leisureflyer1234

I wondered if anybody has any feedback about RJ business class? We are looking at going with them to HKG over the Royal Wedding weekend. Adavantages would seem to be

* Cost - only £1,740 compared to £2.5k on BA and £3.5k on CX
* 480 TPs v 240 on BA/CX

We dont mind the long journey and stops in AMM and BKK as flying in Business class will be part of the holiday - provided its a decent service.

I have seen some very good reviews but I have seen a lot of very bad reviews. Frequent issues seem to have been around lost bagge, reservations becoming cancelled in the RJ system, people missing connections and RJ refusing to help them etc

So I just wondered if anyone would recommend it or not?

Many thanks for any feedback

Gumbieben

There have been at least two recent threads about this very topic....

From Dec 9th

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...standards.html

Oct 10th

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...o-w-views.html

PresRDC

I flew ORD-AMM-KUL-AMM-JFK in J last year.

Your routing would be LHR-AMM-BKK-HKG. You won't get off the plane in BKK. The AMM-HKG flight leaves at 1:00 am and is operated by a A330-200, which is a little over a year old. Business seats are angled lie-flats with a standard power plug (might need an adaptor for a UK plug). Used my own IFE, so cannot comment on RJ's content. Meals are a light snack out of AMM with a full breakfast prior to landing in BKK and a full meal to HKG (at least that's waht we got on the BKK-KUL leg).

Back when I did the flight, the A330 arrived from LHR a few hours before leaving for BKK and KUL. If that is still the case, I suspect the outbound would be an easy trip for you. If you do have a long layover, the RJ Crown Lounge is pretty nice and does have a few hotel rooms (bed with shower) available for a fee. I had a very long layover coming in from ORD and used one of these rooms. Not bad at all.

I checked a bag and had no issues.

Overall, I would reccomend RJ.

GaryK84

I flew this route a couple of days ago and posted about it in this thread:

OT Trip with RJ

Luggage made it through fine. IFE content was lacking, but had own laptop so this was not a huge issue.

Gaz

I liked them when I flew them earlier this year, and connecting through AMM was fine (the one part I was a bit apprehensive about) was hassle-free.

Planes are new, crew are great as is the food.

Biggest downside is that the seats are not that private compared to BA (not such a big issue with two of you), and they aren't fully flat beds. That would be an problem for me on such a long trip when I'd be looking to sleep. IFE is not especially great content wise (as already mentioned) but it is on-demand.

Personally I'd try and avoid taking three flights when one would do, but I fly a lot and am all about convenience and ease.

However if you're interested in trying a new airline, new airports, lounges, etc, and bagging a huge load of tier points (and that sounds like it's the case), then I'd go with RJ. You might decide after the trip in the future you'd rather go direct with BA/CX... but there's no doubt experiencing a wide variety of different airlines is part of the joy of travel.

jahason

I did LHR-AMM-KUL-BKK-AMM-LHR recently. Netted me 520 tier points and was less than half the price of BA or CX. I had work to do in KUL and BKK so this worked out perfect for me.

On the way back I stopped in AMM and made a trip to Petra and Aqaba. Both places were truly worth it.

Only downside is AMM airport itself. A bit grim but the lounge is more than adequate, though showers are not free.

Smirnoff

I ♥ rj

Brian_1

I RJ!

B

Smirnoff

(I ♥ rj) > (I ♥ (cx+jl+aa+qf+ay+ma+ib))

Brian_1

CX & QF pull their pants down. AY's new seats are a much better product.

Can't speak for MA/IB long haul and I avoid JL/AA.

As a Middle Eastern carrier they are pretty crap to be honest. God only knows why Oneworld didn't try to woo the likes of EY or QR.

B

Bloomsbury

Do you do this off your own back or was it via RJ's 'Zuwar' stopovers?

I've been tempted to do LHR-AMM-BKK later this year as RJ's prices for J class do seem very good and the 480 tier points would be nice.

I was thinking of spending a few days in Jordan on the way back seeing the sights, so I'd be interested if anyone has done the Zuwar stopover or whether it's better to arrange the hotels and guides yourself.

jahason

I did this myself but that's because I have an old mate from uni there. Check the price for their packages. Otherwise it's not too difficult to do it yourself unless you are tight for tme. If you do it yourself let me know and I can guide you on buses and hotels a bit based on your budget. If nothing else get down and see Petra for a day. You would need to spend a night there. The most convenient place to stay is Crowne Plaza which is right next to Petra entrance.

Another option is to go to Jerusalem from Amman. Its only 45 miles or so away.

And yet another option is to get a shared taxi to Damascus. The journey including border crossing takes 4 hours and the cost was about £10 each if I remember correctly. Buses are cheaper but not so frequent. You might need a visa for Syria (if you have a UK passport).

The Hotel Toledo is a good cheap option to stay at in Amman. Its also very close to where the Airport bus drops you off and where buses to Petra, Allenby Bridge, etc depart from. Also walking distance from a good shopping.eating area.

I have been to Jordan a few times now due to my RJ connections. A very pleasant country to visit.

pjh981

Service excellent. Food Excellent. Seats are a little less advanced than CW and angled (about 160 degrees) rather than flat - but still very comfortable and better than most. Considering you still qualify for BA Miles and the generaous TP, I personally would not hesitate.

T8191

VERY tempting, especially for the TPs. The OH will not be very keen on the long journey and interchanges, but a few days shopping in HKG might just tip her over the edge.

Thanks to everyone for the insight. ^

Keyser

flying del-amm-ist on rj in business in a couple of months....does anyone have pictures of their a319 business cabin????what are the seats like????