Saudi Arabian Airlines

LHR-SIN one-way with 2 hr transit in Riyadh. A surprisingly pleasant experience. Selected emergency exit seats - row 38 at time of booking which were comfortable though opposite the toilets and allowed some sleep. Meals were tasty and of generous proportions and two were served on each leg so quite filling. Transit in Riyadh was without hassle. Criticisms - drinks were served in one burst and then nothing for hours unless you walk to the galley. Cabin crew ok but not overly enthusiastic.

Dammam-Riyadh-Istanbul. After waiting 2 hrs on the ground the pilot announced there was a technical fault and we had to return to the airport. No one assisted or directed us. The flight from Riyadh to Istanbul was missed because I was still in Dammam. I was calm and after 2-3 hrs of waiting there was only 1 flight available the next day. I went to baggage claim and found my bag in the corner of the airport. The hotel provided was very poor. I didn't request anything and they didn't compensate anything they didn't even ask.

Doha-Jeddah then onto Madina return. We used their new A320 which was furnished with their new short range product and we where surprised of how good and comfortable their plane was and helpful and attentive their staff were. A very nice choice of meal service though they did not offer a menu but the portions where large compared with other airlines and I plan on using them again.

JED-FRA. I was very pleased with my experience on this airline. Check in was quite fast. Staff are very accommodating and efficient. Aircraft was full load. The entertainment was amazingly great. Good choice of Video. The meal was surprisingly amazing. Most importantly flight attendants were fabulous. It was a mixed nationality. I lost count of how many times the flight attendants came around with water and juices. The one seating beside me needs to charge his laptop and when he asked the flight attendants without hesitation she immediately resolved the problem. "Good customer service" Toilets were very clean and usable. Great value for money.

DMM-JDH-JDH-DMM. Check in was lousy; check-in gate opened only 30mins before flight was due to depart. Smooth take off and landing. The seats had a 32" pitch and were surprisingly comfortable. Clean interior including the seats and the head rest. Food was average however was nearly put off from eating when the stewardess shouted at my husband after asking her to repeat what was on the menu. Overall not bad for a 3 star airline. Experience could be greatly improved by putting the emphasis on delivering "good" customer service.

I had my first experience with Saudi Arabian Airline. It was not good at all. Putting the extra seat in B-777 made it very congested from London Heathrow to Jeddah. Passenger facilities at Jeddah airport were almost nil. Ground staff were very rude. The connecting flight had trouble and was cancelled. All passengers were pushed into an old Boeing 747 like sheep without any seating order. The food was cold and FA's didn't seem to care. This was probably the worst journey I ever had. Would not recommend it to anyone except if you want to save some money booking tickets in advance. But still it is not worth it.

My first experience with Saudi Arabian Airlines and most likely my last. From the initial boarding a male flight attendant was rude and condescending to passengers. Once seated in assigned seat the aircraft was not full allowing myself and another passenger to share the four centre row seats. However before take off a flight attendant repositioned the passengers in front of us into our row stating the row was reserved. Although not pleased I thought that they had good reason perhaps a passenger who needed to lay down due to age or medical condition. However once inflight it became painfully obvious why the row had been vacated. The cabin crew actually arrived with blankets and pillows and throughout the entire flight from Dulles to Riyadh took turns sleeping. It was shocking that paying customers were placed in this position so the attendants could sleep! The food was good and adequate throughout the flight. The in flight entertainment initially appeared to be on par with other airlines however the movies ended 1.5 hr into the flight not to resume and no explanation as to why. I was very disappointed with the level of professionalism extended by the cabin crew in particular the male attendants. I will go out of my way to fly with another airline in the future even at an increased expense if it means avoiding this kind of experience again.

RUH-LHR. Check-in ok except agent told me he had no lounge invitations left and I needed one to get into the lounge even though my ticket was J Class. I went to the lounge and negotiated my way in. The lounge in T2 at RUH is the best lounge at RUH though not the same standard as average lounges you would expect in most international airports. Flight on new B777 on which the IFE did not work. Cabin crew not very helpful though tried to be friendly. At meal service I was informed that I had ordered a special meal when I didn't. I was informed that I did not have a choice! I asked for a menu as non had been offered prior to the meal service nor had any fruit juices and after four attempts I was brought an UK arrival card! Eventually was given a copy of the menu after the service. Tried to use the massage function in my seat but it switched the same function on in my neighbours seat! Watched my ipod and read my book for the rest of the flight. I have flown this airline many times both in Y and J and the service is very it and miss with this episode being the norm.

JED–RUH operated by B777-200 in high density seating configuration with only 2 rows of First Class and the rest Economy in a 3x4x3 layout with a LCC style seat pitch. Most B777s in Economy have a 3x3x3 seating layout and the extra seat therefore results in narrower seats and aisles. This is perhaps acceptable for short haul domestic flights such as this was but this would be almost unacceptable for medium / long haul flights. Somewhat incredibly a hot meal was served in Economy on this 1h 10m flight – a choice of Mixed Grill or Pasta with pitta bread a cake and a Mars Bar. Water came within the Meal Box whilst soft drinks were offered separately along with tea and coffee afterwards. The flight crew were the usual Asian multi- nationals who were efficient professional and cheerful. The flight left on time and arrived early – and all for US$ 75.

DXB-DMM-DXB was good food excellent staff excellent aircraft old but in good shape. DXB- RYD-DXB complete opposite end of the scale DXB-RYD plane kept ascending then climbing crew were strapped into seats for duration upon arrival in Riyadh pilot apologised for the unusual flight caused due to technical problems. Return flight must have been same B747-400 as described by other travellers interior panels falling and fallen off crew not concerned with safety passengers walking up and down aisle while landing crew take your seats announcement after we landed.