Saudi Arabian Airlines

✅ Trip Verified | Jeddah to Tunis. My baggage didn't arrive when we landed in Tunis, I, among other people, were waiting for our luggage. We were waiting for two hours from 9 am to 11am and then at the end, they told us that your baggage was left on Jeddah because it was heavy. It's the first time I heard this. So they knew from the beginning that they left our luggage in Jeddah and no one told us - there was about 30 people waiting for their suitcases. I had to come back to Jeddah on Saturday because i'm working. So, they told me whether we leave it in Jeddah or ask someone to pick it for you. I was furious.

✅ Verified Review | Manchester to Kuala Lumpur via Jeddah. The inflight entertainment is so heavily censored to Saudi Arabian standards that there essentially isn't any. American sitcoms, for example, censor out all swearing, references to sex and alcohol, hugging, cuddling, kissing, and they even blur over any exposed flesh - e.g. shoulders and even lower legs. Same selection on all 4 of our flights as well, which totaled almost 30 hours. Very disappointing. The severity of the strict dress code on board is ridiculous. As a woman you have to be completely covered, and in loose fitting clothing - so no leggings or tight trousers. I wore a floor length skirt and a long sleeved top, which is genuinely really quite uncomfortable for a long haul flight. My partner (male) wore shorts as it was a night flight and he wanted to be comfortable, he found out he wouldn't be allowed on board and so had to buy trousers. Jeddah Airport transfer lounge is genuinely one of the worst places I have ever been. It, in itself means you should seriously reconsider traveling with this airline, especially as a young western woman. The toilets are like an incoming apocalypse, honestly, it's nearly impossible to describe just how bad they are. There are essentially no shops, it's crowded to dangerous levels, to the extent that if there was a fire or an emergency of any type, people would be crushed to death. It's hard to even find a seat, and there is nowhere quiet to go, even the first class lounge is heaving. There are no restaurants, just very understocked, underwhelming cafes. The aircon and ventilation is appalling, it's stifling to overwhelming levels. Men and women also can't go through security together, so my partner and I got separated for a while, which was also quite distressing when I couldn't find him for half an hour. Honestly, avoid this place like the plague. The food and drink choice on board is limited as well. I understand the no-alcohol policy, however some more food options than 'beef and rice' or 'chicken and rice' would be welcome over the course of 6 meals! If you, like me, tend to get a bit dehydrated on flights, then make sure to take a couple of bottles of water on board as they are very stingy at providing drinks. On a positive note all four flights were on the brand new Boeing 787 planes, which were beautiful and seemed quite spacious in comparison to other long-haul flights I have been on.

✅ Verified Review | I traveled from Addis Ababa to Beirut Via Riyadh on Saudia Airlines on September 13th 2017. It was a very enjoyable flight even with the four hour stop over in Riyadh. Saudia is a full service airline so we got meals and drinks. It did begin at 3:35am in the morning which is not the best time to catch a flight. All in all I will fly with them again.

✅ Verified Review | Istanbul to Singapore via Jeddah. When we arrived to Singapore, we learned that our luggage was lost. Anyway, we went to lost and found to get information and fill the required forms. Responsible staff informed us that our luggage will be delivered within 24 hours but this was not true. We called hotline everyday to get information and also we checked global trace system everyday to get any good news and also we sent lots of e-mail to customer relations of SA airlines. As a summary, we used all channels that we can use. Of course, we could not get any response. We supposed that our luggage will not be able to be found anytime. We bought something to survive such as shoes, clothes and 4 days later suddenly our luggage was delivered to our hotel and we were shocked. Could you imagine such a period that you are in as a customer? They managed the process very unprofessional and amateur, no information, no compensation etc. One week later we went to airport for departure, we requested an authorized person to talk and explain. She came and gave us an e-mail address of her manager to send mail to demand our rights. Also they gave us 75USD for 1 person as compensation in the airport but they also said this is just for temporary action, company will pay also for 4 days delay and also purchasing items cost that you bought to survive. We came back to our country and sent e-mail to manager and she said that 'according to our policy, is to give 75$ US or equivalent in local currency for the delay of the baggage and for the inconvenience of our guests'. My ticket has just 1 stop in Jeddah but after Jeddah, we did not go to Singapore directly. First, we went to Kuala Lumpur then Singapore. In Kuala Lumpur, we were not allowed to go out from the plane just waited for one hour for new passengers.

✅ Verified Review | Nairobi to Toronto via Jeddah. First time flying Saudi Airlines even though most of the reviews I read about them were not good I still decided to try it out. Their staff are very helpful, kind and friendly, not very strict on luggage weight they wont mind the extra 2 kilos unlike other airlines. Flight was clean and had rooms to perform prayers. Decent food. Inflight entertainment was not bad either. The only issue I had with my flight was at Jeddah airport. Probably the worst airport I have visited. No communication on flight information, rude staff, no proper seating area, very crowded, barely any duty free shopping stores, only 3 coffee shops, no WiFi. If you have more then 3 hours stop over I suggest you look for a different airline.

