At the Airport

Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport

We had our flight checked through from Singapore Changi Airport, and we proceeded directly to the security check for transfers. The security clearance for transfers took less than 5 minutes, and we found ourselves at Jeddah International Airport airside. We headed directly to the AlFrusan Lounge, where we spent the 2½ hour transit time.

AlFursan Lounge

Located on the second floor of Jeddah International Airport, the AlFursan Lounge at Jeddah International Airport is Saudia’s largest lounge and the largest lounge in the SkyTeam alliance spanning over 3,500㎡. The green coloured lighting at the lounge entrance immediately gave an association with the airline’s identity. There is a small recreation room after the entrance where passengers can spend their time playing pool or games on the PS5. The main lounge is situated past a bridge after the recreation room. Passing through the main doors to the lounge, we were welcomed by a white grand piano sitting in the middle of the foyer, surrounded by lounge chairs arranged in a circular pattern. Other than the lounge seating, we also found some computer workstations on the outer circle after the lounge chairs. At the back, near the walls, is where the airlines set up a dessert and a chocolate bar, coupled with a self-serve Arabic coffee station. A small, unmanned duty-free shop sits next to the main entrance to the lounge.

Most of the actions are situated further into the lounge, past a pod of five circular booths at the side of the walkway. These circular pods, while great for larger groups, were often seen occupied by solo or dual travellers. At the back of the circular pods is a row of six slumber rooms for passengers to rest during long transits. Available on a first-come, first-served basis, I do find these rooms lack privacy due to the doorless design. Pass the circular pods of booths is a straight corridor that leads to the back of the lounge. The main lounging area in the AlFursan Lounge is situated on the right side of this corridor, where it is mostly furnished with lounge chairs arranged in groups of four with single armchairs placed at a corner. The left side of this corridor is the main dining area, furnished with numerous dining tables, mainly for four passengers. This is also where the main buffet line is found. AlFursan Lounge serves a good amount of warm food, mainly lamb, beef and chicken, and a good selection of cold foods like salads and fruits in an elongated semi oval counter. The drinks and bread stations are also found here. Interestingly, there is a pizza station at the buffet area, but it was not open this morning when we visited.

A kids’ playroom and more seating took up the space at the back of the lounge. Seats here are mainly arranged in two, with a coffee table in between and a handful of circular booths to cater for larger groups. At the centre of the back of the lounge is another circular structure that houses dining table-style seating for groups of four. Here is where another salad bar cum sandwich station is found. Unfortunately, it was not manned at the time of our visit. We found an interesting coffee bar diagonally across from the salad bar at the back of the lounge. For a coffee bar, I thought the menu was rather extensive. AlFursan Lounge has shower facilities. There are two shower rooms, one inside each of the male and female toilets. Use of the shower facilities is available on a first-come, first-served basis, where we would queue inside the toilet. However, during our visit, only one shower room was functional in the male toilet. The shower room is a little compact with little space for us to stow our carry-ons. While the shower room looks posh and elegant at first glance, using it revealed poor maintenance of these rooms. The walk-in shower cubicle is only fitted with an overhead rain shower head with weak water pressure. There is this ugly slab on the walls of the shower cubicle that seems to suggest the airlines might have ripped the mounted shower amenities off. What is annoying is that no shower gel was available; we were only given a dental kit, shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. Nonetheless, I welcomed the shower room for us to freshen up after our previous flight in preparation for our next flight.

Geneva International Airport

Check-in

Saudia operates eight check-in counters out of Geneva Airport Terminal 1 from counters 042 to 049, located in the centre of the terminal. The airlines have two queues for passengers travelling today, one for Economy Class passengers and the other dedicated to Business Class passengers and the AlFursan Silver and Gold passengers. I welcomed the presence of ground staff at the Business Class line, ensuring only eligible passengers get access to them. As there was no one queuing at the Business Class queue at the time of our arrival, we could check-in immediately. We were greeted by very friendly ground staff who promptly processed our check-in. As we were transiting through Jeddah, the staff ensured that our documents were in order and promptly tagged our luggage for Singapore. She even gave us directions on where to go for security and immigration clearance, on top of providing information on the flight departure gate and time. She also gave us directions to the lounge and reminded us to use the priority security lane.

