He goes away to sort something out and over an hour after I'd arrived he escorts me upstairs through a (now unlocked) door into departures, and on into the lounge. I don't yet have a boarding pass because check in hasn't opened.
The "first class lounge" is a contract lounge shared by all airlines. It is fairly basic - some snacks, non-alcoholic drink, couple of computers (with Saudi Arabian firewalls blocking some sites). No additional guests allowed without paying a guest fee. The lounge alternates between crowded and empty according to the airline schedules, but mostly crowded.
When my onward flight opened for check in about 2 hours prior to departure I was given a boarding pass and my passport back.
The airport terminal had interesting architecture - that is one thing I love about major airports in this general area of the world (and yes Riyadh airport is major, indeed the largest area of any airport anywhere). Certainly can't be mistaken for the cookie cutter exposed steel beams approach so often seen today in major western airports.
Last edited by Kiwi Flyer; Apr 19, 2009 at 12:24 am