✅ Verified Review | I'm so disappointed with my last experience with Saudi Airlines from Riyadh to Jakarta. On board of the outbound flight I discovered the malfunction of the entertainment system, so I told the flight attendant and informed him about the issue but he told me that after the airplane takeoff the system will be restarted. After takeoff nothing happened and it turned out that 50% of the airplane seat doesn't have entertainment. For 9 hours flight you are setting face-to-face with the seat in front of you. In the return flight from Jakarta, the flight was delayed 1 hour but in the flight no entertainment at all for all seats, some peopled argued with the flight attendants but they had nothing to do with it.

✅ Verified Review | We flew Business to Jeddah in Economy and return from Madinah to Manchester. Excellent service, friendly check-in and on-board staff. Extremely comfortable seats in Business and nice seats in Economy Class. Prayer Room and Toilets well-maintained and convenient. Hospitable and friendly staff.

✅ Verified Review | Saudia needs to update its aircraft fleet. Check-in was very long and unorganised, even the dedicated Business desk was poorly manned and had long queues. Had to use the Economy desk instead. Used the fast track at IST which made a life little easy. Takeoff was on-time. Pre take-of drinks and dates were of good quality. Food was ok for Business class, which was essentially economy meal presented in chinaware. Generally, I feel Saudia needs to get rid of old A330s' and 777s as they are starting to show their age. The Business seats on the A330-300 are not fully lie flat unlike its competitor airlines.

✅ Verified Review | Flew Riyadh to Istanbul. Nightmare check-in at RUH and average service on board. Took almost 1 hour 30 mins waiting in the check-in queue at King Khalid International Airport (RUH). Took off on time, however the service on board was average. Food was mediocre at best, desserts are not what they used to be in Economy with Saudia. Standards in catering have slipped during the last 3 years. The in flight entertainment needs to be kept updated. I have been seeing the same music albums and songs for the past year on board all aircraft with IFE Screens.

✅ Verified Review | London Heathrow to Tabuk via Riyadh. I have been a Gold Alfursan member (SkyTeam Elite+) for the past 6 years and most of my flights are with Saudia. At T4 check-in was swift and the pass for the excellent SkyTeam lounge was handed to me. Sky Priority now means that you can use the VIP security channel, so it’s a very quick process to get scanned and into the lounge where a full English breakfast was being served. London to Riyadh was on their new 777-300ER. This plane has the new First Suites and the 1-2-1 Business Class configuration. However, I was in economy and the last row only has 2 seats near the window. Boarding was early and efficient. Cabin Crew greeted me with smiles. The blanket and pillow were on the seat. Economy seat 59A is at the rear of the plane and I was lucky enough not to have anyone beside me despite a busy flight. Shortly after take-off there was a choice of fruit juice and lunch was served. Saudia still offer metal cutlery. The chicken salad starter was delicious and I chose the chicken biryani (a favourite of mine on Saudia) as it is a good-sized meal and succulent chicken. This came with a warmed bread roll and butter. The dessert was a small piece of chocolate cake. The two other hot meal choices were beef with vegetables and fish. A small bottle of water was given with the lunch. Although I use my iPad to watch films and TV on, the inflight entertainment system would also have kept me very happy with the range of choices and some box sets of USA shows. The entertainment is edited with blurred blobs covering up bare arms and legs on females. The map feature is excellent. USB sockets to charge phones and there is a multi-socket under the seat that takes various plugs. Recline is very good as the seat back reclines and the seat itself moves slightly forward. The prayer room is at the back so this tends to make for a quieter journey. The flight crew were attentive throughout and if not visible, they did answer calls and brought drinks. 90 minutes before landing, a small tray with two finger sandwiches, a packet of Scottish biscuits, water and a cup for tea/coffee was given out. The flight landed 25 minutes early. Disembarkation in Riyadh was swift (even though I was at the back) and I had no immigration queue and was out in the baggage hall before any cases arrived. Riyadh now operates a fixed fee system if you want an assistant for your trolley (SAR15 or £3). My luggage appeared quite quickly and I headed for the inter-terminal bus as the new domestic terminal is further away. It is a little chaotic getting the bus with the traffic, but it all seems to work. The new Terminal 5 is beautiful. As my luggage was already tagged for Tabuk at Heathrow, the assistant just put it straight onto the conveyor. Once through security I headed for the new Alfursan Lounge which is a wonderful space to relax. There is s self-service buffet with many choices of hot and cold dishes as well as cakes and prepared fruit. There’s a wide choice of cold drinks and the usual coffee machine. The terminal has various coffee shops and fast food choices. The Tabuk flight was on a 5-year old A321.