Saudia is a hidden gem!
Jul 14, 2017, 8:22 pm
#1
Moderator: Mileage Run, InterContinental Hotels
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 5,916
Saudia is a hidden gem!
I just flew CAI-JED-LAX in Saudia C, and was very pleasantly surprised. I had done a fair bit of reading here, and there are a lot of very negative comments about the airline. The tone seems to be set by a pretty disastrous trip report by a well-known blogger, and there are also various nightmare reports off FT that seem to predominantly be influenced by Hajj flights (with rather unsophisticated passengers).
To counterbalance these reports, here is my experience.
CAI is an odd airport. You have to pass the first checkpoint before getting to the check-in area, and there are no priority lines. Touts will try to grab your bags and "expedite" your trip through security for a tip. It's a bit of an ordeal, but after that, Saudia check-in staff are fairly pleasant and efficient. I had a bit of a wait while they were trying to get my connecting BPs. After a few phone calls, it came out, with the dreaded SSSS marking.
I then passed immigration and a second security check, and went to the lounge. Brand new, with comfortable furniture and great food. I can't think of very many Skyteam lounges that are superior to this.
The CAI-JED flight was initially shown as delayed by 20 minutes, then by an hour, and finally took off about 2 1/2 hours late. Communication was less than ideal, and not very proactive. If I'd gotten an email, I could have spent an extra 2 hours in my room at the airport hotel. The silent room at the lounge was ok for a few hours, though.
The Airbus 330 for CAI-JED was brand new and had 2/2/2 C seats that were completely lie-flat, with huge screens and an ample movie selection. Food was delicious (owing to the short flight, served on a single tray). The female flight attendants were very pleasant, but the male ones didn't appear to lift a finger on this flight (very light load).
I had read horror stories about connecting in Jeddah. It's an ancient airport with many solid 1* reviews. There are no jetways, everything is done by bus. Owing to my late CAI flight, which arrived about 20 minutes before the intended departure time of my LAX flight, I saw very little of the airport. I raced upstairs, passed initial security (divided by male/female) and headed straight to the gate where my US-bound flight had another security control. Officials seemed very slow and disinterested, and the ratio of people working to standing around is not favorable, but after a nerve-racking 15-minute wait for my SSSS treatment, I was cleared to board. The LAX flight departed about an hour late, which seems to be fairly standard, looking at Flightaware.
The hard product in Business on the 77W is excellent (1/2/1). I am very tall (6'5"/195cm) and this the most comfortable business seat I've flown in a long time. I'd put it ahead even of the CX/BR seat, and obviously it's far better than the various business staggered/parallel flat/herringbone seats out there. Food was excellent -- great quality, lots of options. The 16 hour flight starts out with breakfast, then there are various hot and cold on-demand options, and about two hours prior to landing, the main meal is served -- lobster or middle eastern appetizer, tasty salad, Moroccan soup, choice of four mains, choice of dessert. There is, of course, no alcohol, but the FAs offer various delicious juices/smoothies. There is no drink cart accompanying the food service, and the supply of soft drinks is somewhat hesitant (most passengers seemed content with water, which is served automatically). The female FAs were once again spectacular -- very capable and friendly. IFE was great, with a selection surpassing Studio CX, Delta, LH, and many others. I received a code for 25MB of free internet, but the connection was pretty slow, so don't count on doing more than occasionally checking email.
The arrival experience in LAX was again subpar. Despite the SSSS on my boarding pass, I had no problems with GE, and was at the baggage claim less than 10 minutes of disembarking. It took half an hour for the first bags to arrive, and then another 30 for mine to show up ... very slowly, one bag at a time with long breaks and no regard for priority tags. This, combined with the hour+ delay in arrival from JED, caused me to miss my connecting flight. SV handled this very well; I received an email with my new flight information about 5 hours prior to landing, and then a customer service agent spoke to me.
All in all, I'd say that despite the poor on the ground experience in CAI (out of SV's control), JED, and LAX, the lounges and in-flight product were excellent. I wouldn't hesitate to fly SV again (on the new Airbus 330 and 77W), and in fact I now look forward to my upcoming flights. If the price is right (it often is), SV is very worthy of consideration.
