Rome FCO-Baghdad BGW via Amman with Royal Jordanian business class
Jul 28, 2007, 8:53 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Nairobi
Programs: LX, AZ, BA, LH, SA
Posts: 316
Rome FCO-Baghdad BGW via Amman with Royal Jordanian business class
Royal Jordanian airlines is one of the very few commercial airlines to fly to Baghdad nowadays and enjoys a virtual monopoly. Austrian Airlines started flying to Iraq recently but to Erbil only. RJ does not even offer through fares to BGW but you need to buy two tickets. A one-way trip FCO-AMM and AMM-BGW costs around 1,200 euros in business class.
Rome FCO-Amman
Check in Rome was a disaster. Long queues, everybody ignoring the dedicated business (Crown class) desk and many passengers annoyed at paying extra for excess baggage. I waited some 45 minutes in line before reaching the desk. Since this was an overnight connection bags were checked-in to Amman only. After completing check-in I was directed to the counter to pay for excess baggage and there was a short queue here too.
Boarding was similarly chaotic, gate agents were rather rude. I noticed that my boarding pass had the wrong FFP number and it was corrected at the gate (RJ is a oneworld member). Boarding began at departure time so there was no chance to leave on time. While on the ground crew offered a choice of juices and Arabic or Italian newspapers, headsets and a frugal amenity kit (I’ve had better ones in economy on some airlines).
The cabin has a 2-2 layout with large grey seats on this narrow bodied A320. Legroom is not bad for this medium-haul flight (around 45” I guess) and recline is quite good although the legrest doesn’t come high enough and is next to useless. Drink orders for aperitifs were taken while on the ground and menus were handed out.
After take off, at around 15.10, we were offered hot towels, a bowl of mixed nuts (the very good al-Rifai) with drinks. The menu offered a choice of French and Jordanian wines and Champagne, I believe I had white wine. The glassware was elegant and cloth coasters were provided. Once drinks were cleared, a late lunch was served. On the menu:
Fresh seasonal salad with olive oil, ground pepper and vinegar dressing
Marinated chicken, King prawns with cocktail sauce and vegetable ratatouille
Lamb with mint sauce
Or
Chicken with tomato and olive sauce
Or
Vegetable lasagne
Or
Fillet of Nile perch
Choice of garnish: buttered vegetables, roasted potatoes or basmati rice
Camembert cheese with crackers
Choice of desserts and fresh fruit
Tea or coffee
The menu was quite impressive for a short flight and service was from a trolley, just like in longhaul first class. Main courses were assembled on large plates according to one’s desire, and the choice of desserts and fruit (I had the apple and custard cake) was classy.
The starters were quite large and good, but I chose the chicken for main course and it was both dried out and rather tasteless. Worse still there were serious letdowns: only a single drink offer during the whole meal had many passengers ring the call button to ask for refills of water. This was my first RJ flight and I don’t know if a single drink service during the meal is standard rule book in business class, but it sure is not acceptable. The female crew was actually quite smartly dressed in traditional attire and the male crew was very friendly but at times there efficiency was lacking.
A small gift – a mini optical mouse – was presented to all after the meal was cleared, and there was bit of time to play with IFE which consisted of an armrest video screen with AVOD and a choice of movies, CDs and short comedies. The quality of headsets was very good. There was also a large choice of magazines for those more interested in reading.
We landed in Amman at 19.15, some 20 minutes late having regained some time in the air. However we were disembarked on the tarmac and had to be ferried to the terminal by bus, although the trip barely took one minute. Once in the terminal I was greeted with a very long queue at passport control which was progressing very slowly partly thanks to many people (including two Jordanian families who occupied the first few rows in business class on my flight) who felt they were VIPs and accordingly jumped the queue.
It took 1 hour in line to clear passports, and then the baggage hall was a complete zoo. With many people stuck at immigration bags had been offloaded so I had to find mine amongst literally hundreds. Once was actually in the middle of the U of the belt so I had to jump over it even though it was still moving. This baggage hall, like the whole terminal, is a disgrace and desperately needs a revamp. When I had found all my bags I was in the arrivals hall greeting my pre-booked car to central Amman.
