favour) don't really care about anything. Again
without doubt this is the worse airport only because of the fact that they know they are doing things wrong and
they do not want to think of a way to fix it (which I think would be very easy as most of the issues are related to
poor service.
Riyadh King Khalid International Airport customer review : 23 May 2011 by A Alves (Portugal)
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Customer Rating : 2/5 |
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I understand that departures and arrivals at certain times make the respective areas a very
crowded place. However, it is unacceptable the work ethic demonstrated by the Immigration
officers at the different counters. I have seen the Immigration officers eat, drink, smoke
laugh loudly at their stations or simply just leave the scene without giving any justification
whatsoever. Moreover, their supervisors just do not care. Departures are smoother with a little
negative point. I find the security screening laughable.
Riyadh King Khalid International Airport customer review : 5 April 2011 by Roy Clogstoun (Australia)
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Customer Rating : 3/5 |
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Since Fraport took over management of KKIA the situation has only improved marginally. The one
plus is the introduction of organised queuing to enter the immigration area for stamping of
passports. Check-in is chaotic as ever, particularly the chaos that ensures to get your
luggage security checked. The first and business class lounge is abysmal with very mediocre
food and a poor selection of drinks. The introduction of Starbucks in the international
departure hall was an improvement.
Riyadh King Khalid International Airport customer review : 3 July 2010 by M Ryzad (USA)
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Customer Rating : 2/5 |
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What a wonderful Airport, if you like confusion, mayhem and chaos. I left Saudi Arabia several
months ago. I had also been in this Airport about 10 years ago and no change.
Riyadh King Khalid International Airport customer review : 27 May 2010 by B Al Omar (Saudi Arabia)
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |
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KKIA should never be ranked an airport in the first place. Arriving on an EK flight at the
foreign airline terminal, there were no trolleys to pick up our bags. They had to rush all the
Asian laborers to fetch trolleys, as we were demanding them. A very ill prepared and
unprofessional start. After waiting ages for my "priority" tagged bags, I walked to the
domestic "terminal". For a start, as soon as I entered the so called "terminal", a loud an
irritating drill sound was going on continuously nonstop. The structure of the terminal that
echoed the sound all over the place did not help either. The check in was like a third world
capital in turmoil. Bags all over the place, long queues that never moved and the drill. I
picked a queue hoping that it was the fastest, but unfortunately the person at the front
didn't move for half an hour. That, together with the drill made blood boil in my veins.
Riyadh King Khalid International
Airport customer review : 30 October 2009 : by A Dron
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Customer Rating : 3/5 | |
On arriving from Jeddah to connect with a Saudia flight to London, I discovered one has to
exit the airside area, walk some 100 metres inside the terminal parallel to the frontage of
the building and go through security again - Or did staff misdirect me? Security check was
reasonably quick and standard. Toilets were fine - clean and smelling of disinfectant. Eating
places and shops after security are rather on the scarce side and with not a great variety of
products. But the airside area was quiet, calm and airy. The only sign I could detect of
neglect was carpeting at the gate that badly required cleaning.
Riyadh King Khalid International
Airport customer review : 28 September 2009 : by Roy Clogstoun
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Customer Rating : 2/5 | |
I live in Riyadh and this must be the worst airport after Damascus in the Middle East. This
airport has no redeeming features both from an aesthetic and service point of view. I flew out
of Riyadh on 18 September (start of the Eid break) and there were over 400 people wanting to
get in to the secure area to have their passports checked by Saudi immigration. Everyone
pushing and shoving (mostly men) with no regard for the welfare of women and children. The
response of the Saudi guards was to close the small door that passengers entered, irrespective
of whether passengers had to catch flights. It took over two hours to make our way through
immigration and airport security. As a result the flight left 45 minutes late. Fraport, the
company that manages Riyadh airport said that there was not much they could do about
instituting proper procedures for immigration and security screening.
