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Sometimes you come across a flight that is just too strange. You have to pinch yourself and ask yourself if this is really true. This was one of those flights.
It all started very promisingly. Ben and I booked her last two seats in business class on that flight, but we ended up with middle seats in another row. The flight was scheduled to be operated on an older 777-200 equipped with Saudia’s aging angled business class product. But to our great delight, upon check-in, we discovered that our flight had been upgraded to a 777-300 with new lie-flat business class seats.
The two rows of 2-3-2 became five rows of 2-2-2, and I was able to reserve my seat without any problems.
Fast forward to boarding time. As we were descending the jet bridge, we were stopped by men who appeared to be working for Saudia. They wore Saudi uniforms, carried Saudi wings, and had Saudi passports visible in their shirt pockets.
They argued with airport staff about something and then retreated from the jet bridge to the plane. Meanwhile, we all just stood and watched.
Finally, we were signaled to board the plane, where the same men stopped us, searched our carry-on bags, and performed a thorough physical search. Another official checked our passports.
This was my 5th flight with Saudia and I have never experienced anything like it.
However, the twilight zone continues on board the ship.
Saudia 781
Colombo (CMB) – Jeddah (JED)
Monday, August 2nd
Departure: 17:35
Arrival: 8:50pm
Time required: 5 hours 45 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 4B (Business Class)
Saudia 777-300 Regional Business Class Seat
Saudia’s regional 777-300 only features a two-cabin configuration, but at the time had better business class seats than the three-cabin long-haul 777-300. Saudia currently has flatbeds on all of its 777-300ERs.
This is the same business class seat you’ll find on many airlines, including Qatar Airways, United Airlines, and American Airlines, where I disembarked earlier in the day.
I find it a very comfortable seat to sit and sleep on, but some people have complained about the pressure on their legs.
Saudia 777-300 Business Class Service
Well, this is where things got weird. The service on this flight was terrible and I don’t know where to start or who to blame. I wrote about that time here.
First, keep in mind that although Saudi Arabia tends to use foreign female workers, primarily Filipinos, for FA positions, Saudi men also appear to fill the positions. I would like to share with you my experience with the service.
First, the women were hostile. The FA who worked on our side of the aisle seemed angry, couldn’t make eye contact, couldn’t speak in complete sentences, and looked very unhappy.
But perhaps this is the reason. The four male flight attendants (who went through security checks upon boarding) were seated in business class seats at the rear of the cabin.
They spent the flight relaxing, chatting, reading the newspaper, using the IFE system, eating business class meals, and playing on their cell phones.
As well as the whole flight. They never got up unless they needed something to eat in the galley. To make matters worse, they were served first. To make matters worse, they were playing music and videos on their phones loud enough for everyone on the plane to hear.
The flight’s purser (he called himself a “senior supervisor”) was Mohammed. He was the only man who walked around the hut, and he wasn’t doing anything. Our tray was empty when he passed by, but he looked at it and continued.
We couldn’t resist and tried to get him to talk. His collar had three thick stripes and one thin stripe, and that’s where I started. He proudly claimed to have worked for Saudia for 30 years.
I casually asked if the crew members sitting there were really crew members. Perhaps they were additional staff hired to perform pre-flight safety inspections?
no. Mohamed confirmed that they are free agents.
“After the meal, we gave the crew a chance to rest.”
Ah, that’s it.
He explained in detail that due to the upgrade of the aircraft to the 777-300, there is a shortage of four Saudi crew members, and that “four people will have to serve concurrently today.”
Can you guess which crew members had to work double duty?
I then spoke to the two female FAs in the front galley and they said (to be honest) they complained that the male FAs do this all the time and even on flights. was very ironic. to Colombo. So imagine he has to replenish 4 lazy FAs on a large aircraft that is already missing 4 FAs. No wonder they felt so terrible.
We also asked Mohammed if he had ever flown long distances and he said he doesn’t like long distances because he doesn’t like dealing with passenger complaints when the IFE doesn’t work. …
I’ll talk about the poor service surrounding the meal service below, but I’ll give you another example. About 35 minutes before landing, one of the female FAs shook Ben’s seat and scolded him, “It’s landing, stand up straight.” We had not yet started our descent.
Then she brought my coat back and handed it to Ben while I was using the bathroom. When he said it wasn’t his, her response was, “Well, he’s your friend.”
A story about a train accident.
Another example. About two hours into the flight, Ben wanted a coffee and pressed the FA call button. Ignored. After 30 minutes, he pressed the button again. Still ignored. When he pressed it a third time, the switch stopped in the galley.
Saudia 777-300 Business Meal Service
The food itself was very good, but the bad service continued into the service of the meal.
Before takeoff, I was offered a date over Arabic coffee. Menus were also distributed and prayers were said.
Fresh juices (lemon, orange, mixed juice) were provided after takeoff, which was very refreshing. Hot towels too.
FA appears with an appetizer tray. All she said was, “Arabic or Western.”
I sat on the aisle and ordered a selection of Arabic appetizers first. Ben also ordered an Arabic one, but was told “sorry, we only have one left for him” and was handed a Western-style appetizer without further explanation.
We noticed that on the other side of the cabin, the male FAs who had been served first were enjoying Arabic appetizers…
The mezze was delicious. It had hummus, baba ganoush, mozzarella cheese and tomato.
Ben’s Western appetizer included salmon, shrimp, and bread with cream cheese.
The salad was also fresh, but again we encountered terrible service. The FA approached us with a tray and held it out to us without explanation. At first glance, it looked more like jam or preserves than salad dressing. Only upon closer inspection did I realize that this was a salad dressing…
Bread was also served.
After a while, the main course appeared. Yes, we weren’t even given time to start the appetizers.
I requested fish and was told there was no fish left. As you might have guessed, two of his male FAs received fish dishes.
I took the lamb ribs instead and enjoyed it. The food itself did not disappoint.
Ben ordered chili chicken.
After we finished our main courses, FA stopped and grabbed our trays, tablecloths, and everything. Is there no dessert today?
However, the dessert was a combination of cake and fruit. Strangely, new tablecloths were provided. I also ordered a powdered cappuccino.
No drinks were served during dinner service. It looked like our FA was angry and blaming us.
A light snack was provided approximately 90 minutes prior to arrival. First a tray with juice, then sandwiches and sweets. At least this time there was a glass of still water on the tray and tea was offered. The sandwich was old.
Saudia 777-300 Business Class Amenity Kit
We were provided with a very nice Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kit before takeoff. I was grateful for the high quality razors and Ferragamo toiletries.
Saudia 777-300 business class restroom
The flight was about to begin, but the restrooms were clean when I checked.
Saudia 777-300 Business Class IFE + Wi-Fi
Although movies are heavily censored, IFE’s selection was not bad. for example, Gone with the wind The woman’s (clothed) chest is blurred…
Wi-Fi was available and reasonably priced, but the speed was so slow that we couldn’t use it.
Saudia 777-300 Prayer Room
There is a prayer room at the rear of the aircraft that is available to Muslim passengers.
conclusion
As we flew over Mecca and approached Jeddah, the captain announced, “May Allah accept all our good deeds.” I don’t think the crew got any benefit from this flight.
Honestly, this flight was the worst ever in terms of poor service. I felt bad for the female flight attendants, but their service was also terrible.
Ironically, the seats were great. The food was very tasty. IFE was fine. Such a wasted possibility…
Read Ben’s review here.
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