Grand Hyatt, Amman
RJ offers free accommodation and meals to all passengers without a same-day connection (as in my case) at the nearby Queen Alia Hotel. However I was told the hotel was very run-down so I booked the Hyatt in central Amman at my own expense. The only hassle was that the hotel is a good 40-minute drive away. You can pre-book car transfers (handled by Hertz) at 30JD each way. The car was a Cadillac with a boot large enough for all my bags.
Increased security at the hotel meant that I was dropped off at a small backdoor where there was a security screening before I could access the lobby. Check-in took only one minute before I reached my room and my bags followed suit. The room was quite large and nicely fitted. Unfortunately the minibar wasn’t working properly so drinks were lukewarm whereas given the wait at the airport I was looking forward to a chilled drink.
Not much to say about this hotel, considering that I barely spent 8 hours there. There is a seafood restaurant next to the lobby which is quite sleekly decorated. I had bouillabaisse followed by sirloin steak, both reasonably good.
Wake up call was 6am the next morning so no time to sample breakfast offerings.
Amman-Baghdad BGW
This was the more interesting part of the trip. I was dropped off curbside at Amman airport where a porter took my bags. RJ has a small check-in lounge to the right of the main hall where bags are tagged and the boarding card is issued. Check-in took barely one minute and the passport is stamped in the lounge. However considering that I needed to pay for excess baggage I had to go through the main hall so ended up queuing there too for immigration. During the process I was escorted by an RJ porter (in addition to the airport porter) to the counter to pay excess fees. Later the RJ employee expected a tip but I only tipped the porter I had hired. It was a rather unpleasant experience.
The Crowne lounge is hardly the most luxurious lounge I’ve been to, but had a good breakfast buffet and internet connection. Amman airport was deserted at this time of the day, during which most flights to Iraq (Basra, Baghdad and Erbil) leave.
Boarding was again by bus and started at virtually departure time. Once we were dropped at the end of the stairs of this F28 all trolley bags (including mine) were taken to the cargo hold. No receipts were issued but we were prompted to collect them upon deplaning in Baghdad.
Business class consists of two rows of 2-2 with slightly larger seats and a useless (actually annoying) legrest. This aircraft is leased from South Africa (not sure if SAA or another airline), and the crew is also South African. Service and catering is RJ standards however. Hot towels and newspapers were distributed on the ground while we waited a good 30 minutes due to a no show whose bags had to be offloaded. The aircraft is quite old, judging by the design of some of its fittings, but does the job. The flight was well patronized predominantly by western men, with no empty seats.
Once in the air a breakfast snack is offered however by the time the crew reached my seat they were out of breakfast menus so I got a lunch tray instead (an extra one from the next flight, presumably). It was served on RJ tablecloth and china, and consisted of fresh fruit, three canapés (smoked salmon, beef and cheese) and dessert. It was more substantial than breakfast. There was also an offer of drinks, I had water.
As we neared our destination the pilot started the spiral approach, a landing procedure typical of war zones. The final part was a steep descent made of sharp turns, seconds before touching down at Baghdad International airport. There was no improvement on our delay and we landed 30 minutes late. As we disembarked it was very hot on the tarmac. Once in the terminal passport control was quite quick but the wait for bags was longer (bags from another flight were offloaded first). Mine were among the last but made it safely. After clearing customs I was off on the infamous Irish route into Baghdad.
VERDICT Apart from RJ there is no real choice for flying to Baghdad. RJ business class is good in some aspects but there is room for improvement, especially on the ground. Check-in in Rome was a disaster as was arrival in Amman. Also, RJ should offer proper 5-star accommodation to its business passengers without same day connections in Amman.
