25 year old globe trotting, movie watching gadget freak! Been travelling about so much but at last, ...
25 year old globe trotting, movie watching gadget freak! Been travelling about so much but at last, now have some time to start reviewing and reading other reviews.
Member since:10.11.2002
Reviews:30
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I remember my first flight on a Saudi Arabian Airlines aircraft way back in 1988 when I was at the young age of 10. I remember the boring flight with just a colouring book for entertainment and the ugly bright green surroundings, which were the corporate colours at the time! But things have changed a lot since then...
The next time I used the SV carrier was in 1997 and the national airline of Saudi Arabia had gone through some drastic changes. Saudi Arabian Airlines fly out of the United Kingdom from Heathrow Airport in London only, which is a bit of a dis-advantage if you live in the north of England somewhere! I booked a flight from Heathrow to Singapore, with a one week stop-over in Saudi arabia, via Jeddah.
The booking procedure was simple and there are numerous travel agents offering different prices for tickets. I shopped around and bought an Economy ticket from a local travel agent for around £480 which was pretty reasonable.
On boarding the plane, a stewardess directs you to your seat (which has a pillow and blanket ready for you) and the plane feels comfortable with nice and simple colours. The bright green of the old carrier has been replaced by blues and purples. The seats are comfortable (and surprisingly spacious for Economy class) and all classes include entertainment systems for every seat. You get a choice from 6 movies, music channels, games and also a satellite phone to call home!
After take-off, you are handed a pair of head phones and a menu for the meals. It must be noted that Saudi Arabian Airlines do not serve alcoholic drinks on-board, probably due to the huge amounts of pilgrims and families that travel to Saudi Arabia for religious purposes. You get a choice of three meals which normally includes one vegetarian. Arabic coffee and dates, which are a traditional Arab guest offering, are also presented to passengers. The meals were nice and and very filling. A typical meal of chicken with rice, includes a cup of water, salad, bread and other small tid-bits. You also get a choice of dessert from ice cream and cake!
The flight was smooth and the staff were friendly. When called, they would come to you smiling and would be as helpful as possible. Everytime I requested anything, whether water or a newspaper, the response would be swift. To further illustrate on how Saudi Arabian Airlines strive for customer satisfaction, is the fact on how they have sacrificed around 4 rows of seats at the back of the plane to make space for a prayer room!
Overall, I was impressed by the changes that the airline has gone through. On my last flight with the carrier, I was upgraded to First Class, where the seats are larger, you get a personal reading light and you are asked more often on whether you need anything! Recently, I have joined the Saudi Arabian Airlines frequent flyers club called 'Al-Fursan', with which you receive priority check-in, an extra 10kg baggage allowance and discount offers on hotels and car rentals, as well as the usual air miles accumulation.
A great improvement from my very early experiences and no complaints so far!
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Great op - I'm one of those sad people who still looks forward to being fed on an aeroplane, even though time after time it's a let down - the service on this airline sounds great though! Susan.
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