To counterbalance these reports, here is my experience.
CAI is an odd airport. You have to pass the first checkpoint before getting to the check-in area, and there are no priority lines. Touts will try to grab your bags and "expedite" your trip through security for a tip. It's a bit of an ordeal, but after that, Saudia check-in staff are fairly pleasant and efficient. I had a bit of a wait while they were trying to get my connecting BPs. After a few phone calls, it came out, with the dreaded SSSS marking.
I then passed immigration and a second security check, and went to the lounge. Brand new, with comfortable furniture and great food. I can't think of very many Skyteam lounges that are superior to this.
The CAI-JED flight was initially shown as delayed by 20 minutes, then by an hour, and finally took off about 2 1/2 hours late. Communication was less than ideal, and not very proactive. If I'd gotten an email, I could have spent an extra 2 hours in my room at the airport hotel. The silent room at the lounge was ok for a few hours, though.
The Airbus 330 for CAI-JED was brand new and had 2/2/2 C seats that were completely lie-flat, with huge screens and an ample movie selection. Food was delicious (owing to the short flight, served on a single tray). The female flight attendants were very pleasant, but the male ones didn't appear to lift a finger on this flight (very light load).
I had read horror stories about connecting in Jeddah. It's an ancient airport with many solid 1* reviews. There are no jetways, everything is done by bus. Owing to my late CAI flight, which arrived about 20 minutes before the intended departure time of my LAX flight, I saw very little of the airport. I raced upstairs, passed initial security (divided by male/female) and headed straight to the gate where my US-bound flight had another security control. Officials seemed very slow and disinterested, and the ratio of people working to standing around is not favorable, but after a nerve-racking 15-minute wait for my SSSS treatment, I was cleared to board. The LAX flight departed about an hour late, which seems to be fairly standard, looking at Flightaware.
The hard product in Business on the 77W is excellent (1/2/1). I am very tall (6'5"/195cm) and this the most comfortable business seat I've flown in a long time. I'd put it ahead even of the CX/BR seat, and obviously it's far better than the various business staggered/parallel flat/herringbone seats out there. Food was excellent -- great quality, lots of options. The 16 hour flight starts out with breakfast, then there are various hot and cold on-demand options, and about two hours prior to landing, the main meal is served -- lobster or middle eastern appetizer, tasty salad, Moroccan soup, choice of four mains, choice of dessert. There is, of course, no alcohol, but the FAs offer various delicious juices/smoothies. There is no drink cart accompanying the food service, and the supply of soft drinks is somewhat hesitant (most passengers seemed content with water, which is served automatically). The female FAs were once again spectacular -- very capable and friendly. IFE was great, with a selection surpassing Studio CX, Delta, LH, and many others. I received a code for 25MB of free internet, but the connection was pretty slow, so don't count on doing more than occasionally checking email.
The arrival experience in LAX was again subpar. Despite the SSSS on my boarding pass, I had no problems with GE, and was at the baggage claim less than 10 minutes of disembarking. It took half an hour for the first bags to arrive, and then another 30 for mine to show up ... very slowly, one bag at a time with long breaks and no regard for priority tags. This, combined with the hour+ delay in arrival from JED, caused me to miss my connecting flight. SV handled this very well; I received an email with my new flight information about 5 hours prior to landing, and then a customer service agent spoke to me.
All in all, I'd say that despite the poor on the ground experience in CAI (out of SV's control), JED, and LAX, the lounges and in-flight product were excellent. I wouldn't hesitate to fly SV again (on the new Airbus 330 and 77W), and in fact I now look forward to my upcoming flights. If the price is right (it often is), SV is very worthy of consideration.
Aug 15, 2017, 6:04 pm
#3
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Amsterdam DT, The Netherlands
Programs: FB Plat, SQ*G, OW Emerald, Hertz PC
Posts: 170
There are currently 4 versions of the B777-300ER around with SV, and I am still trying to figure out which registrations have specific cabins.
