Part 5: Saudia Alfursan Business Class Lounge, Riyadh Airport
We had a proper jet bridge on arrival, which meant that within a few minutes after the aircraft came to a standstill I was walking my first steps on Saudi soil. Kinda – as of course I don't count it as a new country visited given I didn't leave the airport - but I was somehow still excited to get a glimpse of it given how difficult it is for tourists to get a visa to visit Saudi Arabia (although that might change soon as tourist visas are in the talk).
Security was super smooth. There was only one guy checking onward tickets and passport and one security checkpoint where hand baggage goes through the scanner, but there was no queue at all. Within ten to fifteen minutes after disembarking I was again airside at Riyadh Airport.
Given the size of Saudi Arabia Airlines and the regional importance of the country, I found the airport extremely dated and even small. There are just two or so shops, and not more than ten or so jet bridges? It's a far cry from Dubai or Doha – and if you won't have lounge access this is not the place you want to spend a long time. Luckily, I had access to Saudia's Alfursan lounge, which is located one level up from the main departure lounge where a friendly male lounge dragon let me in.
The business class section of the lounge is shaped in a kinda L shape and has a good variety of seating ranging from dining tables to work stations to lounge chairs. At this late evening hour perhaps 50 to 60 percent of the seats was taken.
There was one food station and two with drinks. There were a few hot options available for a late dinner, some desserts, different soft drinks and juices, espresso machines as well as Arabic coffee.
Even though I wasn't really hungry, I tried a Moroccan-style fish dish with rice for the team, which tasted good. The dessert was good quality too.
Internet was fast, the toilets were clean – so no complaints on those sides either. The two-three-or-so hours I had between my flights went by fast. I also found the airport staff at the two or three occasions when I interacted with them (luggage check, asking way to gate) extremely friendly and helpful. Unlike some Gulf States where most airport workers in more lower functions (information desk) seem to come from countries like Nepal, the guys working here were all local. They were hard to recognise at times though! The information desk is literally a guy in traditional white Arab dress standing at a certain information point answering questions of passengers.
Another note is that it does not seem needed for female passengers to cover their hair. There were plenty of Westerners and Asian migrant workers who didn't do it - and nobody seemed to be bothered by it.
In short: The Alfursan lounge is perfectly acceptable for a few hours and Riyadh is a pleasant airport to transit through. To my surprise, I found also all staff to be extremely relaxed and courteous. I however wouldn't recommend anyone the airport who is on a long transit as it will get boring. This especially counts for those flying economy class without lounge access as the airport is dated and small.
Next up: Saudia from Riyadh to Jakarta in business class.