Saudi Arabian Airlines

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.