Rome FCO-Amman
Check in Rome was a disaster. Long queues, everybody ignoring the dedicated business (Crown class) desk and many passengers annoyed at paying extra for excess baggage. I waited some 45 minutes in line before reaching the desk. Since this was an overnight connection bags were checked-in to Amman only. After completing check-in I was directed to the counter to pay for excess baggage and there was a short queue here too.
Boarding was similarly chaotic, gate agents were rather rude. I noticed that my boarding pass had the wrong FFP number and it was corrected at the gate (RJ is a oneworld member). Boarding began at departure time so there was no chance to leave on time. While on the ground crew offered a choice of juices and Arabic or Italian newspapers, headsets and a frugal amenity kit (I’ve had better ones in economy on some airlines).
The cabin has a 2-2 layout with large grey seats on this narrow bodied A320. Legroom is not bad for this medium-haul flight (around 45” I guess) and recline is quite good although the legrest doesn’t come high enough and is next to useless. Drink orders for aperitifs were taken while on the ground and menus were handed out.
After take off, at around 15.10, we were offered hot towels, a bowl of mixed nuts (the very good al-Rifai) with drinks. The menu offered a choice of French and Jordanian wines and Champagne, I believe I had white wine. The glassware was elegant and cloth coasters were provided. Once drinks were cleared, a late lunch was served. On the menu:
Fresh seasonal salad with olive oil, ground pepper and vinegar dressing
Marinated chicken, King prawns with cocktail sauce and vegetable ratatouille
Lamb with mint sauce
Or
Chicken with tomato and olive sauce
Or
Vegetable lasagne
Or
Fillet of Nile perch
Choice of garnish: buttered vegetables, roasted potatoes or basmati rice
Camembert cheese with crackers
Choice of desserts and fresh fruit
Tea or coffee
The menu was quite impressive for a short flight and service was from a trolley, just like in longhaul first class. Main courses were assembled on large plates according to one’s desire, and the choice of desserts and fruit (I had the apple and custard cake) was classy.
The starters were quite large and good, but I chose the chicken for main course and it was both dried out and rather tasteless. Worse still there were serious letdowns: only a single drink offer during the whole meal had many passengers ring the call button to ask for refills of water. This was my first RJ flight and I don’t know if a single drink service during the meal is standard rule book in business class, but it sure is not acceptable. The female crew was actually quite smartly dressed in traditional attire and the male crew was very friendly but at times there efficiency was lacking.
A small gift – a mini optical mouse – was presented to all after the meal was cleared, and there was bit of time to play with IFE which consisted of an armrest video screen with AVOD and a choice of movies, CDs and short comedies. The quality of headsets was very good. There was also a large choice of magazines for those more interested in reading.
We landed in Amman at 19.15, some 20 minutes late having regained some time in the air. However we were disembarked on the tarmac and had to be ferried to the terminal by bus, although the trip barely took one minute. Once in the terminal I was greeted with a very long queue at passport control which was progressing very slowly partly thanks to many people (including two Jordanian families who occupied the first few rows in business class on my flight) who felt they were VIPs and accordingly jumped the queue.
It took 1 hour in line to clear passports, and then the baggage hall was a complete zoo. With many people stuck at immigration bags had been offloaded so I had to find mine amongst literally hundreds. Once was actually in the middle of the U of the belt so I had to jump over it even though it was still moving. This baggage hall, like the whole terminal, is a disgrace and desperately needs a revamp. When I had found all my bags I was in the arrivals hall greeting my pre-booked car to central Amman.
Grand Hyatt, Amman
RJ offers free accommodation and meals to all passengers without a same-day connection (as in my case) at the nearby Queen Alia Hotel. However I was told the hotel was very run-down so I booked the Hyatt in central Amman at my own expense. The only hassle was that the hotel is a good 40-minute drive away. You can pre-book car transfers (handled by Hertz) at 30JD each way. The car was a Cadillac with a boot large enough for all my bags.
