Saudia has been in my radar for a Long time. The closed country is mysterious and for those who has been following my reports will know that I have special affinity for obscure places which the general public will steer clear of.
I got excited when Saudia released cheap business fares from Italy to Jakarta. At just under 500 euros, it’s a steal and it’s on par with many Economy fares on the more premium airlines such as SQ. In my opinion, business class is still business class no matter on what airline and it will always be more comfortable than any Economy class. I will leave it open if anyone is going to say this is an error fare but it does not seem so as this has been running for quite some time. Even now.
My route was FCO-RUH-CGK. Enjoy.
Chapter 1: Rome-Riyadh
Flight: SV208
Aircraft: A320-200
Registration: HZ-ASC
Class: Business
Seat: 2A
Load: 100%
I had earlier arrived at Fiumicino airport on TAROM 4 hours prior to departure. Fiumicino on the particular day was extremely crowded with lots of returning Asian tourists especially from India.
I had to wait for awhile before Saudia counter opened for check in 3 hours before the flight. I was one of the first and there was no queue.
Business class passengers had access to fast track security which was helpful as the airport was a borderline commotion due to the crowd of the tourist peak season.
Unfortunately, there is no more fast track for immigration. The fast track lane is only for last minute passengers and in any case it was closed.
I had to squeeze in with everybody else.
And as we can see here, I felt like I was in India! The ‘good’ ole days of old Mumbai airport with its low ceiling and its 90 minute queues! How nostalgic. And this crowd was friendly. They chatted me up and I got to practice my broken Hindi. They were all surprised to find a random Chinese guy in Rome who somewhat could speak some Hindi.
It took a good hour to go through the queue but time passed ok when you are in the company of a very social crowd.
I was left with barely an hour before the flight and I walked through the terminal building which seems new.
However, I was very surprised that the Skyteam lounge is very underwhelming considering this is a Skyteam main hub. It’s in what appears to be in the old wing. I wonder if there is a better lounge elsewhere but this is the Alitalia lounge I was directed to as a Saudia passenger.
The interior is pleasant but not wow. And it’s small for a hub. And so I found it overcrowded.
There are more seats on the upper level but all the food is downstairs.
The selection of appetisers was good.
But the mains selection was really poor.
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Drinks are served off the bar (so no free flow self service). As well as the desserts. You have to point to what you want.
I didn’t have much time there and when I reached the gate, I could straight ahead board, greeted by a pleasant asian crew of Filipino origin.
I had known that the flight would be operated by a narrow body - an A320. I didn’t have high expectation (expecting a SilkAir experience) but I was very pleasantly surprised.
Legroom is very generous. It feels really spacious. It’s nothing like SilkAir or domestic flights in India. This is a much more superior product.
I have never seen this much space in front of me unless it's First Class
ccasion14:
Checking out the functionalities of the seat. Just basic recline etc.
The recline is extremely generous too. I am really impressed on how comfortable a narrow body can be. I Guess those regional flights by SilkAir and Jet are spoiling my impression.
And the cabin is also cold. I am a cold weather person and appreciates cool cabin temperatures. This is what I notice from most middle eastern carriers. Not sure how true or it’s just an irrational opinion. On SQ, I always have to ask for temperature reduction.
Service started with cold towels - again my preference over the hot ones served on SQ. Very refreshing. And the design is nice too.
And then drinks were offered. Since alcohol is not served on Saudia, they offer a mind-boggling array of juices which look like a rainbow. Very beautiful tray I must say.
I picked the date juice which was amazing. In fact, I would go on to say this was spectacular. So far I have been very impressed.
Looking out the window, was an Air Moldova. I was originally planning to take this one direct from Chisinau but was worried about connection time. If only airport security could be as simple as walking from gate to gate.
Soon after, we were airborne over the Mediterranean bound for Riyadh.
As usual, I browsed through every airline reading materials.
Network map is quite extensive.
And the fleet. Pity no more 747s.
English reading material is basically government propaganda on the future multi billion dollar progressive city to be built by the Red Sea. While Arabic reading material is on sightseeing destinations in Europe.
There is also an extensive feature on the new business class seats in reverse herringbone style which I won’t get to experience on this route. What could I say when i was paying <500 euros
IFE selection is varied and there is an enormous amount of religious programmes.
IFE is the flip type from the arm rest.
And headset seems rather cheap and flimsy type.
Unfortunately, IFE was not working on my seat. It couldn't pass beyond this landing page and flight was full. First demerit point.
Meal service started with date.
And then Arabic mezze. Which was fine.
And my mains were pasta. Considering that this flight originated from Italy, the quality of the pasta was considered abysmally bad. Terrible. Another demerit for catering.
And then it ended with dessert, which was not memorable either.
Evian was probably the highlight of the meal!
Service throughput was friendly enough although nothing outstanding.
The journey continued smoothly, made landfall at Egypt near Alexandria and then we flew over the desert all the way to Riyadh.
We landed in Riyadh just slightly a little over 5 hours later in the middle of the night.
the crowd was a rather social group (groups and families).
