Sitting in the new terminal lounge on my route to CGK. Our plane has 2 rows and that’s great - a smaller and more private lie flat cabin.

access to the new lounge when departing from south terminal is possible. You need to insist and be lucky. Lounge is not great though.

overall the product in the air is good, ground experience departing to CGK is not just bad, it’s a complete disaster even on economy level.

ATH-KUL
 

I’m on ATH-KUL run as we speak and have to say that in general pretty pleased with SAUDIA. The best part has been the service provided by the cabin crews on both ATH-JED and JED-KUL segments. Very friendly f/a’s who genuinely will take care of you, maybe less polished as QR but very enjoyable flights anyway. Also, the brand new 787-10 is great aircraft, with the new plane smell. Catering, as you can see from below, top notch! I’m not a big drinker so I don’t mind the booze missing.

What was not so impressive was the ground experience in JED. I was well educated, thanks to this thread, so it made connecting slightly better. But the old terminal is really dumpy! Al Fursan lounge was okay, but be prepared that it’s freezing, at least on the seats closest to the windows. The whole transit experience will be much better when the new terminal is completely up and running. But I have to say, I was surprised how much wear and tear there is on the new terminal already! Some carpets were dirty, ceiling panels looked like they didn’t fit, there was lots of dirt marks on the walls and ceiling, etc. I wonder how the terminal will look in few years...?! But all in all, excellent value for money, wouldn’t hesitate to book again!
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e43c5ef5c.jpeg

Immaculate J-cabin on 787-10
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e3884eef9.jpeg
Bellini
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ce81442ea.jpeg
Menu on demand
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...baa4c7183.jpeg
Drinks menu
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f288c656e.jpeg
Well stocked amenity kit by Missoni
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d7c8f8191.jpeg
Tapas & mocktail
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c6995a021.jpeg
Granola
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1add3ef2a.jpeg
Shakshuka wannabe

LOL.

I thought I was getting crazy when I got something similar when ordering shakshuka (see pic below)! It seems that either the airline is really clueless what shakshuka is - or FAs on the JED-KUL flight keep mixing up the shakshuka with the scrambled eggs.

https://i1.wp.com/paliparan.com/wp-c...reakfast-2.jpg
My shaksuhka on JED-KUL... in fairness, it was one of the better egg breakfasts I had in the sky

I can by the way highly second your impressions! I had the exact same feeling about my experience flying SV - I would gladly hop on board again. Especially when prices are this low.

PS. Those who still need to fly JED-KUL, I can highly recommend the excellent lamb biryani from the 'snacks' section of the dine-on-demand menu. One of the tastiest dishes I've had on a plane in the last 3-4 years save for the SQ lobster. Even Aragorn approved!

https://i1.wp.com/paliparan.com/wp-c...87-biryani.jpg

Well, they just changed my JED-KUL flight from 01:45 to 08:20, making it now a 12:40 hour layover... On top that, they are impossible to contact via phone. Can I expect them to cover a hotel at Jeddah?

Depending on the reason why they delayed your arrival in KUL, you certainly may expect 600€ according to the EU regulations...

This assumes departure is within 14 days.

I had the same situation for my flights next May. They have put me on flights from Amsterdam instead of Athens (after I called to their USA office several times).. very very nice!
In your case (flights within 14 days), they have to offer you a voucher i guess..
Hotel, not sure..

This also tips you over the 12-hour maximum for transit without visa. If you don't already have one, you'll need a Saudi visa.

Luckily already have KSA working visa. Spoke to CS on Facebook, they promise they will arrange a hotel on arrival in Jeddah. I understand I can also claim for delay and might receive EUR 600? Would be nice for a holiday flight!

only if your flight is within 2 weeks iirc

yes 600 EUR only if < 14 days notice. I think or even less? at least > 14 days you'll get nothing except they do need to get you a hotel orso i think.

@Stuif91
good to know ex-AMS. i might ask them that for my november flights as i got a reroute with just 35 min in rihad. and no good options from athens unless i fly 3 days earlier (to much for me).

Some serious travel restrictions now...

https://www.saudia.com/experience/ab...to+coronavirus

Cancelled Flight
 

Hi everyone. Have been following for a while but this is my first post.

​​​My outbound flights to JED and MNL appears to be cancelled as it has disappeared from my itinerary. So look like I'll be abandoning this trip. Was looking forward to achieving FB silver status. I also combined this with the Accor 6,000 bonus they ran at the beginning of the year. Oh well... There's always next time.

Great forum btw!

I had a cancellation too but saudia were super flexible about it. Mine was on the ath leg and I could get a full refund or travel from any regional airport and change dates. They’re flying me from the UK now. It doesn’t get any better tbh...

Saudia is flexible, but if you really need XPs do a BLL, TRF run... From most parts of Europe you can do XXX-CDG-AMS-BLL/TRF and other KLM cities earning 90 XPs for under 500 Euros...