For example HZ-AK11, the older ones, have a 2-class cabin and almost full-flat seats in a 2-2-2 layout. Total 5 rows. Not so comfortable and old style IFE.
There are also aircraft with above mentioned seats in a 3-class (F/J/Y) configuration.
Then SV have newer deliveries (e.g. HZ-AK35) in a 2-class cabin with full flat Business Class, with large and very modern IFE. Really comfortable seats. 2-2-2 layout, 5 rows
USA flights seems to get the 1-2-1 layout on very recent delivered aircraft, as mentioned by the OP. That is the best product offered on the 77W.
Anyone have insights which specific aircraft registrations have which cabin?
For example HZ-AK11, the older ones, have a 2-class cabin and almost full-flat seats in a 2-2-2 layout. Total 5 rows. Not so comfortable and old style IFE.
There are also aircraft with above mentioned seats in a 3-class (F/J/Y) configuration.
Then SV have newer deliveries (e.g. HZ-AK35) in a 2-class cabin with full flat Business Class, with large and very modern IFE. Really comfortable seats. 2-2-2 layout, 5 rows
USA flights seems to get the 1-2-1 layout on very recent delivered aircraft, as mentioned by the OP. That is the best product offered on the 77W.
Anyone have insights which specific aircraft registrations have which cabin?
Aug 15, 2017, 6:27 pm
#4
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: Flying Blue Plat, Air Europa Silver, IHG Plat, Accor Plat
Posts: 1,011
I just flew CAI-JED-LAX in Saudia C, and was very pleasantly surprised. I had done a fair bit of reading here, and there are a lot of very negative comments about the airline. The tone seems to be set by a pretty disastrous trip report by a well-known blogger, and there are also various nightmare reports off FT that seem to predominantly be influenced by Hajj flights (with rather unsophisticated passengers).
To counterbalance these reports, here is my experience.
CAI is an odd airport. You have to pass the first checkpoint before getting to the check-in area, and there are no priority lines. Touts will try to grab your bags and "expedite" your trip through security for a tip. It's a bit of an ordeal, but after that, Saudia check-in staff are fairly pleasant and efficient. I had a bit of a wait while they were trying to get my connecting BPs. After a few phone calls, it came out, with the dreaded SSSS marking.
I then passed immigration and a second security check, and went to the lounge. Brand new, with comfortable furniture and great food. I can't think of very many Skyteam lounges that are superior to this.
The CAI-JED flight was initially shown as delayed by 20 minutes, then by an hour, and finally took off about 2 1/2 hours late. Communication was less than ideal, and not very proactive. If I'd gotten an email, I could have spent an extra 2 hours in my room at the airport hotel. The silent room at the lounge was ok for a few hours, though.
The Airbus 330 for CAI-JED was brand new and had 2/2/2 C seats that were completely lie-flat, with huge screens and an ample movie selection. Food was delicious (owing to the short flight, served on a single tray). The female flight attendants were very pleasant, but the male ones didn't appear to lift a finger on this flight (very light load).
I had read horror stories about connecting in Jeddah. It's an ancient airport with many solid 1* reviews. There are no jetways, everything is done by bus. Owing to my late CAI flight, which arrived about 20 minutes before the intended departure time of my LAX flight, I saw very little of the airport. I raced upstairs, passed initial security (divided by male/female) and headed straight to the gate where my US-bound flight had another security control. Officials seemed very slow and disinterested, and the ratio of people working to standing around is not favorable, but after a nerve-racking 15-minute wait for my SSSS treatment, I was cleared to board. The LAX flight departed about an hour late, which seems to be fairly standard, looking at Flightaware.
