Saudia; Saudi Arabian Airlines Review; Online booking problems

Saudia or Saudi Arabian Airlines is the main operator of aircraft in Saudi Arabia, this Saudi Arabian Airlines review will give my opinions on this airline and the many online booking problems I have had.If you are working in Saudi Arabia and want to get anywhere quickly then flying is your best option. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is mainly desert, and the cities are separated by many hundreds of miles (or Kilometers if you like these newfangled measures.) Traveling in the Kingdom therefore is best done by air, the countries main operator being Saudi Arabian Airlines or Saudia as most people call them here. I hope that this review of Saudi Airlines (Saudia) is helpful for you.

However at peak times it can be difficult to get a flight and you may have to drive, the following hubs can give you more information regarding this option; Saudi Arabia Travel, Saudi Arabia Driving, and Long Distance drives in Saudi Arabia.

The main airports, Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam are quite modern and well maintained with all of the usual facilities. Smoking is not allowed, however the Saudis ignore this and smoke everywhere!

Internet access is on the whole not available, not even where they say it is in my experience. Food and drink is “OK”, but nothing to write home about either, price wise it is a little more expensive than outside but not as inflated as in some airports.

There are many agents scattered around from which to buy your ticket without any difficulty, most employ someone who has enough English to help you if you speak no Arabic.

Buying a ticket direct from Saudi Airlines on their website is recommended, however I still have never once been able to do so as the website has always failed whenever I have tried to book. I have asked other people and some can book without problem but many cannot manage to complete the booking process through the Saudi Airlines website. Online booking although recommended is not always possible!

Saudi Airlines are now trying to cut out the agents by charging them a fee which they have to pass on to the customer, therefore it is cheaper to book online, I just hope that they improve their system enough for me to book next time I need them!

I have also had problems with using the machines in the airports to book onto the flight when not having to check my luggage, when the tickets have been bought online by my company the machines do not recognize the codes on the tickets and I still have to queue to get my seat on the plane.

Each airport is quite well built and designed, however check in can be a pain in the posterior regions, especially in Riyadh.

In Riyadh they are far too slow and there are not enough check in desks, they suggest that you use the electronic check in machines to get your boarding pass if you don’t have any luggage to check but I have yet to make this to work for me, I am advised this is something to do with having used an agent rather than booking direct through Saudi Airlines.

The Saudis use their usual method of walking directly to the front of the queue to argue with the guys issuing boarding passes in an attempt to get seen quicker, in some cases this works for them, especially if they have a friend that works there or a friend of a friend of a friend.. Most of the time it just makes things even slower and more difficult for everyone! In Jeddah I now go one better as I really do have friends (Saudi drinking buddies) working there and get my boarding passes and luggage checked without being in a queue at all, as long as they are on duty!

The electronic signboards are more often than not wrong, they will tell you which gate to depart from and you will depart from another, it can be quite confusing as they sometimes “forget” to make announcements in English and everyone else starts running toward a different gate!

The security checks are generally quite relaxed, people are friendly and things move quite rapidly just like any other airport. However please note that the ladies will have a separate route through all of their own to prevent embarrassment in front of the men.

The planes are reasonable, a few minor maintenance issues such as TV’s that don’t work or have no sound for long haul flights. Recliners that fail on the seats that mean you either cannot recline or you have no choice but to! I have even found incorrect cushions on the seats meaning that you are sat on an incline (I used to work for a seat manufacturer, I spent a few minutes on one flight swapping all of the cushions in my row on the plane until everyone was sat “flat” and comfortably!)

The food is OK, nothing special but it is at least edible and identifiable as being food. Most Saudis are quite demanding to say the least so they have to make sure that things are passable at least as they will complain quite bitterly.

Being seated on a Saudi plane can become interesting, some Saudis will just take any seat as it is “their” airline, they will try to take the best locations even if they have not been allocated them on their boarding pass, a long suffering Indian or such like will have no chance of moving them if it is their seat! Otherwise minor arguments can arise between Saudi’s the displaced one insiting to be moved to business class rather than having the other moved and so on – I am glad that I don’t work on these planes!

The other problem on board is women, Saudi women will only want to be sat next to their family or other women, anything else is unacceptable. This can lead to a lot of seat shuffling before departure as no allowance for this is made when allocating the boarding passes. Thankfully this can be a short process as on many of the flights the number of women travelling is very small, however I have seen women leave the aircraft as they cannot sit alone! In one incident, there was a woman that was made to stand for some time while they tried to find a seat on a full plane, the air stewardess spotted a row with a Filipina woman with a small child sat on a seat and ordered the Filipina to sit the child on her lap so that the other woman could sit. The Filipina started to complain that the child was entitled to a seat but was unable to produce a boarding pass to show as such, the stewardess was very rude to her and made her take the child, sitting the lone woman there. A phone call later, the real mother of the child appeared, the Filipina only being the maid and the mother sitting in peace with her husband at the other end of the plane. At this point it seemed that all out war erupted as this woman screamed and shouted at the stewardess and the poor woman that had been seated in her child’s place!

