Saudi Airlines?

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caravanman said:
I am seeing cheap fares on Saudi Airlines. Anyone flown on them, any horror stories? (Except lack of alcohol!) ;)
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I suppose you could sneak a little alcohol on board, maybe in one of those travel sized mouthwash bottles, enough gin for a decent G&T added to a glass of tonic water. Just don't get caught by the flight attendants 🙂
 
caravanman said:
I am seeing cheap fares on Saudi Airlines. Anyone flown on them, any horror stories? (Except lack of alcohol!) ;)
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I can live without alcohol but my views are contrary to the regime and there is a chance I might say or do something that indirectly runs afoul of lese-majeste. On the plus side the coach legroom looks good with reasonable amenities.

caravanman said:
Thanks for the Youtube videos! A nice change to see a youtuber in an economy seat and sounding happy too. (I do find Noel Phillips is a bit dishonest with his "Awful Flight" clickbait stuff...)
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At the end he admitted that the boarding process was probably outside of Saudia's control but if that's a typical experience there are many better options. The main benefit seemed to be much lower cost, but sometimes you get what you pay for.
 
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Devil's Advocate said:
I can live without alcohol but my views are contrary to the regime and there is a chance I might say or do something that indirectly runs afoul of lese-majeste. On the plus side the coach legroom looks good with reasonable amenities.


At the end he admitted that the boarding process was probably outside of Saudia's control but if that's a typical experience there are many better options. The main benefit seemed to be much lower cost, but sometimes you get what you pay for.
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Noel's flight was from Tunisia, so I imagine flying from the UK would be more orderly.
Not visiting Saudi Arabia myself, just transiting.
I am asking about Saudi Airlines with a view to a cheap trip to India later this year, my flight to USA is with Aer Lingus.
 
caravanman said:
Noel's flight was from Tunisia, so I imagine flying from the UK would be more orderly.
Not visiting Saudi Arabia myself, just transiting.
I am asking about Saudi Airlines with a view to a cheap trip to India later this year, my flight to USA is with Aer Lingus.
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Long as the Safety Record is OK , ( which it seems to be) I'd go for it Eddie!

If you can Sleep/Relax on Long Flights a Flight is a Flight is a Flight, and saving a few Quid is always in Season for we Pensioners!😉
 
I understand now Saudia has two different groups of flights, one group is targeted for pure Sixth Freedom operations via Riyadh where Alcohol is allowed and served. The other is the classic Saudia service where Alcohol is forbidden. You may wish to make sure what sort of flight you are on before playing around with Alcohol. Being caught on the latter kind of flight will earn you some quality hospitality of the Saudi Government perhaps. Not worth the risk.
 
caravanman said:
Noel's flight was from Tunisia, so I imagine flying from the UK would be more orderly.
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Brits do seem to have an understanding (and expectation) of proper queuing. 😅

caravanman said:
I am asking about Saudi Airlines with a view to a cheap trip to India later this year, my flight to USA is with Aer Lingus.
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I remember some horror stories about trips to India back in the day, but I think the airport experience has vastly improved since then?

Bob Dylan said:
If you can Sleep/Relax on Long Flights a Flight is a Flight is a Flight, and saving a few Quid is always in Season for we Pensioners!😉
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When I was younger (and at the top of my travel game) I would often fall asleep on takeoff and wake up on landing. Felt a bit like teleporting. These days I'm not as pliable and not as willing to fly every airline like in the old days when seats and pitch were more comfortable.
 