Marhaba Lounge

Saudia uses the Marhaba Lounge at Geneva Airport, located on the mezzanine floor of the East wing, airside, near Gate C53. This is the newer wing of the airport, which sees little human traffic and requires a little stroll from immigration. The lift to the mezzanine floor is located near Gate C51. The Marhaba Lounge at Geneva Airport is small and basic; in fact, it is so small that there are no toilet facilities inside the lounge, let alone any shower facilities. The Marhaba Lounge has a rectangular layout, with the usable areas located to the left of the main throughfare that runs from one end to the other.

The seating areas in the lounge are mainly located at the first and the last sections of the lounge, mainly decked with lounge chairs and low tables, making eating from these tables difficult. The bright red furniture at the front of the lounge brings some vibrancy to the lounge, while the furniture at the part of the lounge furthest from the reception is mainly decked in green. There are also some tall tables placed by the window along the main walkway inside the lounge, catering for passengers who want to get some work done. At the back of the lounge are three lounge chasers with blackout curtains, which were meant for passengers to catch a snooze. However, due to the crowd at the lounge this morning, these lounge chasers were taken up as seating by passengers (as all the seats were taken).

The centre part of the lounge is a dedicated dining area, furnished with dining tables that seat two passengers and one larger table that holds up to six passengers on both sides of the dining area. As these tables were moveable, we saw a few tables being combined by larger group passengers. In the centre of the two dining areas, we found the main buffet line. I find the food offering very underwhelming. There were only four choices from the hot food section, two of which were carbs. For the cold cut section, there are the ham and some simple greens as salads. Food was depleted fast as the lounge could not seem to cope with the size of the crowd. We were waiting for the staff to either top up the food or replenish the drinks for most of our time in the lounge. Most of the time, the staff were engaged in topping up food and cups that they did not have time to clean up after passengers had left. The Marhaba Lounge is a contracted lounge and serves not only Business Class passengers flying Saudia and Qatar amongst the list of airlines, but it is also open to passengers with Priority Pass, Lounge Key and DragonPass. For a small lounge that caters to such a large variety of passengers from so many airlines and lounge programmes, it’s no wonder the Marhaba Lounge feels so crowded. We had a hard time looking for seats in the lounge during our visit.

The Aircraft

Saudia operates three configurations of the A330-343 aircraft, two of which feature recliner seats in their Business Class cabin (one version offers more pitch in Business Class and fewer Economy Class seats), while the third version features a flatbed seat in Business Class. We flew on the version with the flatbed Business Class product.

The Cabin

The Business Class cabin on Saudia’s A330-343 feels a little cramped, with all 30 seats packed into a single cabin. However, the cabin’s colour scheme and the white lighting used during boarding gave it a clean look. The dual-tone sand-coloured seats, paying homage to the desert landscape of Saudi Arabia, complemented the cream coloured seat shells very well. The drape of black colour used in the IFE screen and the side of the seat gave the cabin a touch of elegance amidst a mildly coloured cabin. The wooden grain centre consoles between the seats, and the earthy brown carpet, exude a premium vibe.

There is only one lavatory serving all 30 Business Class passengers, located in front of the plane. The wooden grain used for the flooring and the dark brown used for the cabinet panels gave the lavatory a premium look. Saudia stocks its Business Class lavatories with additional in-house amenities, such as Eau de Parfum, hand lotion, and facial mist, in addition to the usual hand wash. The lavatory felt a little small, and the use of mirrors did not elevate the sense of claustrophobia in the lavatory.

The Seat

Saudia A330-343 Business Class seats are arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration, each comes with a seat pitch of 60″ and a width of 19″. One of the armrests can be lowered to increase the seat width slightly in bed mode. The thick cushioning and soft leather on the Saudia A300-343 Business Class seats are comfortable to sit on, even in upright mode. The regular seat belts fitted on these seats further add to the comfort, instead of the restrictive three-point seat belt. The comfort of these Business Class seats, when paired with a thick quilt instead of a filmsy piece of cloth, is very well translated to a comfortable bed when reclined 180° into a flatbed. We were able to catch a good 3 hour sleep in bed mode out of the 6 hour flight time. Despite not having a door like most airlines, I still find a good amount of privacy in bed mode, thanks to the high-shell-back cocoon design of the seats. However, the narrow footwell in these Business Class seats might be restrictive for passengers when the seat is in bed mode, especially for those with bigger feet. Having said that, the first-row seats have a much larger footwell, which we found ideal for sleeping. In addition to the flatbed and upright modes, the seat also offers a more relaxing lounge mode, a mode between the upright and bed modes where the seat back and calf rests are adjusted to a certain fixed angle with the preset lounge mode button. We found additional buttons that allowed us to customise the seat back recline angle, the calf rest angle, and the amount of lumbar support to our preferred angles that improved the comfort of the seat further. On top of the main seat control buttons on the inside armrest, we welcomed the two additional seat control buttons conveniently fitted into the seat shell, visible only when the seat is in flatbed mode, allowing passengers to convert the seat into lounge and upright mode when lying in bed mode.