Increased security at the hotel meant that I was dropped off at a small backdoor where there was a security screening before I could access the lobby. Check-in took only one minute before I reached my room and my bags followed suit. The room was quite large and nicely fitted. Unfortunately the minibar wasn’t working properly so drinks were lukewarm whereas given the wait at the airport I was looking forward to a chilled drink.
Not much to say about this hotel, considering that I barely spent 8 hours there. There is a seafood restaurant next to the lobby which is quite sleekly decorated. I had bouillabaisse followed by sirloin steak, both reasonably good.
Wake up call was 6am the next morning so no time to sample breakfast offerings.
Amman-Baghdad BGW
This was the more interesting part of the trip. I was dropped off curbside at Amman airport where a porter took my bags. RJ has a small check-in lounge to the right of the main hall where bags are tagged and the boarding card is issued. Check-in took barely one minute and the passport is stamped in the lounge. However considering that I needed to pay for excess baggage I had to go through the main hall so ended up queuing there too for immigration. During the process I was escorted by an RJ porter (in addition to the airport porter) to the counter to pay excess fees. Later the RJ employee expected a tip but I only tipped the porter I had hired. It was a rather unpleasant experience.
The Crowne lounge is hardly the most luxurious lounge I’ve been to, but had a good breakfast buffet and internet connection. Amman airport was deserted at this time of the day, during which most flights to Iraq (Basra, Baghdad and Erbil) leave.
Boarding was again by bus and started at virtually departure time. Once we were dropped at the end of the stairs of this F28 all trolley bags (including mine) were taken to the cargo hold. No receipts were issued but we were prompted to collect them upon deplaning in Baghdad.
Business class consists of two rows of 2-2 with slightly larger seats and a useless (actually annoying) legrest. This aircraft is leased from South Africa (not sure if SAA or another airline), and the crew is also South African. Service and catering is RJ standards however. Hot towels and newspapers were distributed on the ground while we waited a good 30 minutes due to a no show whose bags had to be offloaded. The aircraft is quite old, judging by the design of some of its fittings, but does the job. The flight was well patronized predominantly by western men, with no empty seats.
Once in the air a breakfast snack is offered however by the time the crew reached my seat they were out of breakfast menus so I got a lunch tray instead (an extra one from the next flight, presumably). It was served on RJ tablecloth and china, and consisted of fresh fruit, three canapés (smoked salmon, beef and cheese) and dessert. It was more substantial than breakfast. There was also an offer of drinks, I had water.
As we neared our destination the pilot started the spiral approach, a landing procedure typical of war zones. The final part was a steep descent made of sharp turns, seconds before touching down at Baghdad International airport. There was no improvement on our delay and we landed 30 minutes late. As we disembarked it was very hot on the tarmac. Once in the terminal passport control was quite quick but the wait for bags was longer (bags from another flight were offloaded first). Mine were among the last but made it safely. After clearing customs I was off on the infamous Irish route into Baghdad.
VERDICT Apart from RJ there is no real choice for flying to Baghdad. RJ business class is good in some aspects but there is room for improvement, especially on the ground. Check-in in Rome was a disaster as was arrival in Amman. Also, RJ should offer proper 5-star accommodation to its business passengers without same day connections in Amman.
Jul 28, 2007, 4:19 pm
#4
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: BOS
Programs: SPG Gold
Posts: 620
Great Report
^ Really enjoyed reading about your trip Hilltopper. While I realize you might not be able discuss why you were there any chance you can:
1. Discuss what it was like driving on Route Irish? I know some of the security contractors charge 5 figures for the "taxi ride" to town.
2. Describe the hotel accomodations?
I think this was a more unique reports than those who go to North Korea. Thanks for the report, stay safe.
1. Discuss what it was like driving on Route Irish? I know some of the security contractors charge 5 figures for the "taxi ride" to town.
2. Describe the hotel accomodations?
I think this was a more unique reports than those who go to North Korea. Thanks for the report, stay safe.
