Saudi Arabian Airlines Passenger Reviews and Saudi Arabian Airlines Trip Reports

LHR to Dammam with a stopover in Riyadh. First flight from London to Riyadh was great, plane was new B777-ER and clean. They could improve on their flight service. Very impressed with the amount of luggage I could check-in as I had a lot of luggage and the tickets were cheap. As for the second journey which was an internal flight it was a different story, plane was old and shaking due to windy weather - the pilot did not update us with any info. Overall I will use them again.

Doha to Riyadh return. Very good flights both ways on A320. Crew attentive and professional. Flight time was only 1.5 hrs but we were given a filling and delicious hot meal. The planes were very clean and in immaculate condition. A pleasant surprise and much cheaper than QR on the same route.

Jeddah to London. I was pretty impressed with their service. The crew members were better then average. It was a Boeing 777-300ER, just 4 months old aircraft. The food was ok, we were provided with menu cards and amenity kits. There is only one problem with them is the ground crew on the airport is not polite but on their aircraft they are fine.

Flew domestic return from Riyadh to Najran. 2nd time with SV, first to Doha. What sticks out the most is the unprofessional cabin crew. Cabin crew never checked seat belts or seats prior to take-off or landing, they themselves sat chatting with pax. A pax next to me was actually re-seated during take-off. Cabin crew forgot to serve meals to an entire row. No options to SV on most domestic routes but I will always try to fly another airline internationally. Nevertheless, good legroom and new airplanes. Average food, no IFE.

Very pleased with my recent experience. I travelled Hyderabad-Riyadh-Cairo-Jeddah-Hyderabad sector. The in-flight service was excellent and food (I chose AVML) was very nice. I liked the seating and the flights were on time. The only problem I had was the non functional IFE system on Cairo-Jeddah and Jeddah-Hyderabad sectors. All in all, a very good experience for the money I paid for the ticket.

Turkey-Jeddah-Manila. First leg was chaotic. No system at all. Passengers were not informed by staff when to enter the aircraft. Flight delayed an hour. Arrived at Jeddah late. Cabin was so dirty especially the toilet! No entertainment at all during flights. Staff informed us the next flight would be the following day. We were brought to the passengers lounge. Stayed at the airport for 27 hours with no couch to sleep on. Really very poor service. That would be our first and last experience with this airline.

Dubai-Jeddah-Riyadh-Dammam-Dubai. All flights were on Airbus A320 except the Riyadh-Dammam leg was on a small Embraer. Check in at all airports was chaotic, specially domestic flights, SV has an odd policy of one bag per passenger only to check in, I had 2 small carry ons only, both together didn't exceed 17 kg however I was allowed to check in only one bag, which led to a lot of luggage in the cabin which was chaotic. Aircraft's are a mix of old torn planes and ok, however I don't like the leather seats concept, looks very old and full of strains. No entertainment at all, on all sectors, some flights with no refreshment, however I was surprised on Dammam-Dubai sector they had a full service which was roughly a 75 minutes flight, but full dinner and tea and coffee was served. Cabin crew are ok, not very friendly but they were doing their jobs with no enthusiasm but doing it right, except for the Asian crew as they are always cheerful, not very fond of SV but I have to take it every time I am in KSA due to domestic flights, though nothing major to complain about, but will never fly it in international long flights.

Recently flew from Rome to Johannesburg via Jeddah. I was very pleasantly surprised. Flight was comfortable, we were given blankets, toothbrushes etc, the food was good, there were mini TVs in the back of each seat and the selection of films and programmes was great. Staff were all friendly and helpful, a great experience, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them if they maintain this level of service.

Flew DOH-JED-DOH in Business Class. Service was very good, IFE was adequate and easy to operate, food was also average. Seats on the A320 were very comfortable and price was excellent when compared with the competition - the luggage allowance was very generous. I will use them on this route as the overall package is very attractive!

RUH-KUL-RUH. There was a 6 hours delay, the service was poor but the new 777-300 was excellent. The in- flight entertainment was excellent despite the flight delay.

Nairobi - Jeddah - Kuala Lumpur and back. Seats fairly comfortable and food satisfactory although all choices were not offered and not available. Inflight entertainment was also okay. The staff looked tired and unfriendly, snapping at the passengers although they did address them as Sir or Madam. Had a long stopover in Jeddah - transit facilities very poor, air conditioning set at cold temperature and food provided basic and monotonous. Ground staff handling transit passengers were not very helpful and forthcoming with information and reacted angrily to passengers asking for information. We had to be re-routed on the return leg from Jeddah to Nairobi via Cairo with Cairo-Nairobi sector with Kenya Airways.