I thought the storage was the biggest weakness in the Saudia A330-343 Business Class seats (other than the narrow footwell on the non-bulkhead seats). The only space we can truly store anything is the small cubby hole in the inside armrest of the centre console. This space is so small that I can only stow my mobile phone, a couple of charging cables and my passport. While we could technically use the seat pocket situated next to the headrest, the shallow, slim design does not seem to allow me to stow anything. On top of that, the position of these seat pockets makes it difficult to access. We could also use the inner armrest to stow our stuff, but due to its open design, usage of this part for storage is only possible when the aircraft reaches cruising altitude. The storage situation under the footwell is equally bad. Due to the footwell’s small design, the space beneath is so small that I can hardly place my shoes under the footwell, let alone a backpack.

There are technically two tables in each Business Class seat on Saudia A330-343 aircraft. The main seat table is stored in the centre console between the two seats. This large table can be difficult and heavy to remove from its storage. However, once the main table is deployed, the sizeable, sturdy, wood-grain-finished seat table offers ample space for one to dig into the airline’s delicious meals or work on a laptop. I like how Saudia uses the space between the centre console as a cocktail cum side table. While most airlines use only the tip of this console as a cocktail table, Saudia’s design allowed us to utilise the smaller table as a side table fully. When it comes to powering up our lifestyle devices, I thought it was generous of Saudia to fit two USB-A charging outlets on the side of the seats on the black side extension (the headphone jack and IFE controller are also found on this black extension), on top of the international power outlets between the two seats. In addition to the overhead reading light, each Business Class seat is also fitted with a small reading light next to the headrest of the seat. Saudia is one of the few airlines that still fit their cabins with air nozzles, which give passengers some form of control over the temperature at their seats.

Inflight Entertainment

Saudia fitted a 17″ touchscreen personal TV in every Business Class seat onboard their A330-343. These large TV screens deliver sharp picture quality, making watching the airline’s entertainment very pleasant. For those of us who still prefer to use the IFE controller to select our entertainment, Saudia’s IFE controller resembles a mobile phone, with minimal buttons and most selections made on the device’s touchscreen. Each Business Class passenger is provided with a noise-cancelling headphone by Saudia. Despite the rectangular ear-muff design, I still find these headphones very comfortable to wear for a prolonged period. BEYOND, Saudia’s in-flight entertainment system, is very well stocked with movies and shows, ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to regional movies and shows. The movies are well categorised in an easy-to-navigate menu, where I had no trouble finding the show I wanted to watch. Saudia also offers its Business Class passengers 10MB of complimentary Wi-Fi, which is only good for browsing and uploading to social media. Still, it was a tad slow for streaming videos. However, connecting to the in-flight Wi-Fi requires us to enter a long string of ticket numbers, and it would not work again after one’s phone went into sleep mode.

Meal

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Despite being a 6-hour flight, Saudia provided us with two meals, consisting the main breakfast and the light dining meal. For breakfast, the Saudia Sufrah option comprises a Banana and Date Pudding with accompanying side dishes and traditional Arabic bread. For starters, in the à la carte menu, we can choose from Smoked Salmon, Chia Seeds Pudding or Fresh Fruit. The mains were choices between Spiced Salmon Frittata, Scrambled or Pan Fried Eggs, and Hong Kong Toast. And for Light Dining, it was a choice of Arabic Mezze, Bocconcini Salad and Wagyu Beef Burger. I opted for the Saudia Sufrah for breakfast. I had no idea what the pudding was made from, which tasted a little sticky. But the flavours from the caramelised banana and the toasted nuts from the Banana and Date Pudding were delicious. The accompanying manakeesh topped with thyme sauce was refreshing. I went for the Wagyu beef burger from the light dining. The beef was juicy, and the caramelised onion was tasty. The chunky chips were fried to perfection and not soggy.

