Saudi Arabian Airlines

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.

✅ Trip Verified | Flew Istanbul to Kuala Lumpur via Jeddah with Saudi Arabian Airlines. Very much exceeded my expectations. For the low business class fare I paid I consider it to be outstanding value for money. The seating on both the A330 and 787 aircraft are fully flat and the cabin finishes very attractive. The 787 provides direct aisle access. Crew were friendly and attentive. Each flight I travelled on had WiFi. Food was pretty good. The menus could do with a little more variation and the main courses a little higher quality. And please, I know Saudia is a 'dry' airline and that is no problem for me but why can you not offer other drinks other than water, tea or coffee? Not on one of the four sectors was there a drinks service before the main meal. You take off, they do the meal order, there is a delay, then you are presented with your tray which automatically has a glass of water on it. Saudia should be offering/promoting high quality soft drinks in First/Business Class, fresh juices, smoothies, coconut water etc. Transit in JED is straight forward but the airport is a disgrace. I'm sure the terminal in Kabul or Mogadishu is more pleasant. It truly is hideous. Few food/beverage outlets, the toilets, don't get me started. Disgusting. The terminal is tiny and just people everywhere. The Saudia lounge in the terminal is just OK. Pretty small. Again, toilets are an issue (precisely two stalls - no urinals - in the gents so always a line up). Food was OK. However why the need to announce loudly every single flight that is boarding? It was disturbing after a couple hours. Saudia has the basics to be an amazing airline. The planes are great, the crews are good, the food and drink situation needs improvement but that isn't difficult to do. The worst aspect of Saudia is the Jeddah airport. Thankfully, a new airport terminal will open soon and when it does I wouldn't hesitate to fly Saudia again.