The hard product in Business on the 77W is excellent (1/2/1). I am very tall (6'5"/195cm) and this the most comfortable business seat I've flown in a long time. I'd put it ahead even of the CX/BR seat, and obviously it's far better than the various business staggered/parallel flat/herringbone seats out there. Food was excellent -- great quality, lots of options. The 16 hour flight starts out with breakfast, then there are various hot and cold on-demand options, and about two hours prior to landing, the main meal is served -- lobster or middle eastern appetizer, tasty salad, Moroccan soup, choice of four mains, choice of dessert. There is, of course, no alcohol, but the FAs offer various delicious juices/smoothies. There is no drink cart accompanying the food service, and the supply of soft drinks is somewhat hesitant (most passengers seemed content with water, which is served automatically). The female FAs were once again spectacular -- very capable and friendly. IFE was great, with a selection surpassing Studio CX, Delta, LH, and many others. I received a code for 25MB of free internet, but the connection was pretty slow, so don't count on doing more than occasionally checking email.
The arrival experience in LAX was again subpar. Despite the SSSS on my boarding pass, I had no problems with GE, and was at the baggage claim less than 10 minutes of disembarking. It took half an hour for the first bags to arrive, and then another 30 for mine to show up ... very slowly, one bag at a time with long breaks and no regard for priority tags. This, combined with the hour+ delay in arrival from JED, caused me to miss my connecting flight. SV handled this very well; I received an email with my new flight information about 5 hours prior to landing, and then a customer service agent spoke to me.
All in all, I'd say that despite the poor on the ground experience in CAI (out of SV's control), JED, and LAX, the lounges and in-flight product were excellent. I wouldn't hesitate to fly SV again (on the new Airbus 330 and 77W), and in fact I now look forward to my upcoming flights. If the price is right (it often is), SV is very worthy of consideration.
To counterbalance these reports, here is my experience.
CAI is an odd airport. You have to pass the first checkpoint before getting to the check-in area, and there are no priority lines. Touts will try to grab your bags and "expedite" your trip through security for a tip. It's a bit of an ordeal, but after that, Saudia check-in staff are fairly pleasant and efficient. I had a bit of a wait while they were trying to get my connecting BPs. After a few phone calls, it came out, with the dreaded SSSS marking.
I then passed immigration and a second security check, and went to the lounge. Brand new, with comfortable furniture and great food. I can't think of very many Skyteam lounges that are superior to this.
The CAI-JED flight was initially shown as delayed by 20 minutes, then by an hour, and finally took off about 2 1/2 hours late. Communication was less than ideal, and not very proactive. If I'd gotten an email, I could have spent an extra 2 hours in my room at the airport hotel. The silent room at the lounge was ok for a few hours, though.
The Airbus 330 for CAI-JED was brand new and had 2/2/2 C seats that were completely lie-flat, with huge screens and an ample movie selection. Food was delicious (owing to the short flight, served on a single tray). The female flight attendants were very pleasant, but the male ones didn't appear to lift a finger on this flight (very light load).
I had read horror stories about connecting in Jeddah. It's an ancient airport with many solid 1* reviews. There are no jetways, everything is done by bus. Owing to my late CAI flight, which arrived about 20 minutes before the intended departure time of my LAX flight, I saw very little of the airport. I raced upstairs, passed initial security (divided by male/female) and headed straight to the gate where my US-bound flight had another security control. Officials seemed very slow and disinterested, and the ratio of people working to standing around is not favorable, but after a nerve-racking 15-minute wait for my SSSS treatment, I was cleared to board. The LAX flight departed about an hour late, which seems to be fairly standard, looking at Flightaware.
The hard product in Business on the 77W is excellent (1/2/1). I am very tall (6'5"/195cm) and this the most comfortable business seat I've flown in a long time. I'd put it ahead even of the CX/BR seat, and obviously it's far better than the various business staggered/parallel flat/herringbone seats out there. Food was excellent -- great quality, lots of options. The 16 hour flight starts out with breakfast, then there are various hot and cold on-demand options, and about two hours prior to landing, the main meal is served -- lobster or middle eastern appetizer, tasty salad, Moroccan soup, choice of four mains, choice of dessert. There is, of course, no alcohol, but the FAs offer various delicious juices/smoothies. There is no drink cart accompanying the food service, and the supply of soft drinks is somewhat hesitant (most passengers seemed content with water, which is served automatically). The female FAs were once again spectacular -- very capable and friendly. IFE was great, with a selection surpassing Studio CX, Delta, LH, and many others. I received a code for 25MB of free internet, but the connection was pretty slow, so don't count on doing more than occasionally checking email.