GVA-JED

For this leg of the flight, the meal arrangement was a little different from the early morning flights. Instead of a main breakfast and light dining option, we were served a full three-course meal. Like with the previous flight, we were offered a choice between the Saudia Sufrah and à la carte menu. The Saudia Suffrah offered Chicken Kabsa, a baked chicken folded into rice. And the à la carte choices were between Roast Beef Carpaccio, Smoked Trout, and Wild Mushroom Soup for starters. For mains, we had a choice between Pan-seared Halibut, Braised Beef Short Ribs, and Truffle Cheese Ravioli. The dessert menu is a choice of Toffee Pudding, Rhubarb Tarte, Burnt Cheesecake, Fresh Fruit and Ice-cream. I opted for Wild Mushroom Soup for starters and Pan-seared Halibut for mains from the à la carte menu. The cabin crew first served the soup with a side of bread, which was flavourful and well-seasoned. After clearing my plate, the cabin crew served my Halibut main course. The fish was delicious and tender, and the lobster bisque sauce complemented the halibut well. My friend had the Saudia Sufrah, which I had a taste, and it was flavourful and delicious. The chicken was tender and very well-spiced. For desserts, I opted for the Fresh Fruit and Vanilla ice cream.

Service

Like our experience on their B787 flights, Saudia only uses one door for all passengers during boarding, which marred the boarding experience due to the long wait in line at the door. Service was good on board both flights in and out of Geneva. Service started from the mandatory welcome at the door during boarding, where we were welcomed onboard and guided to our seats. Once we were at our seats, the cabin crew working on our aisle would approach each passenger at a different time to serve the welcome drink, followed by a serving of Arabic coffee. Saudia offered their recently refreshed amenity kit from ELIE SAAB, which contains a selection of skincare products such as face mist, hand and body lotion, as well as Eau de Toilette on top of the usual dental kits, eye masks and socks. There are different kits for male and female passengers, but the difference stops at the pouches. The contents for both gender kits are the same.

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For this leg of our flight, I felt the service was a tad better than my previous flight on their B787 from Singapore to Jeddah. The cabin crew came across as warmer and kept her smile throughout the flight, despite seeing how busy she was. After serving the welcoming drink, the Filipino cabin crew later would return to take our orders for meals and the time we wanted to have them. She would subsequently reappear after her meal order rounds with all the passengers on her aisle, with the distribution of amenity kits to all passengers. Throughout the flight, the cabin crew was kept busy serving passengers with differing dining times, and barely had any time to rest. Despite the busyness, the cabin crew was able to pay attention to detail and still care for all the passengers under her charge. The Indonesian onboard chef was also very friendly. He took the time to introduce the Arabic coffee and how it was supposed to be consumed with the date. He also popped by to check with us if we liked the meal and volunteered to whip up additional food for us.

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The service on this leg was good but not umimpressive. We were welcomed by the in-flight manager at the door, and that was the only time we saw the in-flight manager in action, apart from the time he was serving the signature Arabian coffee. The Indonesian cabin crew, who were responsible for our aisle, were much friendlier. However, she was also seen walking up and down the aisle nonstop, serving food to passengers at different meal times or busy clearing the table. She was too busy to provide any unimpressive service. Despite working nonstop, she was still observant and checked with me if she could clear my plates both times when she saw they were empty.

Afterthought

Despite being an older aircraft, I find the Business Class seat onboard Saudia A330-343 very comfortable. The seat was capable of reclining inflatbedatbed, which was great for us to catch up on some snooze time after a previous red-eye flight. The only issue I had with this seat is the narrow footwell and the lack of storage space. The food served onboard was delicious and flavourful for both legs of the flight. I empathised with the cabin crew on how busy they were. Throughout the flight, they were seen walking up and down the aisle, serving passengers and clearing their tables due to the airline’s dine anytime policy. They were so busy that I hardly saw them taking any breaks or having the time to establish rapport with their passengers. Despite all these, they were professional and observant. I had a great flight with Saudia.

At the Airport

Singapore Changi Airport

Check-in

Saudia departs from Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3, with its check-in counters in row 10 on the right side of the terminal building. The nearest door to Saudia’s check-in counter is door 7. Saudia operates six check-in counters with two dedicated to Business Class and Sky Priority members, which open 3 hours before flight departure. The airlines also have an early check-in counter that opens 4 hours before the flight. Since Saudia only offers Business and Economy Class on flights departing from Singapore, the airline sets up two queues for each class. As we were at the counter shortly after they opened, there was only one group in front of us at the Business Class line. The ground crew checking us into our flight was very friendly and greeted us with the warmest smile anyone could ask for. She meritoriously processed our check-in with great efficiency, while lightening the mood with a jovial conversation. Before long, we were given boarding passes for both of our legs of the flight. The ground staff also gave us crucial information such as the location of the lounge, the location of our boarding gate and the most efficient way of getting to our gate. She also reminded us of the boarding time.

