My recent RUH layover on a Saudia flight
Aug 17, 2013, 2:27 am
#1
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: RTM
Posts: 130
My recent RUH layover on a Saudia flight
Since I saw many discussions (especially in the mileage run sector) about the long layovers at RUH (Riyadh airport) in Saudi Arabia that you have to deal with on it's dirt-cheap flights, I thought it would be helpful to post my experiences here!
In October last year, I booked a CDG-JED-CMB-RUH-CDG flight for just €270,= including all taxes and fees. My schedule changed a couple of times (with flights being cancelled and times being changed) and in the end I got CDG-RUH-CMB-RUH-CDG with an 8-hour connection on my way to Sri Lanka and an 11-hour connection on my way back.
First a quick word on Saudia (I'll probably write a more extensive trip report later): Saudia is a good airline, even in Y! All my flights were on a 777 (I believe 1 of them on the 77L) and all seats had AVOD with a decent selection (I believe some 50 movies, of which 20 were new). I can't say anything about the seat pitch, since I was seated in emergency exit seats at all of my flights (you can select those for free online). All flights were about 6 hours and included 1 full meal (menu cards were handed out with 2 choices) and a second small meal (like sandwiches). I believe there was only 1 drinks service, which was the only bad point in my opinion. Note that there is no alcohol served on SV flights (not even in J or F), since it is an Saudi airline!
Back to my long layovers in RUH:
Upon arrival, you simply follow the signs to 'transit passengers' (just don't go down the stairs to the arrivals hall, and you will end up in the line for transit passengers). There is no passport control for transit passengers, just a quick security check (i waited in line 30 minutes both time). They then check your boarding pass and tell you from which gate your flight will depart. If you have a long layover, you will also get a free meal! They will tell you where and when to pick it up (for me it was at gate 21, around 6pm on the first flight and around 2pm on the second flight).
You can walk through 2 terminals on your layover: terminal 2 with all the Saudia-flights and terminal 1 with all other carriers. There are some duty free shops in both terminals (no alcohol, of course!) and some food and drink outlets. Including some western options like Burger King and Starbucks in terminal 1. The terminals looked quite modern and nice, but there was not a lot to do. I spend about 1 hour walking around and have a quick look at all departing flights (not too much SV flights, terminal 1 was more interesting).
I decided to wait in the (old) SV lounge, which charged 100 riyals (28USD) for a 6 hour stay. It was a quite small and dark lounge, but it offered free wifi, drinks (again, no alcohol! But they had Budweiser non alcoholic for the ones that really wanted to get something that tastes remotely like beer), some hot and cold snacks and a small buffet with hot food. There were also 4 or 5 computer stations. I just browsed the internet for a couple of hours while I had some snacks and drinks. The time went by really fast actually!
On my way back, the old SV lounge had closed and the new lounge just openend. It is on the second floor, taking up the escalators in front of gate 21. The new lounge looked AMAZING! However, they don't accept Priority Pass or paying passengers any longer, so there was no chance for me to visit this lounge. I tried the Premier lounge in terminal 1, which did accept paying passengers, but it was a steep 160 riyals (45 USD) for the business class lounge and 210 riyals (55 USD) for the first class lounge - for just a 4-hour stay! So I decided to just hang around a little bit, do some reading and walk back and forth a little bit around the terminals.
In conclusion: of course an 11-hour layover is very boring, but is not a too bad airport. If you bring something to read, you can easily spend a couple of hours in one of the quiet spots. The airport offers 2 hour wifi for free and there are some power outlets available. Both end of the terminal offer some quiet spots where you can relax (just search for a gate with no flight departing in the next couple of hours). If I can get a cheap flight like this again, I would definitely take it, despite the long layovers!
In October last year, I booked a CDG-JED-CMB-RUH-CDG flight for just €270,= including all taxes and fees. My schedule changed a couple of times (with flights being cancelled and times being changed) and in the end I got CDG-RUH-CMB-RUH-CDG with an 8-hour connection on my way to Sri Lanka and an 11-hour connection on my way back.
First a quick word on Saudia (I'll probably write a more extensive trip report later): Saudia is a good airline, even in Y! All my flights were on a 777 (I believe 1 of them on the 77L) and all seats had AVOD with a decent selection (I believe some 50 movies, of which 20 were new). I can't say anything about the seat pitch, since I was seated in emergency exit seats at all of my flights (you can select those for free online). All flights were about 6 hours and included 1 full meal (menu cards were handed out with 2 choices) and a second small meal (like sandwiches). I believe there was only 1 drinks service, which was the only bad point in my opinion. Note that there is no alcohol served on SV flights (not even in J or F), since it is an Saudi airline!
Back to my long layovers in RUH:
Upon arrival, you simply follow the signs to 'transit passengers' (just don't go down the stairs to the arrivals hall, and you will end up in the line for transit passengers). There is no passport control for transit passengers, just a quick security check (i waited in line 30 minutes both time). They then check your boarding pass and tell you from which gate your flight will depart. If you have a long layover, you will also get a free meal! They will tell you where and when to pick it up (for me it was at gate 21, around 6pm on the first flight and around 2pm on the second flight).
