Ok... so Saudia J from LHR to JED.

I arrived at T3 in plenty of time. Unfortunately, the queue for check-in was huge. Fortunately, there *was* a J/F check-in desk - hidden behind the queue. The only differentiator was the streak of red, instead of blue, below the Saudia logo on the screen.

Seriously.

Still, it didn't take long to check in and clear Fast Track security (longer than I'd have liked, as always with LHR).

Enough ink has been spilled regarding the Virgin Clubhouse. Yes, Saudi Arabian does give access to it. Yes, it is a great lounge (though not easy to find a seat). Yes, I did drink the shampoo.

Then to the plane itself. The new business class seat is a lie-flat sloper, in 2-3-2 config. Not wonderfully comfortable to sleep on but not bad to sit reclined on (as often with these beds).

Ports available: a few US/Euro power ports (not one per seat, sadly). A USB port which I used for power, but can be used for showing pictures on the screen. A composite video-in phono port - first time I've seen that! - for showing personal videos on the screen in front.

IFE: handset was in one of the armrests. It has a funky little display on it that shows the Saudia logo / "passenger announcement" speech bubble. Headphones were given out but I had my own so I didn't see if they were noise cancelling.

Film selection wasn't bad. Not many new Holywood films - perhaps 12. Another 16 or so "classics" - I watched Hitman and the final X-Men film, which aren't exactly classic but more interesting than the selection on EK last time I flew them.

Map, cameras etc. were all there too, but the system was closed down during the approach. Daft having cameras you can't see except when at cruising altitude.

The food was served later than I'd have liked for an overnight flight, about 1.5-2 hours in. I had an indifferent prawn starter, a nice stuffed chicken main - one of the better in-flight meals I've had and MUCH better than Saudia's short-haul fare - and ice cream for dessert. Mmmm.

Thanks to a noisy, non-sleeping child next to me I didn't get much sleep. It was still much more pleasant than economy, and better too than BA's WT+. It'd have been even better on a slightly longer flight - LHR-JED is too short, and food served too late, for any meaningful sleep (I think the cabin lights were only dimmed for about 2.5 hours).

Very much worth the 17,500 miles and ~30 phone calls needed to book the upgrade.