SATS Premier Lounge

Saudia does not operate its own lounges, nor are there any SkyTeam Lounges in Singapore. Thus, we were invited to use the third-party SATS Premier Lounge before our flight, located about a 3-minute walk from the immigration counters. The SATS Premier Lounge is an intimate lounge with well-segregated dining and lounging areas. As there was a crowd at the lounge this evening, the friendly reception staff invited us to use the Executive Lounge section of the lounge, which seemed to have controlled access. The Executive Lounge section, located next to the reception, is mainly furnished with lounging chairs arranged in a six and four-pax configuration, which we thought was ideal for large groups like ours. However, dining on these loungers was a little challenging as we had to either hold the plate up or bend over the side table for dining. Fortunately, there are bar-type tables fitted onto the walls of this area that allow us to use for dining and also double up as a work desk. The Executive Lounge section is stocked with a small beverage station with coffee, tea and fizzy drinks. In the main area of the SATS Premier Lounge, there is a small dining area behind the wall separating the reception from the main lounge. This area is furnished with a handful of dining tables for two. Larger groups can opt for the tall bar tables that face the airside concourse. The buffet line is next to the dining area and features a good spread of local and western delights. There is even a noodle station where passengers can poach their own laksa in pre-portioned bowls next to it. The bread station and beverages are found at the end of the lounge.

In the same area as the buffet are the toilets and shower rooms. There are two shower rooms available on a first-come, first-served basis. These shower rooms are rather basic, with only shower facilities, and lack places to put our carry-ons. Given the size of the lounge, I thought having the shower facility was great, especially for transiting passengers who wanted to freshen up between their flights. The lounging area occupies most of the lounge floor, featuring armchairs arranged in caccoons for four and high-back solo seats for those who want more privacy for work or rest. The lounge is also furnished with solo armchairs in a somewhat more enclosed area, which is great for solo passengers who did not manage to snag the high-back work pods. Like the caccoons for four, each seat is fitted with an accompanying side table for passengers to place their drinks on. The lounging area felt open and airy, thanks to the high ceiling that it shares with the terminal building. The lounge area gives passengers a partial view of the tarmac. The lounge also features two massage chairs in a quieter corner.

Jeddah King Abdulaziz International

AlFursan Lounge

As we had a connecting flight for our onward journey, we did not have the check-in experience at Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport. The transit between flights at Jeddah Airport was straightforward. We just had to follow the signs to the transit security screening and show our boarding pass to the staff, and we were in the departing airside within minutes. We spent our 3½ hours transit time in Saudia’s AlFursan Lounge, located one floor above the terminal’s transit hall. The lounge reception feels polished and inviting, decked in sand-coloured marble, with the airline’s signature green colour lighting illuminating the reception counter and the barriers to the lounge. A couple of rooms sit behind the reception. A recreation room on the right, furnished with a pool table, a carom table, and a PS5 for guests to enjoy, while the luggage room took up the real estate in the room on the left.

The main lounge sits right across a small bridge. My first impression of the AlFursan Lounge was that it felt elegant, spacious, and luxurious, with its Atrium Hall featuring white marble and gold-plated pillars. The first thing that caught my eye was the white grand piano sitting in the centre of a circular space, and the olive tree at the side of the Atrium Hall. Saudia furnishes the space around the grand piano with single-seat armchairs that are not only comfortable but also provide seating for passengers to enjoy the performance (if one is ever scheduled). Most of the spaces in the AlFursan Lounge are circular, which creates a comfortable atmosphere. Beyond the grand piano is a small beverage station and a chocolate and dessert bar. A meeting room is also found in this space, next to the chocolate and dessert bar. I found it interesting to find a small duty-free shop inside the AlFursan Lounge, near its entrance. There is also a small cinema seating up to 6 passengers located beside the duty-free shop in the lounge.

The toilets are situated next to the cinema in the Atrium Hall area of AlFursan Lounge. There are two shower rooms (at least for the male toilet) located inside the toilet. As there are no counters to book these shower facilities, their use will be on a first-come, first-served basis by asking the attendant in the toilet. The bathroom in the AlFursan Lounge, having a wet walk-in shower and a dry sink area, looked rather dilapidated. Despite being their flagship lounge and decked in luxurious black marble tiles, the condition of the walk-in shower had seen better days. The panel on the wall suggested a hand-held shower head, but only the rain shower head was installed. To make things worse, there is a large, ugly patch on the wall of the shower that seems to suggest that the mountings had been removed. The attendant passed us a set of shower amenities, including towels, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion. But I was informed that they ran out of shower gel.