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Sadly, I can never really sleep on a plane, although I can drop off for a few minutes on odd occasions if very tired. I feel quite envious of folk who can sleep through the flight!
Airports in India are much the same as anywhere, sometimes I have whizzed through, other times a slow immigration and customs check.
One slightly odd aspect is that security will ask to see your ticket before allowing you to enter the airport departure building, and you are not permitted to gain access in most cases any earlier than 3 hours before flight departs.
Indeed, queuing was a normal thing when I was growing up, but even us Brits do seem to be getting less fair minded about waiting our turn these days...
 
caravanman said:
One slightly odd aspect is that security will ask to see your ticket before allowing you to enter the airport departure building, and you are not permitted to gain access in most cases any earlier than 3 hours before flight departs.
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I have been told that this practice is to reduce overcrowding in the ground side concourse area. Apparently Indians are creative enough to try to get into the terminal building any which way they can to enjoy the air conditioning for as long as they can. :D I don;t blame them given how miserable it can be outside nine months of the year in the plains.
 
caravanman said:
Sadly, I can never really sleep on a plane, although I can drop off for a few minutes on odd occasions if very tired. I feel quite envious of folk who can sleep through the flight!
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Have you tried melatonin (fall asleep) or valerian root (stay asleep)? Combined with earplugs and eye mask they can work wonders.

caravanman said:
One slightly odd aspect is that security will ask to see your ticket before allowing you to enter the airport departure building, and you are not permitted to gain access in most cases any earlier than 3 hours before flight departs.
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This used to be unusual but has become more common over time. Even US airports like LAX and AUS are essentially closed to non-passengers. Nearly every service of relevance other than ticketing and luggage handling is located airside and if you stay in the landside area too long you will be told to enter security or leave. There is barely enough room for passengers as it is so it makes sense.

railiner said:
What really impressed me, was Japan. They line up in queues on railway platforms without any ropes to guide them, at the exact locations where the doors on their assigned cars will load from, before the train even arrives.
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Indeed. Something about the stoic and regimented nature of Japanese culture is very appealing to me.
 
railiner said:
What really impressed me, was Japan. They line up in queues on railway platforms without any ropes to guide them, at the exact locations where the doors on their assigned cars will load from, before the train even arrives.
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and they actually stop the train with such precision that the door stops just in front of the queue.
 
What really shocked me, was on TAP, the Portuguese airline, when I flew them from Lisbon to Copenhagen last year. As soon as we landed, and turned off the runway, the passengers were out of their seats, opening the overheads and grabbing their carryon's, and rushing forward, while the aircraft was still taxiing along the active taxiways, despite repeated announcements from the FA's to take their seats.

I have never before, and hope to never again, see such blatant misbehavior on an airliner...
 
railiner said:
What really shocked me, was on TAP, the Portuguese airline, when I flew them from Lisbon to Copenhagen last year. As soon as we landed, and turned off the runway, the passengers were out of their seats, opening the overheads and grabbing their carryon's, and rushing forward, while the aircraft was still taxiing along the active taxiways, despite repeated announcements from the FA's to take their seats.

I have never before, and hope to never again, see such blatant misbehavior on an airliner...
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Everyone's in a hurry to get off when the plane lands on all Airlines.( the worst I've seen has been in Mexico)

I don't fly as much as I did before semi-retirememt, but I've seen this on most of the flights I've taken post Pandemic!
 
Every other flight I have ever been on, people respected the rules, and generally were courteous enough to allow those in the rows ahead of themselves to exit ahead. I will add that our flight had been delayed on departure by about an hour, and that some were anxious to make their connection. But still....
 
Devil's Advocate said:
Have you tried melatonin (fall asleep) or valerian root (stay asleep)? Combined with earplugs and eye mask they can work wonders.
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My preference is a medication called Gravol. It's available anywhere here but apparently requires a prescription in the US? It's intended for motion sickness but is also an excellent stomach reliever and sleep support. One of those with a glass of Bailey's and I can sleep on just about any plane. ;)
 
PVD said:
Gravol is diphenhydrinate, the same med as Dramamine which would be OTC in the US.
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There are different Dramamine formulas. One was called "Dramamine 2" (now "Dramamine Less Drowsy") and contains meclizine, which doesn't cause much drowsiness.

Apparently dimenhydrinate has a similar mechanism as diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Some take that to help with motion sickness, where it helps a lot with sleeping. Also - some formulas with dimenhydrinate contain caffeine to counteract the drowsiness.
 

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