Earlier this month, I flew from London to Riyadh in business class on Saudia, the Saudi Arabian government airline.
I also took a domestic connecting flight in economy class on Saudia Airlines to AlUla in the northern province of the kingdom.
Here’s what it was like to fly in both cabins and experience Arabian Airlines hospitality first-hand.
Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Earlier this month, I was scheduled to fly from London to Riyadh in business class on Saudia, Saudi Arabia’s national airline.
Shortly after, I had to catch a connecting flight in economy class on Saudia Airlines to AlUla in the north of the kingdom. This meant that I was exposed to all the options and hospitality the airline had to offer.
Both flights were paid for as part of a press trip to visit the Winter at Tantra Festival in the northern desert of the kingdom.
Saudia was founded in 1945 (then under the name Saudi Arabian Airlines), but in 2017 when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the company to compete with local rivals Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways. He achieved rejuvenation.
I don’t know what the service was like before, but my experience was great in both classes. I just can’t understand why people spend money on business class.
Check out my journey:
It was my first time flying business class, so I was interested to see what the big and good got for their extra money.
I arrived at London Heathrow Airport well ahead of my 7:10pm departure, dropped off my luggage and headed to the departure gate.
I ended up using the priority lane, but to no avail.
Since we were at the airport early anyway, there was no line at the regular desk.
My flight was departing from Heathrow’s Terminal 4, which is the airport’s main terminal for flights to the Middle East.
I wanted to go to the business class lounge, which is why I got to the airport early, and I couldn’t find it in Terminal 4.
Finally, it was time to board the 381-seat Boeing 777.
Saudia has a total fleet of 147 aircraft. The planes range from the Boeing 777 I flew to the 144-seat Airbus A320.
I took a seat and was shocked. There wasn’t enough luggage to fill the whole area.
This is the view from the aisle side.
As a 6-foot-1 man, accustomed to conserving legroom, I was perplexed by the gaping black hole beneath my feet. It felt like the goblin from the bedtime story was lurking around.
I didn’t have to worry about children screaming nearby. Saudia offers its own brand of over-ear headphones for business class flyers.
The airline also distributes some pretty decent in-ear earphones in its economy class flyers.
Unfortunately, they weren’t free. However, the in-flight entertainment was excellent.
I was offered a drink by a senior flight attendant named Katarina who was assigned to my section and three others. Everything is free in business class.
To my right were the seat controls. The icon in the bottom left confused me, but then I realized that it was triggering the chair’s massage function.
I found a hidden hole above the display that is convenient for adding effects.
It was also very easy to misplace things. Tear off your eye mask.
I was handed a Missoni gift bag exclusive to Saudia Airlines business class passengers.
Inside was a comb, dental pack, screen lens wipe, cream, eye mask, and flying socks. It is impossible to wear too many socks.
We were also given warm towels. The airline also offered it in economy class.
I looked at the safety instructions written in English and Arabic and wondered if there was any difference in the safety procedures for business class passengers. no.
Another advantage of business class is that the upright seating position provides good privacy thanks to the extended sideboard along the aisle.
I was then given a business class menu. The main menu was a set menu of Arabic and Mediterranean cuisine, and a wide selection of desserts and cheeses. At this point it was 11pm London time so we decided not to have a second dinner.
Pork is haram in Saudi Arabia, so there were no pork products on the menu.
“Time for a beer,” I thought, but then I remembered that alcohol is prohibited in Saudi Arabia, so no alcohol is sold on government planes. Then have some tea.
After a while, the in-flight safety video started. The film appears to feature a Saudi man wearing a traditional thaw and keffiyeh, watching as a sign language interpreter lifts his briefcase into an overhead locker.
Before takeoff, a prayer attributed to the Prophet Muhammad was played over the intercom and displayed on a screen.
It was very reassuring and I heard it on every plane I took in the Kingdom.
Since we took off, we’ve been able to watch a variety of movies on our entertainment system. My first choice was “White House Down.”
I was worried that the United States and Iran would be at war by the time I arrived in Riyadh, so this movie seemed like a good choice.
I switched up and chose something more relaxing, like “Toy Story.”
After watching all the movies, we had less than 5 hours left to reach Riyadh. I tried to get some sleep.
But first, calm yourself down with some peppermint tea and shortbread.
Touchdown for Riyadh. Security was placed in isolation at Riyadh’s King Khalid Airport.
However, not all airports in the country segregate men and women at security screening.
I was soon to catch a connecting flight with Saudia to AlUla in the north of the country. I grabbed my only food, a Starbucks wrap, and moved on.
After a 6 hour flight from London to Riyadh, I was very happy to find out that the layover time was only 100 minutes.
Saudia has hubs in Jeddah, Medina, Riyadh and Dammam, and also serves airports as far away as Los Angeles and Beijing.
I was informed in advance that Saudia is not very good at losing luggage, but luckily my luggage made it to the plane in time and they picked me up on the other side of the plane.
I had booked an economy flight to AlUla and wanted to see the difference in service so it was perfect for me. Here I am sitting in an even more cramped seat.
This plane was an Airbus A333.
Ah, life is back to normal…
…but luckily the plane was very empty. I looked up at the line to stretch.
I was happy to see that there was no difference in the in-flight entertainment system between business class and economy class.
This is Prophet Muhammad’s supplication prayer for the start of flight again.
Halfway through the flight, flight attendants handed out cheese and egg sandwiches and drinks. I chose water.
It wasn’t a huge amount, but it was free and it was better than when I flew EasyJet or Ryanair in Europe.
I tried to watch “White House Down” again, but halfway through I decided to just look at the interactive map of the plane instead.
I noticed that Saudia added the Neom metropolitan area. Neom is her $500 billion unfinished project in the kingdom that will bring flying taxis, cutting-edge education, and futuristic living.
Source: Business Insider
In less than two hours, we arrived safely. I left feeling very satisfied. Saudia’s service was excellent and both my trips went without any issues.
In fact, my flight was so good that I left feeling like I was in business class. The London-Riyadh flight was worth $4,500 each way. — it wasn’t worth it. Don’t expect to see me there for a while.