Pull up a chair, for you’re about to hear a tale of woe from 38,000 feet between Colombo and Jeddah on Saudia!
As Lucky pointed out, this trip has truly shattered expectations. I expected a nice flight on China Eastern and instead it was terrible. I expected surly service on Royal Air Maroc but instead it was warm and friendly. And I expected today’s Saudia flight to be uneventfully boring, for I had flown them on four previous occasions with no drama.
But I could not have been more wrong in my estimation.
The whole flight experience oddly began with male FAs carefully checking the contents of each passengers carry-ons bags then preforming an intrusive pat down. When I asked why, I was told simply, “Colombo”. Fine, things were looking up from there.
Our 777-200 got swapped for a 777-300 with lie-flat seats in business class and the menu onboard looked very promising, with a multi-course meal that sounded quite appetizing. The Ferragamo amenity kit was also of top quality and included many useful items. There was even reasonably-priced onboard WiFi.
But wow, things sure went downhill fast. Here’s how things unfolded–
- Female FA working our aisle was hostile (though perhaps we can cut her some slack…)
- Five Saudi male FAs took seats in business class upon the conclusion of boarding and with the exception of one, remained in the seats for most of the flight
- Male FAs spoke loudly and played music from their mobile phones
- Male FAs served before other passengers
- No choice on appetizer — male FAs took all the mezze
- Request for fish main course denied — male FAs ordered fish
- Male FAs ate garlic bread — we were not offered any
- No beverage service offered with dinner — still water served on tray
- Call button routinely ignored by FAs
- Shaken awake by FA to put seat in upright position 35 minutes prior to landing
- Cigarette smoke smelled toward end of flight — not sure if it was passenger in lavatory or flight deck crew
The landing was textbook perfect, an ironic end to the flight.
What a horrible service failure! We had three female FAs and five male FAs in a 30-seat business class cabin and the males did not lift a hand. Female FAs were from Tunisia, India, and Philippines and although they were not all that friendly, I felt so bad that they had to deal with a group of lazy, self-entitled men who bring great shame to their airline and country.
Stay tuned for the full review — it will be damning. Check out Lucky’s take on today’s flight here.
Like I posted over on Lucky’s blog, thanks for flying Saudia so that none of us will have to.
Aside from Emirates and Etihad (and possibly Qatar), I’ll steer clear of any Middle East carrier, thank you very much. Hey, at least Saudia planes have pairs of crossed swords on their insignia.
So, there you have it, a first hand view of Saudi culture at work, or not. Consider the very real stories out of that desert nation in which foreign laborers are mistreated, with real and borderline servitude. And these practices are being imported into Europe and the U.S., and not just from Saudi, but India, Pakistan where a caste system operates. I for one wouldn’t go out of my way to fly Saudia, Egypt Air, Pakistan I.A., Sri Lankan, Air India, Air Algerie, Gulf Air, Kuwaiti or Royal Jordanian. Still hoping to try Emirates, Etihad, Oman, maybe Royal A. Maroc. Flew Qatar F and J; very beautiful A380 F cabin, with attentive but ‘forced’ service decorum; food wasn’t extraordinary. Looking forward to your full report. Thank you for your suffering so I don’t have to.
Just that we don’t have any option we have to fly thru them… They should stop serving food completely… Better not to serve bad serve and waste it… Coz if we eat we may get sick…
Correction, there is no caste system in Pakistan. It is part of the Hindu religion in India.
The caste system was part of the culture in India. While there are still great disparities in wealth, the caste system is now illegal. That’s like saying that slavery is part of the US culture when it is in fact illegal, even though the country still deals with its effects.
I don’t work for Saudia but it’s very possible that what you saw was a deadheading (positioning on duty) crew. They look like pilots to me and crew are routinely given different food to passengers for safety reasons. So therefore it is not a foregone conclusion that they ‘took’ any of the passenger choices at all.
I guarantee you, even on the crappiest airline, that crew would not sit in a premium cabin unless they were authorised to do so.
Also be aware that you can be prosecuted for publishing their photos without permission, so be careful if you must transit KSA in future.
Former flight crew
@FlightCrew: Trust me, I’ve flown millions of miles and these were active duty crew members taking advantage of culturally-accepted but patently disgusting gender discrimination and apartheid between Saudi and non-Saudi citizens that reaches even Saudia.
They at the passenger food, they ate the passenger bread, and as you’ll read in the trip report, the “purser” admitted as much when questioned…he “authorised” them to sit there.
I’ll take my chances publishing the picture, but thank you.
“Ferragamo” with 2 “R”
I’m dying to read the full review. Where is it?
C.Y – coming soon!
FABIO – thanks!
still coming?
Yes, still coming. My personal life has gotten in the way, unfortunately.
i forgot about your new baby and congrats. i know how much of a handful they are so take your time 🙂