This is part two of SV41, from Riyadh to Los Angeles. In the first installment of this report, I covered the short flight from RUH to JED and the ground stop in Jeddah. This flight covers the 16hr journey...
Review: Saudia 777 First Suite Riyadh to Jeddah
Even though Riyadh to Los Angeles is sold as a direct flight and there is no way to purchase the Riyadh to Jeddah portion alone, I am going to break up the review into two parts. Note that even...
Review: Saudia Business Class Lounge Riyadh (RUH)
Earlier today I reviewed the Saudia First Class Lounge in Riyadh (RUH). During my long layover, I also had time to check out the business class side of the Alfurshan lounge. The lounge is subdivided into the following sections: Surprisingly, the business...
Review: Saudia First Class Lounge Riyadh (RUH)
The first class section of the Saudia Alfurshan Lounge in Riyadh (RUH) proved to be a very comfortable place to spend a 7.5hour layover between flights. To reach the lounge, simply follow the signs for “Alfurshan Lounge”. You will...
Review: Saudia 777-300ER First Class Dubai to Riyadh
The quick two-hour flight from Dubai to Riyadh was merely long enough to whet my appetite for the 19hr Riyadh to Los Angeles longhaul to come on the same aircraft. We checked in a few hours before the flight...
Review: SkyTeam Lounge Dubai (DXB)
We spent about 90 minutes in the SkyTeam lounge in Dubai prior to our Saudia First Class flight to Riyadh. The lounge was comfortable, wi-fi fast, and food decent. It’s also the best Priority Pass Lounge in Dubai (DXB)....
Review: Park Hyatt Dubai (Suite)
The Park Hyatt Dubai has not changed at all since my last visit in 2011. While the hotel is well-maintained with an extremely convenient location near the airport, I will be trying a different Hyatt property next time I...
Review: Somon Air 737 Business Class Dushanbe To Dubai
Somon Air is the sole private airline (versus state-owned Tajik Air) in Tajikistan. We flew from Dushanbe to Dubai aboard a 737-900ER, the crown jewel of the fleet. While I’d rate the flight experience as good overall, Somon Air...
An Exciting Review of Boring Dushanbe Airport + CIP Lounge
This is the review of the lounge we did not have access to, but still managed to visit and discreetly photograph. Let’s talk about Dushanbe Airport. Weird. We arrived at 2:30p, yes probably far too early, for our 5:35p...
Review: Hyatt Regency Dushanbe, Tajikistan (Suite)
Although our stay was brief, it was long enough for me to vouch for this excellent Hyatt property in the heart of Tajikistan’s capital city of Dushanbe. We arrived early in Dushanbe and negotiated a cab from the airport...
Review: Uzbekistan Airways A320 Business Class Tashkent to Dushanbe
Great service and a decent meal characterized a short 189-mile flight from the capital of Uzbekistan to the capital of Tajikistan on Uzbekistan Airways. After leaving the lounge and being “chauffeured” by bus to the aircraft, we boarded via...
A 20-Minute Flight from Amman to Tel Aviv on Royal Jordanian
I recently flew from Amman to Tel Aviv on Royal Jordanian, a 69-mile flight. Is business class worthwhile on such a short hop? The uniqueness of such a flight did not go unnoticed: Jordan is one of two Arab...
Review: Uzbekistan Airways Business Lounge Tashkent (TAS)
While not Lufthansa’s First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, the CIP Hall at Tashkent Airport offers an impressive lounge service for premium class passengers and those willing to pay for it. This service is free for business class passengers on...
Five Things You Cannot Miss in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Tashkent is a fascinating city in the heart of Asia. It was the fourth most populous city in the Soviet Union and a hub of research and learning. But the ancient Silk Road city has an oddly modern look....
Tashkent Metro: A Soviet Relic
One of my favorite activities when visiting a large city in the former Soviet Union is checking out the Metro system. The well-preserved Metro system in Tashkent, Uzbekistan did not disappoint. I have visited Soviet Metro systems around the...
Review: Hyatt Regency Tashkent (Suite)
Tashkent has a (relatively) new Hyatt Regency that opened in 2016, now the city’s finest hotel. I was impressed by the property overall and appreciated the great value. The paid rate was $235, but since the hotel is a...
Review: Uzbekistan Airways 787 Business Class New York to Tashkent
Uzbekistan Airways began flying non-stop (once per week) on its new 787-8 Dreamliner between New York JFK and Tashkent earlier this summer. What is the seat, food and service like onboard in business class? Here’s my spoiler: I flew...
Introduction: A Trip to -Stans with One Mile at a Time
Few things excite me more than visiting a new country and this trip would introduce me to two new exotic nations: Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. For years, I’ve toyed with booking a trip on Uzbekistan Airways, which until this summer...
Review: JetBlue A321 Mint New York To Los Angeles
The more I reflect on this flight, the more I realize how much I take mediocre service for granted on U.S. airlines. Put simply, this late-night flight in JetBlue Mint was one of the best domestic flights I have...
Incredible Mexican Food in Tashkent
Let me tell you about the wonderful Mexican restaurant Ben and I enjoyed in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. As the sole Mexican restaurant in the city, I was pleased to see that Mexico City Restaurant had over 10,040 likes on Facebook....