The arrival experience in LAX was again subpar. Despite the SSSS on my boarding pass, I had no problems with GE, and was at the baggage claim less than 10 minutes of disembarking. It took half an hour for the first bags to arrive, and then another 30 for mine to show up ... very slowly, one bag at a time with long breaks and no regard for priority tags. This, combined with the hour+ delay in arrival from JED, caused me to miss my connecting flight. SV handled this very well; I received an email with my new flight information about 5 hours prior to landing, and then a customer service agent spoke to me.
All in all, I'd say that despite the poor on the ground experience in CAI (out of SV's control), JED, and LAX, the lounges and in-flight product were excellent. I wouldn't hesitate to fly SV again (on the new Airbus 330 and 77W), and in fact I now look forward to my upcoming flights. If the price is right (it often is), SV is very worthy of consideration.
Can you share a bit more detail on the food offering and whether you felt hungry at any point?
On boarding, do J passengers get a seperate bus?
Aug 15, 2017, 8:16 pm
#5
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Amsterdam DT, The Netherlands
Programs: FB Plat, SQ*G, OW Emerald, Hertz PC
Posts: 170
2) In JED: bus boarding for everyone. There is no dedicated bus for Business Class.
3) There are 2x meal service on JED-Jakarta flights. It is not dine as you wish. There are no unlimited choices from the menu available, but you can always ask for a snack. Crew is approachable, females mostly Filipino and Indonesian, very friendly people. Men cabin crew usually are a bit 'hidden' and overlook the service or work in the galleys.
Oct 3, 2017, 3:20 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: HH Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Gold, Hyatt something
Posts: 33,539
Sv fco-jed-cgk
We flew FCO-JED-CGK yesterday. It was our first flight on SV. We bought our tickets last year for $525 for adult OW, and $399 for a childs ticket.
The Alitalia lounge in Rome was pretty good. They did close boarding 20 minutes early, and rushed us a bit to get on.
I wasn't expecting much on the first leg, an A320 flight. The seats were very comfortable, with much better pitch than US domestic FC flights. Video monitors were a bit funky, the old stored in the seat type. They wouldn't angle quite right and constantly turned. Some seat controls didn't work correctly.
Service was quite good from both the male and female FA's. We did have a mishap from the female FA dropping the hot meal on my daughters tray. Luckily the hot food didn't land on her. The FA was super apologetic, and the purser also apologized.
JED arrival was ok. The bathroom in the first area off the bus arrival area was fairly third world. Plus the bathroom graphics first led me believe that the male bathroom was for women, because of the headcovering image.
Once security screening was done, the Saudia lounge was pretty nice. The duty free area was very luxurious.
My wife felt a bit weird going to the duty free with my daughter. She felt she got a lot of male stares. Being from Indonesia she's used to a lot of Muslim stuff, but it's a different category here. Nothing too horrid, though. She was dressed very conservatively.
The plane was a very nice 777-300ER. Must have been pretty new. 2-2-2 layout. This has got to be one of the best biz layouts I've ever ridden on. Big entertainment screen, very nice chair controls. Very comfortable lay flat beds.
Food was nice. Service was a bit subpar. Food choices were wrong a couple of times. I gather that the FA's english wasn't so great. It took many requests over a 2 hour span to get my daughters entertainment system reset.
They also skipped over her with an amenity kit. The FA gestured that they would come back. I thought they had a special kids one, perhaps. They never brought anything. She had one from the first flight, but still, she likes her airline stuff.
They don't service the J lavatories as much as they should. My visit was fine, but my wife said someone had vomited in the other one, and it hadn't been cleaned. This was an overnight flight. The staff mostly hung out in their area. Even using the call button seemed like a lost cause. You often had to repeat requests.