New York-Jaddah-Islamabad. At JFK check-in was smooth. Flight left on time on a Boeing 777-200. Flight was full, nice clean aircraft. Food was average. They have an open self-service snack bar at the rear of the aircraft. In Jeddah we had a 10 hours layover. Had to haggle with staff at the airport for dinner vouchers. Jeddah - Islamabad was a Boeing 747-400 and every seat was full. Food was ok. Only reason I will fly this airline again is its low price.

Jeddah-Jizan-Jeddah. Full flight on A320. Don't bother trying to reserve seats when booking, everything will change on the plane. On the return leg, I was moved 4 times to accommodate other passengers. Wasn't happy at all. I only fly with them when I have to as there is little resemblance of order and structure on the aircraft. Crew did a good job with refreshments, but they spent more time trying to sell airline products. Did I feel safe - yes, marginally. The aircraft was new but the seat pitch was pretty tight. They were on time so I guess that goes in their favor.

Damman to Manila, SV862, November 28, 2012. Seat was very spacious, was seated in the upper deck. Flight attendant explained it was business class seats but economy service. Flight attendant was very professional, polite and even helped me stow my bags.

Saudia changed our flight 3 times, not different departure times, but different dates! We had to fly one day earlier than booked and before we left, got another return date. They told us that the booked flights had been cancelled. We made the reconfirmation one week before our flight back to Germany, staff told us that this flight was cancelled as well. We had to take a flight back 2 days later than originally booked. Onboard, food was good and the rest so so.

Dubai to Jeddah with a connecting flight to Tabuk to Riyadh and Damman and finally back to Dubai. The whole trip was just a disaster with canceled tickets even with confirmed tickets in my hand. No explanation. Terrible service at the check in desk with not even an excuse - don't even know what customer service is.

Jeddah to London in Guest Class (Oct 25). Clean and roomy 777 with seatback screens showing recent Western and Arabic movies and TV shows on demand, amenity packs for children, a good lunch shortly after take off (including specially ordered children's meals, which were great), and sandwiches with a chocolate bar an hour before landing. Check-in calm and well organized in the dedicated Saudia terminal at King Abdulaziz Airport, boarding was orderly and our luggage was on the belt swiftly at LHR. Arabic coffee served before departure by a friendly and professional crew. Passengers in all cabins receive an amenity pack. Last time we flew Saudi we returned via Paris CDG. In common with Frankfurt, Rome, Milan, Madrid and Geneva, the continental European cities use a much smaller Airbus A320/1, which adds to the length of the flight, and the entertainment systems are also a bit more basic. Nonetheless staff and service are just as pleasant, and irrespective of the route or the aircraft, standard leg room - at 34" in Economy - is amongst the most generous we have encountered.

Jeddah - Damman. A321. Business class. Was the only one is business class apart from a crew member. Despite warnings about switching off electronic devices, he insisted on using it the entire flight. Food was great, hot breakfast with fruit salad and pastries. Honestly, even with just one passenger, the cabin crew seemed disinterested. Bussed requiring a headset and gave up after 10 minutes. You could seem them sitting in the galley. The best part about the flight was the food.

RUH-JED. Check in at Riyadh was fast and easy, no waiting at security. Information on the ground is not very good. Change of boarding gate not announced, so a bit chaos for boarding. Flight on time, A319. Economy seating comfortable, good space between rows. Small snacks and drinks during flight, crew very polite and attentive. Bags on belt short 10 min after arrival at the lounge.

Mumbai to London. Staff attentive, food excellent. Entertainment was fine. Stopover in Riyadh was good. A very cheap flight at £135 one way but at full fare I would still have been happy.

CDG-JED-TUU. After a good trip from RUH-LHR we then caught Eurostar to Paris. Upon checking in at CDG were told that the seats we had booked for travel between JED and TUU had been cancelled without reason. Staff at CDG were then able to re-book 3 seats for my wife and children but on arrival at JED it turned out they had been cancelled as well, once again with no apparent reason. After 3 fruitless hours of to-ing and fro- ing between every desk possible with no-one was able to tell us why seats had been cancelled. We had to come back at 04.00 to see if we could get standby seats, meaning we had to stay at a hotel. Thankfully we got seats for the early morning flight. Not a very good experience. I must say there was some helpful staff but mostly not much seemed to get done.

