bebert

i have seen the very attractive C (I class) fares on Saudi for CDG-MNL/CGK/SIN i am tempted to book one for 2017
As some flyertalkers did some yet, i would be interested to know a couple of things before taking decisions

- how frequent are those fares on ebookers/expedia/....?do you need to book a lot in advance ?
- SV seems notorious to cancel/delay the JED/RUH-Asia flights. Can i reasonnably trust them. Do not want to get stuck in MNL 5 days with my employer waiting for me....

Last but not least, i would be really interested to enjoy a long layover to have a ,even short, insight of jeddah or ryad. How are easy to get the transit visas nowadays? I need to book a minimum 12H transfer time to be eligible, but does SV accept to sell them, or can they rebook me unilaterally on a shorter connection if available ?
muchas gracias

Danusa86

I flew Saudia in 2013 the last time, so not sure how up-to-date my answers are, but:

1) You can often find good fares on Saudia. What is the fare you found? keep in mind it's a dry airline.

2) I flew with them 4 times and they were always more or less on time to KUL.

3) Basically impossible. Saudi Arabia does not give transit VISAs unless the airline has "forced" you to a long layover. In my case I was stuck 9 hrs in one room at the airport (yes, one room!).

Concerto

I thought it was possible to wrangle a night there, up to 24 hours, if you have an onward connection (a sort of TWOV thing). Here on FT, a couple of years or so ago, I read a wonderful trip report about a FTer who visited Eritrea and managed to get a night in Jeddah on the way there. That was a really interesting report, especially the trip through, Eritrea. But the overall feeling was that Jeddah, while interesting to visit for those who are curious, didn't have much to offer beyond what could be seen during that one night layover.

olivedel

Just as an FYI, you should have posted on the SkyTeam forum as this is not properly an AF/KL issue.
Go get a visa for Saudi Arabia without being a pilgrim... TWOV are possible if connections are less than 16 hours.
I did 2 return trips with Saudi in J this year, to Asia (MNL and CGK).
Bear in mind that the 789 only operated to JED from CDG as of now.

PM me to get more details

sbams

Trip reports I have read about Saudia Business Class (even if you are not concerned about the lack of alcohol) have not been positive. No personal experience though.

olivedel

You get what you pay for. Don't expect polished service as you could get on Asian airlines.