Saudi Arabian Airlines

✅ Trip Verified | Worst flying and layover experience ever. I recently went to Cairo from Singapore (with a layover in Jeddah). The first flight (Singapore - Jeddah) was pretty okay, probably because we were less than 40 people. Once we landed in Jeddah, the nightmare began. Jeddah is probably the worst airport I have ever been to. Nobody can speak English. The Jeddah - Cairo flight was delayed. On TV, it was displayed that the boarding was taking place which was misleading. Once I was finally told that we could go (by another passenger who could speak both Arabic and English, the Saudia staff didn't help at all), we had to take a bus. We then arrived in front of the plane but we had to stay inside the bus for 20 minutes since the cleaning staff was still inside the plane. Once we landed in Cairo, it took about 1 hour to get the luggage. On the way back (from Cairo to Singapore via Jeddah), the flight experience was pretty terrible, especially on the Jeddah - Singapore part (via Kuala Lumpur). There was a lot of turbulence and kids were running, literally! The cabin staff didn't do anything at all to inform parents that the kids should remain seated. They didn't care at all. Once we finally landed in Singapore, I was told that my luggage had been lost along the way. I thought I was going to be the only one. We were only 18 people for the Kuala Lumpur - Singapore part. Out of the 18, I met 7 other people who did not get their baggage. They were coming from Paris, Istanbul and Cairo. I haven't heard from Saudia yet but I will never fly with them again.

Not Verified | Never again! Do not fly with this airline regardless of how cheap it is. They cancelled my return flight from Jeddah to Manchester and put me on a later flight, much later. 14 hours stay over in Jeddah, the lounge was overcrowded, not enough beds, toilets downright filthy. The ground staff are arrogant, rude and very unhelpful. No information given, in fact they just waved me away with a gesture of their hands. However on a positive note the cabin crew were very good. Filled out a complaints form in Jeddah and was told somebody would contact me, I’m still waiting nearly 2 weeks later.

Not Verified | Riyadh to Dubai. Improvement during the last 6 months. Carrier used on weekly basis, despite the poor condition of the Airport, when you board it is another issue. Shiny aircraft despite its age however, the Cabin still need to be fixed - aesthetic fixtures such as panels out of position or seat components are missing. Pleasant crew , consistent meal for a short haul. Entertainment rarely changed, almost same movies. Cabin cleanliness is not Skyteam standards. Saudia still needs additional improvement to compete with regional carriers.

✅ Trip Verified | Jeddah to Chennai. Flew Saudia many times, primarily because its the only airline that operates direct flights on my route. When you fly Saudia, I believe there is no such thing as ‘customer service’. Impolite and unpleasant staff. Try to avoid this airline if you have any other option.

✅ Trip Verified | Pleasantly surprised by Saudi Arabian Airlines. New plane, interactive IFE, free whatsapp throughout the flight. Good meals and attentive flight attendants. Flight was delayed 1hr due to late inbound plane, apparently this is common with Saudia. Flight overall was good but arriving into JED is as usual chaotic. We were on the plane 30 mins after landing waiting for busses.

✅ Trip Verified | Dammam to London via Riyadh. I had a very good service from the departure to arrival. Saudia has been improving a lot recently. The staff quality has improved. I departed from Dammam and had a connecting flight through Riyadh to London. The plane from Riyadh to London was brand new. The flight crew were very helpful though I feel they could have come around more often asking passengers how they were. They served a very weak breakfast for 8 hour flight and no snacks or lunch provided later on.. I felt as thought the cabin crew forgot because they spent a lot of time talking in the back. They have awfully young local male hostess who seemed to have spent a lot of time chatting to the female cabin crew for hours. They need to tighten up the customer service little bit more and they can stand out as one of the leading gulf / Middle East carriers.

✅ Trip Verified | Please note this was the return leg of our trip from ISB to LHR. Outbound we went via Riyadh (better planes, service and transit). The trip begins well enough by friendly airport staff checking us in smoothly (pleasantly surprised for ISB). Boarding was announced over an hour in advance due to pilgrimage pax which was fairly chaotic due to the easily forgivable increased security. Once onboard SV 727 (HZ-AK15), it was apparent the plane was one of the older 773s on the Saudia fleet, with blue seats, a 3-4-3 configuration and the older type of IFE. Just before take-off, a disagreement broke out between some ladies and cabin staff. Ground staff were called as the ladies refused to sit next to myself as I was male. I offered to swap seats with one of their male family members and thought I got lucky with a nice emergency exit seat. Unfortunately, in this section of the plane, the IFE screens were non functional, just displaying the airline logo. Remotes were lit but inactive, basics like reading light and call buttons also refused to work. When brought to the attention (3 times) to staff, one said, sorry sir, unfortunately this happens all the time! Food was just about acceptable. The flight did operate perfectly to timetable though, slight delay in departure was made up during the flight to JED. I will cover the woeful experience at JED airport in a separate airport review. The JED to LHR leg was an overnight flight, SV113 on a 77W (HZ-AK18). The aircraft again was a little older than the RUH route but of 3-3-3 config. so the seating was more comfortable than the ISB plane. Whilst comfortable, the service on this leg was shocking. Staff were polite enough, however, stuck ruthlessly to their procedures. I would not sleep at all, and was rather peckish. I asked for something to eat like a banana, crisps, or even a biscuit (being diabetic) and was refused outright saying they do not carry snacks onboard! I am sure Business Class had ample supplies! Shocking. The best they could do was offer my main breakfast earlier (but then I would have to starve towards the end of the flight!). I found this really shocking. Upon arrival at LHR, I had to report a burst suitcase reported to Saudia ground staff. Initial attitude was to accuse me of overpacking, to which I simply said “its underweight, open it if you want.” I have filed a claim but not a single response. I would not recommend this airline if travelling via JED, if it wasn’t £1k GBP cheaper at the time of booking over EK or QR, I would not have bothered!

✅ Trip Verified | Istanbul to Jeddah. Flight departed 80 minutes later. Lost my connection in Jeddah. Food was tasteless. Drinks never served during the flight. Air crew was terribly bored not only to serve but to even smile as well. Apart the flatbed, not business class at all. At the end, the broke my luggage too, terrible service.

✅ Trip Verified | Toronto to Dhaka via Jeddah. My kids wanted a drink and a small snacks. They went to the back galley and asked for a juice/snack but were told to wait for 30 minutes. They came back to seats disheartened. I could see similar requests were served for some other guests!

✅ Trip Verified | Milan to Kuala Lumpur via Riyadh, and it really was above my expectations. Friendly check-in at Milan airport then on to the lounge. Relaxed boarding and the steward presented himself by name. Coffee and dates before take off. Menus were handed out with the choice of three entrées, main mail, and dessert. Both arabic and western bread served. Before take off a sms was received with the code for free wifi on both flights, this is tremendous value as most airlines charge for this even in business. The meals were all on demand, you could choose any time up till an hour before landing. Transfer at Riyadh, contrary to Jeddah is hassle free, with no queues, easy to find lounge. The Alfursan transit lounge at Riyadh airport is well equipped even for a longer transit time, nice sofas, relaxing chairs, working tables with computers, an abundant buffet with local and international specialities, with nice juices and excellent Arabian coffee. Though the aircraft announcements are made in a quite high noise level. A320 interior was a little bit worn, but with with excellent seat distance though not lie-flat beds. The Boeing 787 is top notch with full lie-flat beds. The inflight entertaining system is compared to another airlines quite limited, but there were Arabian films with English subtitles, films that we rarely see in Europe. Keeping in mind the competitive business class fares on Saudia and the hassle free flight, I will not hesitate to book Saudia again.