Riyadh King Khalid International
Airport customer review : 18 June 2009 : by Leonard Amana
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Customer Rating : 1/5 | |
During check in, majority of the passengers line up to get their baggage xray done at just one
machine even though the other one is available - but the guy operating it is busy having
"chai" and he cant miss drinking it. I've seen people waiting behind the xray machine while
their flight is boarding, and these poor souls have been waiting for over 3 hrs in the queue.
The atmosphere in the airport is very dreary and depressing. There is no currency exchange
counter in the airport, eateries only sell over priced rubbish. Taxi service is poor. All the
rent-a-car stalls are empty with no one to cater to travellers. The only good thing about it
is the connectivity to the city. Nothing else.
Riyadh King Khalid International
Airport customer review : 22 May 2009 : by A Croker
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Customer Rating : 1/5 | |
Riyadh airport is one of the worst capital city airports in the world. The toilet facilities
are insanitary, food franchises, such as they are, are appalling and the taxi touts outside
remind one of the worst developing countries. There is no concession to the comfort and
convenience of passengers. The layout and ease of transfer from terminal to terminal is
unplanned and primitive. The frequency of flights in and out of Riyadh make it an excuse for a
principal point of entry, but I can see why airlines don't want to fly in and out. Swaggering
immigration and security officials lounge around, smoking and chatting or making mobile phone
calls rather than dealing with passengers, which they seem to regard as an interruption to
socialising. It is impossible to buy tickets for flights at the terminal you want to fly from.
You have to besiege a travel agency together with hundreds of distressed passengers.
Riyadh Airport by S Daehlen
2 December 2005 Customer Rating : n/a
King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh has four surprisingly small
triangular terminals in a row. Terminal 1 is for international flights
with foreign airlines, terminal 2 is for international flights with
Saudia and terminal 3 (Saudi by definition for the time being) is for
domestic flights. Terminal 4 (the first terminal you pass when arriving
by car from central Riyadh) is closed. The VIP section is placed between
the two Saudi terminals thus preventing direct access from international
to domestic flights. The terminals are not unattractive from an
architectural point of view with a large (and noisy) cascading fountain
in each and a multilevel roof construction that is vaguely reminiscent
of the classical Ottoman mosques which also gives light to the interior
of the terminal. Regrettably the airport does not seem to have undergone
major renovation since it was built, and the interior is dominated by
shades of beige, brown and dark red. Shiny chrome air-condition pillars
and shabby plastic counters do not enhance the visual impression. Only
once have I experienced that passengers have been required to use a bus
instead of the elevated tunnel when leaving the aircraft. Facilities for
passengers are scarce. Between the two international terminals you can
buy some electronic equipment, get a bite to eat or use the ATM/banking
counter, and in the terminal for foreign airlines there is a small shops
selling newspapers, dates, cameras etc. before you pass through
immigration and security. In all three terminals at the airport the
departure halls themselves offer nothing except three snack bars.
Riyadh Airport by O Doyle
23 May 2005
I've travelled through Riyadh on several occasions and think it is an appalling excuse for an
airport. We have to change from Domestic to International when we arrive in Riyadh and there is
nobody to direct you so you just have to follow the masses and hope for the best. The only food
available is between Domestic & International and on my last visit (Jan 05) the only decent place to
eat (Pizza Hut) was closed down. Inside International Departures you have the usual surly guard who
glares but doesn't speak while checking your passport. Then you're through the terminal where all
the gates are close together, there is not enough seating, and the only refreshments available are
from a coffee guy who sells soft drinks/coffee & crisps. Coming back to Saudi via Riyadh is even
worse as you have to collect your baggage, clear customs and then then drag it from International
Arrivals to Domestic Departures to check it onto the plane. Totally disorganized is being nice to
this aiport! I always fly with my husband but as I've not changed my name since getting married my
passport is passed around from one supervisor to another to determine if they can give me grief for
being with a man who is not my husband. This airport needs a complete overhaul in terms of
facilities, staff and general organisation.
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