They didn't hand out the customs declaration form on the plane, so I had to grab one from a kiosk.
The slight negatives were certainly compensated by the nice price, and good hard product. Still worlds better than the the last Transpac J flights on AA and UA I've had.
We got to fly into the new Terminal 3 in Jakarta. Not as compact as Terminal 2, with travellators that were mostly working, lots of carpeted areas, and a US style immigration queing system.
Lots of self service luggage carts, and nice clean bathrooms, too. The parking garage is a nice change from the hectic Terminal 2 parking. I saw lots of Blue Bird and Express Taxis at the curb, so hopefully avoiding the taxi mafia setup from Terminal 2.
The Alitalia lounge in Rome was pretty good. They did close boarding 20 minutes early, and rushed us a bit to get on.
I wasn't expecting much on the first leg, an A320 flight. The seats were very comfortable, with much better pitch than US domestic FC flights. Video monitors were a bit funky, the old stored in the seat type. They wouldn't angle quite right and constantly turned. Some seat controls didn't work correctly.
Service was quite good from both the male and female FA's. We did have a mishap from the female FA dropping the hot meal on my daughters tray. Luckily the hot food didn't land on her. The FA was super apologetic, and the purser also apologized.
JED arrival was ok. The bathroom in the first area off the bus arrival area was fairly third world. Plus the bathroom graphics first led me believe that the male bathroom was for women, because of the headcovering image.
Once security screening was done, the Saudia lounge was pretty nice. The duty free area was very luxurious.
My wife felt a bit weird going to the duty free with my daughter. She felt she got a lot of male stares. Being from Indonesia she's used to a lot of Muslim stuff, but it's a different category here. Nothing too horrid, though. She was dressed very conservatively.
The plane was a very nice 777-300ER. Must have been pretty new. 2-2-2 layout. This has got to be one of the best biz layouts I've ever ridden on. Big entertainment screen, very nice chair controls. Very comfortable lay flat beds.
Food was nice. Service was a bit subpar. Food choices were wrong a couple of times. I gather that the FA's english wasn't so great. It took many requests over a 2 hour span to get my daughters entertainment system reset.
They also skipped over her with an amenity kit. The FA gestured that they would come back. I thought they had a special kids one, perhaps. They never brought anything. She had one from the first flight, but still, she likes her airline stuff.
They don't service the J lavatories as much as they should. My visit was fine, but my wife said someone had vomited in the other one, and it hadn't been cleaned. This was an overnight flight. The staff mostly hung out in their area. Even using the call button seemed like a lost cause. You often had to repeat requests.
They didn't hand out the customs declaration form on the plane, so I had to grab one from a kiosk.
The slight negatives were certainly compensated by the nice price, and good hard product. Still worlds better than the the last Transpac J flights on AA and UA I've had.
We got to fly into the new Terminal 3 in Jakarta. Not as compact as Terminal 2, with travellators that were mostly working, lots of carpeted areas, and a US style immigration queing system.
Lots of self service luggage carts, and nice clean bathrooms, too. The parking garage is a nice change from the hectic Terminal 2 parking. I saw lots of Blue Bird and Express Taxis at the curb, so hopefully avoiding the taxi mafia setup from Terminal 2.
Oct 4, 2017, 8:06 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold
Posts: 28,741
I'm guessing you never/rarely travel solo, then. 2-2-2 is, in my opinion, the *worst* type of layout, particularly when individual aisle access is rapidly becoming the norm in J cabins.
Oct 4, 2017, 9:49 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: HH Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Gold, Hyatt something
Posts: 33,539
I was mostly giving the configuration of the cabin to identify it to others. I don't mind my little monster passing by from the window seat, but obviously an unrelated passenger might be a different story.
I found the seat I was in more comfortable, and easier to stretch out in, than any other Biz seat I can remember. It's even pretty close to some F seats. Again only talking about seat comfort, not aisle access, or such.