Jul 30, 2007, 3:52 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Nairobi
Programs: LX, AZ, BA, LH, SA
Posts: 316
1) The flight was full to the brim. RJ must be making good money on this route although I suspect the lease contract is expensive (pilots and crew are probably paid a risk premium for flying into BGW - perhaps there are insurance costs involved too although these generally don't apply to war zones)
2) Irish route was safer than expected, it was a deserted highway and mostly sealed on both sides. You can speed there. I travelled on convoy but there are other means I think.
3) The Rasheed hotel is the only hotel in the International zone. It has one of the very few restaurants in the IZ (haven't been there yet so cannot comment on that!).
2) Irish route was safer than expected, it was a deserted highway and mostly sealed on both sides. You can speed there. I travelled on convoy but there are other means I think.
3) The Rasheed hotel is the only hotel in the International zone. It has one of the very few restaurants in the IZ (haven't been there yet so cannot comment on that!).
Jul 30, 2007, 5:02 pm
#8
Moderator: GLBT travelers, India-based Airlines and India; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Asia
Programs: Yes!
Posts: 15,512
Thank you for an exceedingly interesting read. ^ ^ ^
If you can, please do post about your experience in the country and your trip back.
If you can, please do post about your experience in the country and your trip back.
Jul 31, 2007, 9:28 pm
#10
Join Date: Apr 2001
Programs: AA (PLATINUM), HHonors (DIAMOND)
Posts: 1,068
Very interesting report, however I'm very confused. After extensive research I cannot find a scheduled flight into BGW. Was this a charter of some sort?
Very interesting and report and look forward to hearing about more.
Very interesting and report and look forward to hearing about more.
Last edited by flyer121; Aug 1, 2007 at 2:23 am
Aug 2, 2007, 2:35 pm
#11
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: NTTB
Programs: UA Plat, Marriott Plat
Posts: 4,649
Great trip report hilltopper!
I most definately agree. Actually, the Ministry of Transport in Jordan just awarded a large BOT contract to Aeroports de Paris to build and operate a brand new terminal at QAIA in Amman. Construction should commence later this year.
I most definately agree. Actually, the Ministry of Transport in Jordan just awarded a large BOT contract to Aeroports de Paris to build and operate a brand new terminal at QAIA in Amman. Construction should commence later this year.
Sep 7, 2007, 3:24 pm
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Nairobi
Programs: LX, AZ, BA, LH, SA
Posts: 316
Some pix:
South african Fokker with RJ titles
Aerial view of Baghdad
BGW Terminal
Daily life in Baghdad: simultaneous car bomb seen from IZ
Oct 17, 2007, 5:35 pm
#13
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: BOS
Programs: AA PLT/2MM, PriorityClub Platinum
Posts: 294
Great trip report! Stay safe - I felt adventurous going to Beirut, but now I realise I'm just an amateur. 
How about a trip report about leaving Baghdad?
A couple of questions for you if you don't mind, since yours is the only trip report I've found about RJ service from Rome:
1) Is there a OneWorld lounge in the same terminal as the departing RJ flight? Looks like the Terraces is in C - is it anywhere near the gates?
2) You didn't happen to notice how early check-in opened for RJ, did you? In a couple of weeks Mrs. Sculler1x is flying back from FCO to LHR while I'm flying from FCO to AMM a few hours later - thought I'd just check in pretty early and kill some time in the lounge after she departs.
Thanks!
How about a trip report about leaving Baghdad?
A couple of questions for you if you don't mind, since yours is the only trip report I've found about RJ service from Rome:
1) Is there a OneWorld lounge in the same terminal as the departing RJ flight? Looks like the Terraces is in C - is it anywhere near the gates?
2) You didn't happen to notice how early check-in opened for RJ, did you? In a couple of weeks Mrs. Sculler1x is flying back from FCO to LHR while I'm flying from FCO to AMM a few hours later - thought I'd just check in pretty early and kill some time in the lounge after she departs.
Thanks!
Last edited by sculler1x; Oct 17, 2007 at 5:40 pm Reason: Spelling