As we walked further into the lounge, we came across four large circular booths, ideal for larger groups. There is even a small refreshment station in this space, providing passengers with great convenience. Behind these circular booth seats are five Slumber Rooms. These semi-open sleeping rooms feature a daybed (no bedding), a side table, a coat hanger, and a floor lamp, making them ideal for passengers who want to catch a snooze. However, I find the lack of privacy a downside (unless one is lucky to snag the corner room). Past the circular booths, the lounge layout shifted from circular to rectangular, with distinct functions: the lounging area on the right and the dining area to the left. The lounging area, fitted with softer lighting to create a more relaxed atmosphere, is furnished with lots of lounging armchairs arranged in pairs and groups of four. The dining area on the left features a pizza station where a staff member bakes pizza upon request, and the main buffet line is further into the lounge. I found the food selection at the AlFursan Lounge quite substantial. There are Middle Eastern and a small selection of Western options made available in the buffet line. Next to the buffet line are also many dining tables, mainly seating two to four passengers. Having the dining tables here made it convenient for passengers to grab food from the buffet line.

Past the main dining area, we found more circular booths and some individual armchairs. This is the quietest part of the lounge. In addition to more lounge seating, this part of the lounge features a salad bar and a small dining area. There is a beverage bar counter, serving non-alcoholic drinks, also located next to the salad bar. Overall, I thought the AlFursan Lounge was a great place to spend time while waiting for our next flight. The sheer size of the lounge allowed passengers to spread out, making it feel less crowded.

The Aircraft

Saudia operates two versions of the B787, the -9 and -10 series, to and from Singapore. We took the B787-10, decked in the new white with green stripes livery for the Singapore-Jeddah leg and the B787-9 in the old cream coloured livery on the Jeddah-Singapore leg. Both -9 and -10 versions have the same number of Business Class seats, but more Economy Class seats on the -10 version.

The Cabin

Saudia houses all its 24 Business Class passengers in a single cabin onboard both its B787 series aircraft. Saudia B787 Business Class cabin looks clean and classy. The cream-coloured high-back seats bring out the black used in the framing of the IFE screen, while the dual-tone sand colour used in the inviting leather seat pays homage to the desert landscape in the kingdom, and the wood-grained finish on the seat’s tables exudes a sense of luxury. The earth colour used in the carpet and the interior of the seat back throughout the cabin makes one feel relaxed. White walls and the bright lighting during boarding accentuate the cabin’s clean look. The mood lighting changes to softer colours that enhance the relaxing vibe during mid-flight.

There are three lavatories, one in the front of the aircraft and two at the back between the Business Class and Economy Class cabins, serving all 24 Business Class passengers on Saudia’s B787 series aircraft. The dark brown used in the flooring and the cabinetry in the lavatory gave it a distinct, posh look. While the lavatory was not large, the mirrors on its walls made it feel larger. The lavatory was stocked with Saudia’s in-house Eau de Parfum, hand lotion, and facial mist to differentiate the premium-class lavatory from the Economy Class.

The Seat

Business Class seats onboard Saudia B787 series aircraft are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. The dual-tone sand-coloured leather seat has a generous seat pitch of 78” and measures 21” wide. The aisle side armrest can be lowered to give the seat a more generous width. Like most Business Class seats, these onboard Saudia B787 seats come in three standard configurations—Take-off/landing, lounge, and bed modes —which can be activated using the touchscreen seat control panel. The seat felt comfortable even in its most uncomfortable upright position for take-off/landing, thanks to the thick padding and the soft leather used in these seats. In bed mode, the seat can recline to 180°, turning it into a comfortable flatbed on which we had a great sleep during the flight. Despite not having any doors in these seats, I still find a good amount of privacy in bed mode thanks to the high back of the seat. The lounge mode sits between the upright and flatbed modes, which are angled to provide passenger comfort. I like how the angles in these seats can be further adjusted, giving passengers the freedom to customise the seat angle to their preferences.