Nov 5, 2017, 11:57 pm
#10
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: CGK, BDO, MXP
Programs: QR Gold, WY Gold, TK Elite, EY Silver,
Posts: 464
SV MXP-CGK
I'm really tempted to book SV the return leg of my next trip to Italy, MXP to CGK as business saver it is still offered at less than 500 Euro one way, even cheaper than most economy fares with other airlines. I would book the onward leg with EY economy and upgrade with miles, as a whole return ticket with SV in J on the other side it is not worth at all, it comes at almost 2500 Euro where other airlines offering even (slightly) cheaper options with definitely better soft product and schedule.
My aim is to be able to sleep comfortable during flights and arrive at destination in good shape, for the amount paid I can easily manage the "dry" trip and probably the sub par service from FA I ever read above and elsewhere. My main concern is about the 10 hours layover in JED probably during Friday from 6 PM till 4 AM, is the Lounge in JED a decent place to spend 10 hours? Are there enough seats to do some works, get a rest and maybe a nap? Are toilet cleaned and is shower eventually available? is Food option and quality manageable? I'm definitely not expecting luxury first class options, I just want to avoid regretting about the whole trip due to a bad transit experience. Thanks in advance for sharing your feedback.
My aim is to be able to sleep comfortable during flights and arrive at destination in good shape, for the amount paid I can easily manage the "dry" trip and probably the sub par service from FA I ever read above and elsewhere. My main concern is about the 10 hours layover in JED probably during Friday from 6 PM till 4 AM, is the Lounge in JED a decent place to spend 10 hours? Are there enough seats to do some works, get a rest and maybe a nap? Are toilet cleaned and is shower eventually available? is Food option and quality manageable? I'm definitely not expecting luxury first class options, I just want to avoid regretting about the whole trip due to a bad transit experience. Thanks in advance for sharing your feedback.
Nov 6, 2017, 5:11 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: HH Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Gold, Hyatt something
Posts: 33,539
I'm really tempted to book SV the return leg of my next trip to Italy, MXP to CGK as business saver it is still offered at less than 500 Euro one way, even cheaper than most economy fares with other airlines. I would book the onward leg with EY economy and upgrade with miles, as a whole return ticket with SV in J on the other side it is not worth at all, it comes at almost 2500 Euro where other airlines offering even (slightly) cheaper options with definitely better soft product and schedule.
My aim is to be able to sleep comfortable during flights and arrive at destination in good shape, for the amount paid I can easily manage the "dry" trip and probably the sub par service from FA I ever read above and elsewhere. My main concern is about the 10 hours layover in JED probably during Friday from 6 PM till 4 AM, is the Lounge in JED a decent place to spend 10 hours? Are there enough seats to do some works, get a rest and maybe a nap? Are toilet cleaned and is shower eventually available? is Food option and quality manageable? I'm definitely not expecting luxury first class options, I just want to avoid regretting about the whole trip due to a bad transit experience. Thanks in advance for sharing your feedback.
My aim is to be able to sleep comfortable during flights and arrive at destination in good shape, for the amount paid I can easily manage the "dry" trip and probably the sub par service from FA I ever read above and elsewhere. My main concern is about the 10 hours layover in JED probably during Friday from 6 PM till 4 AM, is the Lounge in JED a decent place to spend 10 hours? Are there enough seats to do some works, get a rest and maybe a nap? Are toilet cleaned and is shower eventually available? is Food option and quality manageable? I'm definitely not expecting luxury first class options, I just want to avoid regretting about the whole trip due to a bad transit experience. Thanks in advance for sharing your feedback.
It had ok food. I’d say a step above Jakarta lounges. The toilet in the lounge was ok, but obviously some people had been smoking in them. Very similar in quality to CGK terminal 2. I don’t know if they have showers.
Nov 8, 2017, 4:32 am
#12
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: CGK, BDO, MXP
Programs: QR Gold, WY Gold, TK Elite, EY Silver,
Posts: 464
We were in the lounge for a few hours about a month ago.
It had ok food. I’d say a step above Jakarta lounges. The toilet in the lounge was ok, but obviously some people had been smoking in them. Very similar in quality to CGK terminal 2. I don’t know if they have showers.
