After a stay in the somewhat mediocre Miracle lounge opposite gate G2 in Bangkok airport, I went for early boarding for my Saudia flight to Jeddah so I could get some pics. It was the same plane as that used for the outbound flight, with the new Saudia logo painted on it. The business class suites were, as before, a series of cocoons in a herringbone layout. After take-off, I requested a dinner service 4 hours later in the flight so I could get some sleep first. One thing about Saudia which is not good is the IFE selection, which is pretty uninteresting and most films are heavily censored anyway. The audio section looked promising and it had a huge choice of Arabic music in all styles. However, I am not really a fan of headphones on my ears so I just kicked back and relaxed.
As for the meal service, it was excellent, a truly refined high quality Arabic meal. A starter of cold chicken was followed by an excellent and succulent beef steak, accompanied by glazed vegetables and carrots. It was the first decent steak I have had in the air for more than 15 years (steak is usually best avoided). The chocolate dessert was sumptuous and truly sinful! The drinks were excellent too and totally made up for the lack of alcohol: they included red berry smoothie, lemon and mint juice, Arabic coffee, Arabian mineral water, along with many mocktail options. During the flight, there was a long stretch of turbulence which began while over India and lasted about 3 hours. We arrived 49 minutes late into Jeddah due to headwinds.
Rating 8.5*
Seat 2L
Aircraft 781
Registration HZ-AR32
A clear view of the Saudia plane, sporting the new Saudia logo, which would carry me to Jeddah JED
My Business class seat was on the right hand side of the aircraft this time
The seat was almost more comfortable on this inbound flight than it was on the outbound
Here you can see how the Business class seats resemble cocoons
The starter and non alcoholic cocktail of lemon and mint juice bode well for the rest of the meal service
One of the best steaks I have had in the air
Outstanding dessert of chocolate mousse