The worst airport in my mind was Dammam airport, the first time I arrived there was for an international flight, my internal flight was delayed by over an hour due to a storm, which we bounced around in to the tune of people throwing up for an hour before being allowed to land. I guessed that our ongoing flight would also be delayed by the same storm but time was still going to be short, so we looked on the board and headed straight for the indicated gate.

We arrived there at the opposite side of the airport and it was deserted! So we asked, the person we asked looked at the board and said it was right, wait there, so we asked someone else, they took us back to where we had started and pushed us through an entrance next to where we had come in, the security check and passport control area which was totally packed with people queuing.

We were asked which flight and were directed into a queue that was neither moving nor had anyone in the kiosk to check the passports! We stood here for a few minutes reassured by the fact that others in this queue were on the same flight. Until someone started asking in Arabic for all of the people that were on our flight to move to a different queue, which we all promptly did. The first person went to the kiosk to have their passport checked, there was a problem so the guy in the kiosk disappeared, minutes passed, more minutes passed, our old queue was now open and moving – rapidly! Our flight was now “boarding” and no one was letting us through, so I asked, they looked confused, they wandered off!

Eventually they called us to yet another kiosk and split the line to move us quickly through but it was a farce!

I love flying from Jeddah, I now have a number of friends that work at the airport so I find myself with a number of privileges such as not queuing for check in and frequent up grades, all of the things that I used to complain about with the Saudis! If you can’t beat them as the saying goes, join them!

Even before these privileges I always found Jeddah to be the quickest and most reliable with regard to the information provided.

The only thing that I don't like about Jeddah is the Bus ride to and from the planes, I can't wait for the improvements to be done to cut this out.

If you enjoyed this article and want to read more about living in Saudi Arabia the following links will be of help;

If you are flying Saudia then you may be interested in the following additional information about Saudi Arabia.

You may still be looking for Saudi Arabia Jobs or your Saudi Visas to let you into KSA and experience flying with Saudi Arabian airlines. You may also wish to learn about being an expat in Saudi Arabia and how Saudis treat expatriates in Saudi Arabia .

When you are in KSA you may need to find a Saudi Arabia Hotel or Saudi Arabia Compounds or learn about the possible alternatives for accommodation.

Before entering the kingdom as a woman you will need to know about the restrictions placed on all Saudi Arabia Women, even non-Muslim expats have to abide by all the rules.

Entertainment in Saudi Arabia is not like it is in the west or maybe you would like to visit the Makkah Clock Tower if you are a Muslim. For the truly adventurous singles dating in Saudi Arabia can be a joy!

Here are some useful links that may come in handy if you are within Saudi Arabia or looking to visit Saudi Arabia for work or any other reason;

Saudi Arabian Airlines Saudi Airlines (Saudia) is the national airline within KSA and most of your internal flights and even incoming or departing flights are likely to be with this airline. If you would like to read a review of Saudi Airlines then follow the link.

Saudi Arabia Embassy in the UK, lots of links and details to help you with getting your Visa for Saudi Arabia, use this website to find all of the entry and documentary requirements for your visas.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs KSA (MOFA), links here will enable you to monitor the progress of your Saudi work visa or any other variation of Saudi Visa by using the reference number you will be given for your application..

Saudi Government Links is a Saudi Government website, it has many links to other government sites which will help you with finding other information that you may require for your visit to Saudi Arabia..

Saudi Arabian Embassy Washington is the main Saudi Embassy in the US, here you will find all the information required for your Saudi Visa.

British Embassy in Riyadh is the UK Embassy in Riyadh, very useful if you have questions about Saudi Arabia or need any help. I have found them very helpful when I have needed advice, plus they hold events for us Brits in the country at which they serve BEER!

US Embassy in Riyadh is a helpful link for those of you from the US should you be visiting the country. As with the UK embassy they have events and lots of advice for entering KSA.

Philippine Embassy in Riyadh just to help those of you coming from the philippines to work on a visa in Saudi Arabia.

Indian Embassy in Riyadh Indian Embassy in Riyadh

Embassies in Saudi Arabia has Contact Details for All the various Embassies in KSA should your individual embassy not be listed above.

Saudi Arabia Travel Advice is US Travel advice for Saudi Arabia which is equally applicable to any other nationality who may be considering gaining a visa to visit Saudi Arabia.

Arab News Arab Newspaper

Haj Travel Information Saudi Arabia Haj Information

Muslim Sacred Sites in KSA to visit when you have your Saudi Visas.

Entertainment in Saudi Arabia Things to do in Saudi Arabia, places to go on Saudi Airlines.

Learn to Speak Arabic Learn to speak Arabic online so that you can chat up those beautiful Saudi girls on the planes.

Arabic words and phrases Some Handy words and Phrases to help you not miss your flight!

The above links may come in handy if you are visiting or an Expat working and living in Saudi Arabia, I hope you enjoy your trip with Saudi Airlines (Saudia).