I thought the storage in the Business Class seats onboard Saudia B787 series aircraft was very generous. Despite the lack of a small cabinet on the side tables, there are still plenty of storage options in these seats. Right in the adjustable armrest on the aisle side of the seat lies a small compartment, large enough for the airlines to stow the provided headphones or bottled water. The main storage is found under the side table between the two seats (for those sitting in the middle couple seats) or at the window. This is where a slight difference between the -9 and -10 series aircraft. There is only one large compartment beneath the side table on the -10 series Business Class seat, whereas there are two smaller compartments underneath the side tables on the -9 series Business Class seats. On top of that, the IFE controller and the charging outlets are exposed on the -10 seats, whereas these are hidden in the larger compartment on the -9 series. Personally, I prefer the two smaller compartments in the -9 series Business Class seats as I thought they provided slightly more storage space, in addition to making the seat look cleaner with the IFE controllers and the charging solution tucked away when not in use. The -9 series also made organising the storage easier, where I could place my smaller items like passports and charging cables when not in use in the smaller compartment. There is another storage area in the small cubby near the calf area inside the seat. I was also able to use the space under the footwell to place my carry-on.

Saudia B787 series aircraft Business Class is fitted with a large wooden table. It is even useful when stored under the IFE screen, with ⅔ of the bi-fold table sticking out, giving us a good amount of space to place our drinks. The table, when fully deployed, is rather sizeable and sturdy, which is perfect for meals or for doing some work. When it comes to illumination in the seat, aside from the overhead reading lights, airlines installed a smaller reading light. I like how the aircraft is fitted with air nozzles, giving us some freedom in adjusting the temperature in our seats.

Inflight Entertainment

Each Business Class seat onboard Saudia B787 series aircraft is fitted with a large 18″ HD personal TV. The picture quality is crisp and sharp, making watching shows on this TV pleasant. The IFE controllers Saudia uses resemble a smartphone, with most entertainment options controlled via touchscreen menus on the controller. Given its design, I thought the IFE controller was easy to use. BEYOND is Saudia’s in-flight entertainment system, loaded with tons of entertainment options, from movies to TV shows to music. I like how Saudia organises entertainment options in BEYOND by region, making it very easy to find the movie or show I want to watch. Saudia provides noise-cancelling headphones to all its Business Class passengers. Despite the ear cups’ rectangular design, I still find these headphones comfortable to wear for a prolonged period, and they do a good job of blocking ambient noise. Despite offering complimentary Wi-Fi to Business Class passengers, I was not able to connect to the Wi-Fi on both legs of the flight on board Saudia B787 series aircraft.

Meal

Saudia did not have a fixed meal time for its Business Class passengers, but offers a dine-on-demand concept. Saudia served two meals for our 9-hour flight to and from Jeddah: a light meal service and a breakfast service. As both legs of our flight started at night, the cabin crew on both legs of our flight checked when we wanted to have the light meal. Saudia served warm nuts after the aircraft reached cruising altitude as a pre-meal service.

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For the light meal on this leg of the flight, the three options that we had on the menu were Arabic Mezze, Chicken Satay and Lamb Kofta. I chose the chicken satay, which I found to be delicious. The chicken was tender, and the peanut satay sauce was flavourful. For breakfast, we could choose from the Saudia Sufrah set or from the à la carte menu. The à la carte menu breakfast came in two courses, and we were given three choices for both courses. For starters, we can choose between Greek Yoghurt, Fresh Fruit and Seared Halloumi; while the mains were a choice between Lamb Fettah, Organic eggs made onboard and Vanilla Pancakes. I opted for fresh fruit for starters and Lamb Fettah for mains. The fruits served were sweet and juicy, and the lamb was flavourful and well-spiced. There is a side dish of two pastry puffs that were stuffed with spinach. I am not a fan of these puffs due to personal preference.

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For our inbound flight, the three choices for light meal were Arabic Mezze, Wedge Salad and Mixed Grill. I had the Mixed Grill that comes with Beef Kofta, Lamb Cutlet and Chicken Shish Tawook. The beef and lamb were cooked to perfection; both were tender and juicy. The chicken on the plate was also tender and very well-spiced. However, the minty tahini sauce was not to my liking. For breakfast, we could also choose from the two menus: Saudi Sufrah or à la carte. Originally, I wanted to opt for the Saudi Sufrah, but I was told they had run out of that option despite being in the first three rows. I had to choose something from the à la carte menu. In this à la carte menu, we were also given three choices each for starters and mains. For starters, we were given the option of Cheese and Cold Cut Platter, Strawberry Muesli, or Fresh Fruit. I went for the Fresh Fruit, which was sweet and fresh. The options for mains were Seafood Congee, Organic eggs prepared onboard and Belgian Waffles. I opted for Belgian Waffles, which were delicious and flavourful. The burnt banana added the punch, and the caramel was tasty. But overall, as a dish, I find it too sweet.

