In business class on a Saudia A320, heading to Jeddah: the review
Saudia is the national airline of Saudi Arabia, not for long yet since the new Rhiyad [...]
Saudia
SkyTeam
JED
Saudi Arabia
Saudia is the national airline of Saudi Arabia, just for a little while longer since it should soon take off the new Rhiyad Air, fly to Italy from Rome and Milan, to the capital Riyadh and Jeddah. In this case, however, my trip started from Athens heading to Jeddah, an Arab city on the Red Sea.
In this article:
- Specifications
- Aircraft:
- A320
- Class:
- Business
- Treat:
- ATH - JED
- Price:
- 240€
- Book
If in European companies only Turkish and, by a few weeks ITA Airways, offer true business class on single-aisle aircraft, the same is not the case in the rest of the world, and this is one of the reasons why I decided to try this plane to compare the product among different companies.
This is the same plane that is used on the route from Fiumicino, while At Malpensa, the company flies the 787 And sometimes with the new A321s.
Reservation
Saudia is a SkyTeam member and often offers attractive fares for flying to Asia at truly competitive prices. For example, this ticket To fly in business to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. it cost me less than 1,000 euros, having booked one of these promo fares.
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A very inexpensive way to put several XP points in my pocket to renew my platinum status with Air France and accumulate a fair number of flying blue points. On balance, with this ticket, I set aside enough points for an economy award ticket from Linate to New York (round trip)
In addition to the points I wanted to fly with this company that I had never tried before and most importantly. Visit the brand new Jeddah airport.
At the airport
Athens airport is not one of the most modern, if we also add to that the summer period and the chaos at airports in half of Europe I was ready for the worst. Instead, everything went smoothly. It was 36° outside, inside Terminal A the temperature was just right and the boarding area quite crowded, let's say the perfect mix.
Athens is a popular stopover for all Gulf area airlines, and all have flights departing in the early afternoon. In addition to Saudia were Gulf Air, Emirates, Qatar, and Etihad. All with flights departing within 3 hours.
Upon arrival I saw an endless line of people and no indication for the SkyPriority line. Too bad I was in the wrong line and the people in line were waiting to check in on the Gulf Air flight.
Unlike other carriers Saudia flies from Athens to Jeddah with a narrow-body aircraft., the classic A320 used by EasyJet and many other carriers for short/medium-haul routes. This means just over 160 passengers, less than half the number of 777s and A330s used by other carriers. Fewer passengers also means less tail.
No questions from the attendant, just time to print the boarding passes and give me the invitation to the lounge.
Excluding Aegean there are no official lounges in this airport of other airlines, or rather there would be the Lufthansa one, but it is in the other terminal. Available to guests are 3 independent lounges: Swissair, Sky Express and Goldair. The three lounges are all in the same area. They are located at the end of the terminal near gate A11.
Saudia has an agreement with Goldair, the same lounge that ITA Airways uses in Athens, as well as other companies. It is also a Priority Pass lounge so it is open to everyone, or almost everyone.
By airplane
A few minutes before boarding time, I went to the gate, which seemed very uncrowded.
The thing that amazed me was the boarding procedure, an attendant took a microphone and simply said "Ladies and Gentlemen the boarding for Jeddah of the Suadia flight is open," no mention of priority boarding, families with children or anything else. Everyone inside without distinction.
In fact, the A320 is set up with five rows of business class, with a 2-2 configuration and seats that become beds. The rest is the classic 3-3 that we are used to seeing from ITA to low-cost carriers.
The only flaw in this configuration is that all passengers boarding parade inside the cabin and you are like a fish in an aquarium.
The armchair is a popular model, it is the same one that many carriers also use on wide-body aircraft. such as Royal Jordanian. you don't have much privacy from the passenger traveling nearby, but in a flight of just under 4 hours you can survive without any problems..
