Is it Saudi airlines Boeing 747-400 safe?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 89
Is it Saudi airlines Boeing 747-400 safe?
Saudi Boeing 747 fleet is an average of 22.7 years old.
Is it safe to fly with this bird?
How are the 747-400 serviced? Are the birds in acceptable shape?
Considering to fly ex Europe to Manila. From Riyadh, Jeddah to Manila airplane is Boeing 747-400.
I read bad reviews about transfers there, services in the airport and in the air.
My main concern anyway is SAFETY in the air.
Can anyone give me any additional information?
Round tickets ex Europe to MNL are (many days) 300-500 eu cheaper than with next cheaper airline. Where is the trick?
Hope is just the "service" not a safety issue .
Is it safe to fly with this bird?
How are the 747-400 serviced? Are the birds in acceptable shape?
Considering to fly ex Europe to Manila. From Riyadh, Jeddah to Manila airplane is Boeing 747-400.
I read bad reviews about transfers there, services in the airport and in the air.
My main concern anyway is SAFETY in the air.
Can anyone give me any additional information?
Round tickets ex Europe to MNL are (many days) 300-500 eu cheaper than with next cheaper airline. Where is the trick?
Hope is just the "service" not a safety issue .
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold
Posts: 28,547
Relatively old 747 fleets are not exactly unusual. KLM has a fleet of 22 747-400s, 4 of which are over 24 years old, another 4 which are over 23 years old. In total, 15 of the 22 are older than 20 years.
How does Saudia service their aircraft? Presumably to the same standard as most other airlines - it is not in the airline's interest to cut corners or skimp on safety. Saudia are not on any blacklists to the best of my knowledge. And I presume you haven't heard any recent reports of Saudia aircraft falling from the sky.
I think that, in general, accidents involving aircraft are usually caused by reasons other than the age of an aircraft and/or the quality of servicing anyway.
It's probably a bit naive to assume that a cheaper price can only be explained by shocking safety standards. When I last looked at pricing a Saudia ticket from Europe to Manila, there was an unavoidable and very long layover on at least one leg. Bear in mind that you may not be able to enter the country, so you would be facing a gruelling wait at the airport. You may also have to apply for a transit visa - and ladies travelling unaccompanied by male relatives are not eligible for such visas afaik.
How does Saudia service their aircraft? Presumably to the same standard as most other airlines - it is not in the airline's interest to cut corners or skimp on safety. Saudia are not on any blacklists to the best of my knowledge. And I presume you haven't heard any recent reports of Saudia aircraft falling from the sky.
I think that, in general, accidents involving aircraft are usually caused by reasons other than the age of an aircraft and/or the quality of servicing anyway.
It's probably a bit naive to assume that a cheaper price can only be explained by shocking safety standards. When I last looked at pricing a Saudia ticket from Europe to Manila, there was an unavoidable and very long layover on at least one leg. Bear in mind that you may not be able to enter the country, so you would be facing a gruelling wait at the airport. You may also have to apply for a transit visa - and ladies travelling unaccompanied by male relatives are not eligible for such visas afaik.
Last edited by irishguy28; Oct 23, 2013 at 9:12 am
#6
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 2
Saudia Safety
First time poster: I fly 35K/yr on Saudia. While the interior maintenance can be lacking or non-existent, the mechanical servicing is top notch. From what I hear, Lufthansa services their planes in Saudi Arabia. I asked several pilots who live in Saudi and they have no reservations about flying on the planes. I prefer the 747 due to the higher cruise speed and sometimes better routes (due to 4 engines)
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,397
Saudi Boeing 747 fleet is an average of 22.7 years old.
Is it safe to fly with this bird?
How are the 747-400 serviced? Are the birds in acceptable shape?
Considering to fly ex Europe to Manila. From Riyadh, Jeddah to Manila airplane is Boeing 747-400.
I read bad reviews about transfers there, services in the airport and in the air.
My main concern anyway is SAFETY in the air.
Can anyone give me any additional information?
Round tickets ex Europe to MNL are (many days) 300-500 eu cheaper than with next cheaper airline. Where is the trick?
Hope is just the "service" not a safety issue .
Is it safe to fly with this bird?
How are the 747-400 serviced? Are the birds in acceptable shape?
Considering to fly ex Europe to Manila. From Riyadh, Jeddah to Manila airplane is Boeing 747-400.
I read bad reviews about transfers there, services in the airport and in the air.
My main concern anyway is SAFETY in the air.
Can anyone give me any additional information?
Round tickets ex Europe to MNL are (many days) 300-500 eu cheaper than with next cheaper airline. Where is the trick?
Hope is just the "service" not a safety issue .
while I agree with the comments by other posters, I think in your situation it is probably better that you choose another airline.
if your immediate thought is that cheaper fares = compromised safety then it is not worth it to be worried about your aircraft for such a long flight. every bit of turbulence, every bump and you'll be worried. and that's not gonna lead to an enjoyable trip.
#9
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Australia
Programs: SQ & QF
Posts: 1,302
not sure if you have already flown...
while I agree with the comments by other posters, I think in your situation it is probably better that you choose another airline.
if your immediate thought is that cheaper fares = compromised safety then it is not worth it to be worried about your aircraft for such a long flight. every bit of turbulence, every bump and you'll be worried. and that's not gonna lead to an enjoyable trip.
while I agree with the comments by other posters, I think in your situation it is probably better that you choose another airline.
if your immediate thought is that cheaper fares = compromised safety then it is not worth it to be worried about your aircraft for such a long flight. every bit of turbulence, every bump and you'll be worried. and that's not gonna lead to an enjoyable trip.
#10
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: ORD
Programs: BA, AA, SQ, UA, AC, WS, MR TIT
Posts: 8,655
Just to get to my point straight from my experience: SV maintenance is quite excellent matching legacy carriers like LH or BA.
I think the SV 744 operates on MNL route is their own metal not chartered.
However, the downside of SV is its customer service onboard. It is BAD especially in economy class.
I think the SV 744 operates on MNL route is their own metal not chartered.
However, the downside of SV is its customer service onboard. It is BAD especially in economy class.
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 89
not sure if you have already flown...
while I agree with the comments by other posters, I think in your situation it is probably better that you choose another airline.
if your immediate thought is that cheaper fares = compromised safety then it is not worth it to be worried about your aircraft for such a long flight. every bit of turbulence, every bump and you'll be worried. and that's not gonna lead to an enjoyable trip.
while I agree with the comments by other posters, I think in your situation it is probably better that you choose another airline.
if your immediate thought is that cheaper fares = compromised safety then it is not worth it to be worried about your aircraft for such a long flight. every bit of turbulence, every bump and you'll be worried. and that's not gonna lead to an enjoyable trip.
But reading the new comments here Saudi seems "ok".
Next time (maybe) I will try Saudi
#13
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 118
Some further 744 questions:
Are the 744's refurbished inside? Is there any plan to? How long will they stay in the fleet. I've noticed that they now have leather in Y and have added a facade to make the seatbacks look more like the 777s...is that complete on all 744s? Also, is it true that they sell the upstairs C class as Y on some flights?
thanks
Are the 744's refurbished inside? Is there any plan to? How long will they stay in the fleet. I've noticed that they now have leather in Y and have added a facade to make the seatbacks look more like the 777s...is that complete on all 744s? Also, is it true that they sell the upstairs C class as Y on some flights?
thanks