It had ok food. I’d say a step above Jakarta lounges. The toilet in the lounge was ok, but obviously some people had been smoking in them. Very similar in quality to CGK terminal 2. I don’t know if they have showers.
Jan 12, 2018, 5:20 pm
#13
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Paris/Milan
Programs: Flying Blue Platinium; All Gold, A3 Gold, Safar Flyer Gold (OW Sapphire)
Posts: 311
The new terminal will open in may, with this new terminal SV can delete all their horrible reviews because of JED airport
Moreover when you can find FCO-JED-MXP roundtrip for 950€ in J
Worth it with no brainer
Moreover when you can find FCO-JED-MXP roundtrip for 950€ in J
Worth it with no brainer
Mar 6, 2018, 10:29 pm
#14
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: CGK, BDO, MXP
Programs: QR Gold, WY Gold, TK Elite, EY Silver,
Posts: 464
I'm really tempted to book SV the return leg of my next trip to Italy, MXP to CGK as business saver it is still offered at less than 500 Euro one way, even cheaper than most economy fares with other airlines. I would book the onward leg with EY economy and upgrade with miles, as a whole return ticket with SV in J on the other side it is not worth at all, it comes at almost 2500 Euro where other airlines offering even (slightly) cheaper options with definitely better soft product and schedule.
My aim is to be able to sleep comfortable during flights and arrive at destination in good shape, for the amount paid I can easily manage the "dry" trip and probably the sub par service from FA I ever read above and elsewhere. My main concern is about the 10 hours layover in JED probably during Friday from 6 PM till 4 AM, is the Lounge in JED a decent place to spend 10 hours? Are there enough seats to do some works, get a rest and maybe a nap? Are toilet cleaned and is shower eventually available? is Food option and quality manageable? I'm definitely not expecting luxury first class options, I just want to avoid regretting about the whole trip due to a bad transit experience. Thanks in advance for sharing your feedback.
My aim is to be able to sleep comfortable during flights and arrive at destination in good shape, for the amount paid I can easily manage the "dry" trip and probably the sub par service from FA I ever read above and elsewhere. My main concern is about the 10 hours layover in JED probably during Friday from 6 PM till 4 AM, is the Lounge in JED a decent place to spend 10 hours? Are there enough seats to do some works, get a rest and maybe a nap? Are toilet cleaned and is shower eventually available? is Food option and quality manageable? I'm definitely not expecting luxury first class options, I just want to avoid regretting about the whole trip due to a bad transit experience. Thanks in advance for sharing your feedback.
in my opinion, to consider:
From/to Jeddah to Europe mostly still using A320 with old recliner seats
Jeddah terminal is really a Zoo, I spent 10 hours in the small and sub par lounge and luckily entered when was still empty as if you get there at the wrong time you cannot even find a seat, by the way I appreciated the creamy ravioli. Once it was time for boarding I should look around for the proper gate as monitors stating a different one, found the right one it was till showing the previous flight already departed. Maybe the situation should improve after the new Jeddah terminal will open this year.
Hard product on B777 to CGK is not bad, wide full flat seats, IFE ok but 2-2-2 configuration and a quite shabby look, soft product still below par compare many others (except maybe airlines from north America), robotic FA kind but almost zero interaction, food option more similar to Y just served on China. Yes, their Porsche Design amenity kits were definitely nice but it is not a big point to me.
At the end SV J is acceptable only if there is no other option than traveling economy and when it comes with a very cheap price, I definitely would not consider it as a primary option.
Mar 7, 2018, 1:46 am
#15
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: BSL
Programs: AA (EXP); among others :)
Posts: 2,523
Also, Economy fliers looking to avoid the 10-abreast 3-4-3 16.5-inch hell that seems to become the new norm on 777s almost everywhere should give them a chance as well. Saudia retained the 9-abreast configuration even on their newest 777-300s used in regular longhaul service - although they do have a few high-density configurations flying around, one rarely encounters those outside of pilgrim (Haji) flights.