I gave up my window-side seat because my seat neighbor wanted to travel while admiring the scenery, and since I was feeling "generous," I accepted the exchange. Not true I didn't feel generous, but with this configuration of the chairs I prefer to be on the aisle side so I can get up without having to climb over anyone.
The cabin is very nice, the colors are soft and make for a very relaxing environment. Being able to take row 1 also gives you a few more inches than the other business class rows.
If you want more legroom my advice is to reserve row 1, all the others in fact force the passenger's legs into a cavity that is not too wide.
Those who sit in the front row, on the other hand, have plenty of space above and below the footrest.
Space in the overhead compartments is not a lot, but with a few passengers this is not a problem.
The coffee table comes out of the center console, a console that also houses the control panel that operates the seat and the controller for the in-flight entertainment system.
The seat becomes a bed, but here it emerges how this seat offers no privacy to the passenger, and forces the window-side traveler to climb over his or her neighbor.
Behind the passenger is the only small area to put down one's belongings, a small open cockpit. Here we also find the power outlet and the IFE headphone hookup. Window-side travelers, as is often the case, have a few extra inches of space.
The seat is operated by hand control, which is also very popular. There are no special functions, but one should not forget that we are in a narrow-body aircraft, the same one that easyJet uses.
Service
This was, at the service level, One of the best business trips I've ever taken. The staff was super present from the time I stepped onto the plane until the final goodbye.
As soon as I was seated in the chair, I was offered a juice, because it must be remembered. Saudia does not offer its guests any alcoholic beverages And you are not even allowed to bring your own alcohol from home.
Also before departure, a warm washcloth was brought.
A few moments later typical Arabic coffee was served with a date. The artistry of serving coffee in these companies is truly masterclass.
Finally, the order for lunch was taken.
A second wipe was brought at the end of the service, and as a final touch all passengers were offered a chocolate.Over the course of the approximately 3-hour cruise, the crew continued to pass through the corridor ready to fulfill passengers' requests.
No courtesy kit, but it fits being such a short flight, the same choice is also made by all other carriers on this type of route.
Food & Beverage
On the negative note, there is no menu, or rather I found out later on the return flight that there was and indeed dine-on-demand is offered, which is the ability to eat when you want.
Of course, there is no wine list. For drinking separate juices, water and soft drinks, no wine substitute products. Service began about 20 minutes after takeoff. And it was really well executed.
As an appetizer I opted for the Arab proposal with Humus and other Arab Mezzane dishes. I would say the best part of the meal. For the main course, however, I opted for chicken with rice. Definitely a NO. Dry and tasteless dish.
IFE
Each seat has its own personal screen, the size is definitely generous for being aboard an A320. The TV is touch, but too far away to be used this way, better to use the remote control that doubles as a second screen. The controller is the classic touch system and is located in the center console.
Offer and operating system, however, left me dissatisfied. The quantity and quality of movies available was poor, or perhaps the interface was so cumbersome that I could not find anything interesting.
Passengers are given headphones in Saudia's first class box, I did not use them preferring by now to wear my Airpods Max connected to the system via my bluetooth adaptor.
Mecca
Throughout the flight, the system indicates how far away the place of worship sacred to the Islamic world is, and both the controller and the TV show the direction and distance. This is common on all Muslim operators, and it is also not unusual to see people praying on board.
Before takeoff a prayer is broadcast to propitiate a safe flight, just as during the flight passengers are warned that they are about to pass Above the mecca. It is possible to see how far it is to the prayer time, and if needed, the IFE also shows the prayer.
In conclusion
Saudia is one of the few "Dry airlines" of the world, and this will not be a constraint that will fall soon. But you can also be a teetotaler for a few hours without suffering too much, of course if you then spend hours in the spectacular lounge in Jeddah is one that is missing instead.
At the level of service Saudia is no match for the rest of the M.O. competition, quite the contrary. The seat of this A320 is definitely better than what Qatar offers on its baby Airbus.
Pro
- Service
- Armchair
Against
- Gastronomic offerings