You can walk through 2 terminals on your layover: terminal 2 with all the Saudia-flights and terminal 1 with all other carriers. There are some duty free shops in both terminals (no alcohol, of course!) and some food and drink outlets. Including some western options like Burger King and Starbucks in terminal 1. The terminals looked quite modern and nice, but there was not a lot to do. I spend about 1 hour walking around and have a quick look at all departing flights (not too much SV flights, terminal 1 was more interesting).
I decided to wait in the (old) SV lounge, which charged 100 riyals (28USD) for a 6 hour stay. It was a quite small and dark lounge, but it offered free wifi, drinks (again, no alcohol! But they had Budweiser non alcoholic for the ones that really wanted to get something that tastes remotely like beer), some hot and cold snacks and a small buffet with hot food. There were also 4 or 5 computer stations. I just browsed the internet for a couple of hours while I had some snacks and drinks. The time went by really fast actually!
On my way back, the old SV lounge had closed and the new lounge just openend. It is on the second floor, taking up the escalators in front of gate 21. The new lounge looked AMAZING! However, they don't accept Priority Pass or paying passengers any longer, so there was no chance for me to visit this lounge. I tried the Premier lounge in terminal 1, which did accept paying passengers, but it was a steep 160 riyals (45 USD) for the business class lounge and 210 riyals (55 USD) for the first class lounge - for just a 4-hour stay! So I decided to just hang around a little bit, do some reading and walk back and forth a little bit around the terminals.
In conclusion: of course an 11-hour layover is very boring, but is not a too bad airport. If you bring something to read, you can easily spend a couple of hours in one of the quiet spots. The airport offers 2 hour wifi for free and there are some power outlets available. Both end of the terminal offer some quiet spots where you can relax (just search for a gate with no flight departing in the next couple of hours). If I can get a cheap flight like this again, I would definitely take it, despite the long layovers!
Last edited by Vlntn; Aug 21, 2013 at 5:11 am
Aug 17, 2013, 9:23 am
#2
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Aug 18, 2013, 10:33 am
#3
Join Date: May 2002
Location: LEESBURG, VA, USA
Posts: 254
recent RUH layover on a Saudia flight
Thank you very much Vln tn for sharing your recent experience with SV and layover in RUH. I will be flying with SV in December and have 8 hour layover in Riyadh on my return flight to Washington DC.
Your post has made me feel so much better because in another thread, certain posters have been found telling others to stay away from SV without giving any specifics regarding their opinion. SV being a dry airline is a non issue for me as i do not drink alcohol. My biggest concern was the layover in Riyadh but you have provided valuable information.
Your post has made me feel so much better because in another thread, certain posters have been found telling others to stay away from SV without giving any specifics regarding their opinion. SV being a dry airline is a non issue for me as i do not drink alcohol. My biggest concern was the layover in Riyadh but you have provided valuable information.
Aug 18, 2013, 10:39 pm
#4
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Thank you very much Vln tn for sharing your recent experience with SV and layover in RUH. I will be flying with SV in December and have 8 hour layover in Riyadh on my return flight to Washington DC.
Your post has made me feel so much better because in another thread, certain posters have been found telling others to stay away from SV without giving any specifics regarding their opinion. SV being a dry airline is a non issue for me as i do not drink alcohol. My biggest concern was the layover in Riyadh but you have provided valuable information.
Your post has made me feel so much better because in another thread, certain posters have been found telling others to stay away from SV without giving any specifics regarding their opinion. SV being a dry airline is a non issue for me as i do not drink alcohol. My biggest concern was the layover in Riyadh but you have provided valuable information.
(OT: Do you know if they search for alcohol in the clear plastic bags allowed in the sterile area?)
I do not 'need' alcohol but it certainly helps when I have nothing to do on a flight.
Aug 20, 2013, 9:17 am
#6
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: LON, RUH and DXB
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Posts: 2,607
Very useful. Thank you for posting ^
Aug 20, 2013, 5:02 pm
#7
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Aug 20, 2013, 11:14 pm
#8
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 72
Thanks for this post. It is so timely.
I had researched considerably before my Saudia flight with a long layover and booked it because I had access to the lounge through my credit card. The alternatively flight cost 3x as much and left an an obscene time so I'd end up feeling terrible either way.
But in a sudden twist, the lounge no longer participates in my credit card programme. That made feeling that I'd made the wrong decision.
Your post is a great help for me. Depending on how I feel, I may even shell out by paying for the lounge. Thanks again.
I had researched considerably before my Saudia flight with a long layover and booked it because I had access to the lounge through my credit card. The alternatively flight cost 3x as much and left an an obscene time so I'd end up feeling terrible either way.
But in a sudden twist, the lounge no longer participates in my credit card programme. That made feeling that I'd made the wrong decision.
Your post is a great help for me. Depending on how I feel, I may even shell out by paying for the lounge. Thanks again.
Oct 24, 2016, 2:30 am
#9
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 72
Since my post a few years ago I've done two connections via Saudi on Saudia. One in RUH and another in JED. One was very long at around 10h and another was seamless.
My conclusion is that the occasional bargain-basement price isn't due to the fact it is a bad connection. My seamless connection was also at a great price.
Saudia was a nice enough airline to fly with. I even managed to get a Business Class fare for about the same price as other airline's Economy Class.
My conclusion is that the occasional bargain-basement price isn't due to the fact it is a bad connection. My seamless connection was also at a great price.
Saudia was a nice enough airline to fly with. I even managed to get a Business Class fare for about the same price as other airline's Economy Class.