LHR-RUH-KUL. I was pleasantly surprised. Quick easy check-in at Heathrow, polite service, excellent meals with generous portions and on demand inflight entertainment up to any airline's standards. Planes were in good order and the 3 hour transit in Riyadh was hassle free. The only negatives were that the flight attendants did not respond to the call button and on the RUH-KUL sector the toilets were in an unusable state by the end of the flight. Overall a good experience and would fly with them again if they continue to have low fares.

RUH-MNL. Excellent flight. Flight left on time and the service was good. The entertainment was something to be desired. Overall a pleasant flight on Saudi Airlines.

Many internal sectors flown on Saudia over the past 6 months. I tend to prefer the A320 and A321 aircraft rather than the widebodies, although the best aircraft is the E70 in terms of seat comfort and space. I've never been delayed and baggage has always arrived quickly. Food is served on most flights, but is often bland and unappetising. Flew the 777 from JED to DMM 2 days ago and it was very uncomfortable. Was grateful we landed early so as not to spend any longer in the seat. From my experience, Saudia are ok for short sectors (not that there is much choice in Saudi) but I wouldn't consider them long haul.

London to Jeddah was ok apart from there being no available inflight entertainment, meal choice was non existent and you got what was left. Flight from Jeddah to Manila - seat had no recline at all and yet again no working inflight entertainment. Return flight Manila to Riyadh with no inflight entertainment, worked only for half the cabin, unfortunately not my side. Saudi then changed the connecting flight time from Riyadh to London. When this was noticed at check-in in Manila, the Saudi staff claimed my itinerary and ticket was wrong! Very poor customer service.

LHR-JED in Business, with a punctual departure and good level of comfort onboard a 777. Hot towels, arabic coffee and dates before pulling back from the gate, excellent juices and hot drinks, and a more up-to-date entertainment selection than expected. The meal service was nicely done and the lunch enjoyable. Early landing, easy boarding and disembarking. Pleasant and professional crew. Very good value for the fare paid.

Rome-Manila via Riyadh and Jeddah on return flight. Tickets are cheap, but the trip is challenging. Starting from the long queue at check-in in Rome. First leg was ok, except for entertainment which is far below standard. Vegetarian food was quite good, toilets ok with a variety of cologne, hand cream etc. Good travel kit. Stopover in Riyadh - airport is a nightmare with no shops. Riyadh-Manila - toilets barely had soap and towels. Return Manila-Jeddah-Rome was a nightmare. Manila-Jeddah delayed 5 hrs. They provided food but nothing for vegetarians, so I had to buy food. Arrived in Jeddah where staff were unfriendly.

LHR-Riyadh-Jakarta return. First leg was good with all systems working well and on time. Riyadh-Jakarta was poor on a 747-300 series. I didn't know anyone still had these, and it hadn't been refitted. Single large projector screen, no individual screens. Return journey was worse, same 747 with no IFE, and no individual lights. I was in the middle, most shutters were down so I couldn't even read. Second flight on B777, just started watching inflight movie when the screen goes blank. I asked twice for it to be fixed, but got no joy. I tried the call button, however this did not work. Cheap but not good value.

Frequent flyer using 777-268ER's from LHR-RUH/ED. Seating comfort has improved by far with plenty of leg room throughout the plane. They have improved the seating on all of their planes and now fit A330's with internet onboard. The cabin crew staff service can become slightly poor, including ground service but for what you pay for it is definitely worth it. The food provided needs improving more but is better than most Arabic carriers. Inflight entertainment is not the best but has increased by far.

Rome-Manila via Riyadh and Jeddah on return flight. European legs were ok - cabin crew, services and attitude of staff. Legs to Asia were in all these fields poorer and staff spent most of the time chatting together. All this is just minor problem comparing with transit. Especially Jeddah airport is one of the worst I have seen in 15+ years of frequent travelling. It is probably one of most passenger unfriendly airports, there is simply no space to wait in transit lounge. People are sleeping on cold ground, toilets are extremely dirty.

Jeddah-Cairo. Used their new B777. Staff are very accommodating and efficient. Aircraft was full load. The entertainment was great with a good choice of video. The meal was surprisingly tasty. Overall great value for money.

Trip Rating :  7/10

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Trip Rating :  2/10

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Trip Rating :  6/10

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Trip Rating :  1/10

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Trip Rating :  9/10

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Trip Rating :  10/10

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Trip Rating :  7/10

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Trip Rating :  3/10

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Trip Rating :  3/10

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Trip Rating :  1/10

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Trip Rating :  7/10

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Economy

Trip Rating :  1/10

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