Service

The boarding situation is chaotic. Rather than boarding by classes, Saudia boards everyone at the same time through one door, which impacts the boarding experience for Business Class passengers. Like most airlines, the cabin crew welcomed us onboard at the door and directed us to the correct aisle for our seats.

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The service onboard this leg was good, with a very attentive cabin crew. Despite not having smiles or striking conversation, she was observed to be attentive, and I felt very well taken care of by her. Although the service on board seemed to be taken from a page of the airline’s SOP and executed by a very well-oiled crew, I could feel the attentiveness of the cabin crew working on my aisle. We were promptly served a welcome drink and a hot towel after settling into our seats. I noticed that the cabin crew onboard Saudia did not wait for everyone to settle into their seat and started the welcome drink service. Instead, whenever a passenger was observed being settled into their seat, the cabin crew would approach us with our welcome drinks, which explains why they were seen walking up and down the aisle so frequently. I thought the Arabic coffee presentation was rather unique to Saudia. The onboard chef would go around the cabin asking if we wanted some Arabic coffee and gave us some dates at the same time. Orders for meal options and our preferred meal time were taken during taxiing. Throughout the flight, the cabin crew was kept busy with the different meal times. And when she walked by and saw that I was still awake, she offered to serve my light meal. After clearing my table, the same cabin crew came over to my seat with a tray of snacks, and at the same time, checked if I wanted any drinks to go along. During breakfast time, the cabin crew, seeing that I was awake, quickly heated up my breakfast order and served it after seeing I was settled down. The attentive cabin crew quickly cleared my table.

For this leg, we were presented with a retro white Saudia-branded amenity kit shortly after boarding. The retro-amenity kit was a departure from the ELIE SAAB ones that the airlines recently refreshed. I do find this amenity kit to be a little cheap-looking, but it was filled with contents. Inside the amenity kit, I found the Norwegian-branded Sprekenhus products such as lip balm, facial mist and hand cream, alongside eyemasks, dental kits and Saudia-branded socks. Unlike the recently refreshed ELIE SAAB amenity kits, this version of the kits is unisex.

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The service onboard this leg is as good as our outbound leg. However, I find the cabin crew of Southeast Asian origins were warmer than their Arabic counterparts. The cabin crew working on our aisle was friendly and chatty, and no request seemed too troublesome for her. The Arabic crew who were working on the centre seats were also spotted taking care of their passengers well. They would stop by the passengers under their charge with extended conversations on multiple occasions, and constantly patrolled the cabin to ensure these passengers were well taken care of. The onboard chef, Osama, went around the cabin introducing himself to the passengers during Arabic coffee service. Osama was very friendly and checked if we liked the food that he prepared. I have seen him (during my waking hours) helping the cabin crew serve the meals. Like our outbound leg, the cabin crew approached us as soon as we settled in our seats to serve us a welcome drink and hot towels. They did not wait till everyone settled in to perform this service, which somewhat makes this service personalised. Like the outbound leg, cabin crew worked like clockwork, taking meal orders and our preferred meal timing. The Indonesian cabin crew was also very observant, who quickly approached me after I woke up to check if I would like to have my breakfast served.

For this leg, we were presented with the newly released ELIE SAAB amenity kit shortly after boarding. The amenity kit was housed in a PVC leather ELIE SAAB pouch containing products such as face cleanser, hand and body lotion, lip balm, as well as an ELIE SAAB Eau de Toilette, alongside eyemasks, dental kits and socks. There are different ELIE SAAB amenity bags for male and female passengers, but the contents are identical for both kits.

Afterthought

Saudia Business Class onboard both their B787 series aircraft was a solid product. The seats were comfortable and had tons of storage space. I slept comfortably in the bed mode of the seat for several hours. Despite not having a sliding door, I felt the seats offered a great amount of privacy, thanks to the cocoon design in the seat back. The Business Class seats came fitted with air nozzles, which allow us to customise the temperature at the seat. BEYOND is stocked with a huge library of entertainment, and we had no issues finding something to occupy our time. The food served was generous and had great taste. The service onboard was great, with the cabin crew constantly looking out for us. We felt very well taken care of on board. I had a great experience flying on Saudia B787 series Business Class.