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After a long layover in Jeddah, I happily boarded a late night flight to Manchester. After a terrible last flight, I wasn’t expecting great service, but I thought I’d at least be able to sleep.
Five hours in the lounge was plenty, so I took a short walk around the terminal before boarding. There wasn’t much to see and it was very crowded. Our flight departed from Gate 7. Gate 7 seemed to be a special gate to the UK. However, unlike flights to the US, there were no additional security checks.
There is no jet bridge in Jeddah, so I took the bus. To do so, we had to make our way from the chaotic gate area to the even more chaotic waiting area downstairs. Even though it was a completely free-for-all, and we dutifully lined up at the gate early and boarded the bus right away, Ben and I missed the first bus. Uniformed security guards (apparently Saudi military) checked all passports for evidence of an exit stamp before boarding the bus.
We finally arrived at the plane and boarded through door 1.
Saudia 123
Jeddah (JED) – Manchester (MAN)
Tuesday, August 3rd
Departure: 3:45am
Arrival: 8:20am
Time required: 6 hours 35 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
Seat: 4L (business class)
Let’s talk about seats. It was great.
Saudia 787 business class seat
Business class is located from door 1 to door 2 and has 24 seats (six rows 1-2-1). The B/E Aerospace Super Diamond Reverse Herringbone Seat offers (arguably) the most personal space and privacy of any business class seat other than the Apex Suite.
The color scheme was also modest and sophisticated. Thankfully, separate air nozzles were available.
After flying from Casablanca to Doha to Colombo to Jeddah, I was so tired that I almost fell asleep before takeoff. Unfortunately the bedding was not ideal. The pillows were adequate, but the blankets were economy class style. It didn’t matter in the end. It didn’t take long for me to fall asleep.
Saudia 787 business class service
Will the service on this flight be better, worse, or the same compared to previous flights? As it turns out, it’s better.
Another Muhammad purser was quite friendly and didn’t delegate all the work to his female colleagues. In fact, he gave me cold towels before takeoff and even served me food afterwards.
However, the service was slow, unacceptably slow. With a six-hour red-eye, crews must focus on feeding passengers quickly so they can get the most sleep possible. It took her 75 minutes before the snacks were served.
The breakfast lights came on 2 hours before landing, but it took another 30 minutes and then another 45 minutes for breakfast to actually be served rear coffee breakfast. It made no sense at all.
However, the crew was friendly. The captain also seemed friendly and said the following after takeoff:
The plane may shake a little. Don’t worry. Don’t worry. We plan to arrive in Manchester by 7:20. Thank you to Saudia for giving us this opportunity. Sit back and enjoy your flight.
Saudia 787 business class meal service
Forty minutes after takeoff, the crew provided juice and bottled water.
Here is the menu, which includes a light snack after takeoff and breakfast before landing. Although theoretically on-demand, FAs would travel from the front to the rear to take food orders after takeoff.
I ordered a chicken sandwich and it looked and tasted OK, but there was hardly any chicken inside.
Ben ordered the shrimp Caesar salad and raved about it.
For dessert, I ordered the highlight of this flight: Hot Chocolate and Cookies. The freshly baked cookies were warm and delicious. Although they didn’t serve hot chocolate, it was fun to dip cookies in milk and eat them.
Ben ordered the same thing, but was only served a box of cookies.
Breakfast was served on a tray and started with a cheese dish and fresh fruit, followed by a frittata and warm bread.
As I mentioned, it took another 45 minutes for my coffee to be served (I ordered a cappuccino).
Coffee was served in a paper cup even though it had been 45 minutes since we landed.
Before landing, the FA provided mints.
Saudia 787 business class amenity kit
We were provided with the same Ferragamo amenity kit as on the Colombo to Jeddah flight. I couldn’t open it this time.
Saudia 787 Safety Video + IFE
After the backlash, a safety video featuring mostly Saudi-style models (which was probably CGI) was shown –
IFE’s collection was pretty meager, but I had fun searching for items while waiting for my meal. Noise-canceling headphones of questionable quality were in circulation.
There was Wi-Fi, but I was too tired to work.
Saudia 787 Lavatory
When I stepped into the toilet immediately after boarding, it looked like someone had already done ablutions or confused the toilet with the floor. The mirror was wet too…
Prayer of Saudia 787
As with all Saudia flights, pre-recorded Islamic prayers will be offered over the PA system before take-off. If you’re interested, here’s the prayer –
conclusion
Service for our first meal was delayed and breakfast service started early, so we didn’t have much time to sleep. Still, the only reason we stayed up was to properly review the product. If you’re on this flight, you’ll probably just want to sleep. The new business class seats make this easy.
I was grateful that the service on this flight was good, and I think Saudia has what it takes to be a highly competitive product. It just needs to be executed better.
Read Ben’s review here.
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