Pe@rson From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2001, 18829 posts, RR: 54 Posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 2780 times:
SV DMM-DAC one-way for £130 including taxes.
Alternatively, SV JED-RUH-DAC one-way for £177 including taxes. (JED-RUH sector doesn't seem to be bookable to get on the 74L.)
The downside is that it's exceedingly difficult to get a visa for Saudi Arabia, and connecting flights are a lot more.
As we know, SV have some fantastic aircraft beside the 74L, e.g. the 741 and the 743. If you could get a Saudi visa, you could easily fly those two between JED and RUH - and it's cheap, at about £45 one-way including taxes.
"Everyone writing for the Telegraph knows that the way to grab eyeballs is with Ryanair and/or sex."
Pe@rson From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2001, 18829 posts, RR: 54 Reply 4, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 6 days 10 hours ago) and read 2738 times:
Quoting Eirik (Reply 3): HOW difficult is it to get a visa for people living in Europe ?
For Britons at least, it basically seems that you can only get a tourist visa if you go on an organised tour or if you are visiting family/friends who could sponsor you. It is considered one of the most difficult countries to visit for British tourists. And it's a big shame!
"Everyone writing for the Telegraph knows that the way to grab eyeballs is with Ryanair and/or sex."
Eightball From Saudi Arabia, joined Oct 2007, 271 posts, RR: 1 Reply 5, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 2721 times:
Since I'm a citizen of Jeddah, I've flown dozens of times on SV 741's and 743's between JED and RUH. I have to admit, it feels really sweet to fly in those classics.
The SV 747-SP's used to fly on passenger flights in the past, but not anymore.
There's a cafe which lies directly south of JED, where I love to sit and watch aircraft coming in on short final for runway 34C. In any one night I could see several SV 772's, 741's, 743's and E170's. It's a true delight. The funny thing is that, when I compare all the different aircraft that pass by, it seems to be that the E170's have the the brightest strobe lights.
I'm planning to become a pilot at SV, and if I ever become a pilot there, by the time I become eligible to upgrade to a wide body aircraft first officer position, I'm pretty sure that the 741's and 743's would have already been replaced by A333's and 789's.
Eirik From Norway, joined Mar 2005, 111 posts, RR: 1 Reply 6, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 2677 times:
Quoting Eightball (Reply 5): The SV 747-SP's used to fly on passenger flights in the past, but not anymore.
You´re shure ?
Trying to book a flight in August on wideroe.no this appears :
Dammam to Dhaka
Flight 1 Monday, August 31, 2009
Departure: 05:50 Dammam, Saudi Arabia - King Fahad International
Arrival: 15:00 Dhaka, Bangladesh - Zia International
Airline: Saudi Arabian Airlines SV802 e
Aircraft: Boeing 747SP
RAFVC10 From Spain, joined Sep 2005, 1980 posts, RR: 7 Reply 7, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 2672 times:
Quoting Eirik (Reply 6): You´re shure ?
Trying to book a flight in August on wideroe.no this appears :
Dammam to Dhaka
Flight 1 Monday, August 31, 2009
Departure: 05:50 Dammam, Saudi Arabia - King Fahad International
Arrival: 15:00 Dhaka, Bangladesh - Zia International
Airline: Saudi Arabian Airlines SV802 e
Aircraft: Boeing 747SP
What a wonderful route!! If you choose to fly with SV, you will fly in a Boeing 747SP; but if you choose to fly with BG, you will fly in a McDonnell Dougles DC-10.
Amazing!!
Quoting Eirik (Reply 3): HOW difficult is it to get a visa for people living in Europe ?
For Spaniards is very difficult to get one... If I'm not wrong, the ask for the passport without Israel entry stamp, a formal invitation from the Arab Comerce Department with the electronic stamp and register stariting with 700,... A craziness!!
53.00 Euros flying in any Boeing 747-100, Boeing 747-300, McDonnell Douglas MD-90, Airbus A-300-600, Boeing 777-200 or Boeing 777-300 in "Y" class; 118.00 Euros in "C" class and 165.00 Euros in "F" class on the RUH-JED route.
Regards,
Gerard
El dia que los gilipollas vuelen, no podremos ver la luz del sol!
Pe@rson From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2001, 18829 posts, RR: 54 Reply 8, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 5 days 22 hours ago) and read 2666 times:
Quoting Eightball (Reply 5): The SV 747-SP's used to fly on passenger flights in the past, but not anymore.
Flightstats, schedules and booking engines beg to differ!
Quoting RAFVC10 (Reply 7): if you choose to fly with BG, you will fly in a McDonnell Dougles DC-10.
Or you fly DMM-DAC or JED-RUH-DAC and then fly domestically in Bangladesh on the D10, 313, F28. Yep, its D10 operate sectors like DAC-CGP before/after flying to DXB, etc. Or if you wanted, you could fly the D10 DOH-DXB-CGP-DAC (at least that was the routing BG was operating while I was in DOH earlier this year).
Quoting RAFVC10 (Reply 7): 53.00 Euros flying in any Boeing 747-100, Boeing 747-300, McDonnell Douglas MD-90, Airbus A-300-600, Boeing 777-200 or Boeing 777-300 in "Y" class; 118.00 Euros in "C" class and 165.00 Euros in "F" class on the RUH-JED route.
Great eh?!
[Edited 2009-07-30 02:57:50]
"Everyone writing for the Telegraph knows that the way to grab eyeballs is with Ryanair and/or sex."
Eightball From Saudi Arabia, joined Oct 2007, 271 posts, RR: 1 Reply 9, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 2619 times:
Quoting Eirik (Reply 6): You´re shure ?
Trying to book a flight in August on wideroe.no this appears :
Dammam to Dhaka
Flight 1 Monday, August 31, 2009
Departure: 05:50 Dammam, Saudi Arabia - King Fahad International
Arrival: 15:00 Dhaka, Bangladesh - Zia International
Airline: Saudi Arabian Airlines SV802 e
Aircraft: Boeing 747SP
Quoting Pe@rson (Reply 8): Flightstats, schedules and booking engines beg to differ!
That's odd. Maybe SV leased a 747-SP for passenger flights. I'll have to take a look at the SV passenger flight schedule.
Pe@rson From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2001, 18829 posts, RR: 54 Reply 10, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 2589 times:
Quoting Eightball (Reply 9): That's odd. Maybe SV leased a 747-SP for passenger flights. I'll have to take a look at the SV passenger flight schedule.
Hey, here's an idea: as foreigners need to be visiting family/friends to gain a Saudi visa (or on an official tour), possibly you could be the friend we visit and thus we might be eligible for a tourist visa? I am not sure if it would be that suitable. In return, we could come up with some 'arrangement' between ourselves. Quid pro quo! You benefit, we benefit!
By the way, I too am a university student and I used to live in Cairo and have been to quite a few Middle Eastern countries.
"Everyone writing for the Telegraph knows that the way to grab eyeballs is with Ryanair and/or sex."
SpeedBirdA380 From United Kingdom, joined Jul 2008, 539 posts, RR: 2 Reply 11, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 2582 times:
Cheapest 741 flight I ever did was a one-way ticket with Orient Thai airlines - HKT-BKK.
Cost me 2,300 Baht which at the time worked out at about £31. I tried to look at how much it would cost now but their website is playing up.
They still operate a 741 and some 742's but I should warn you that as of 2009 they are on the EU blacklist for saftey concerns.
UK_Dispatcher From United Arab Emirates, joined Dec 2001, 2550 posts, RR: 33 Reply 14, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 2560 times:
Forget the Saudia B747SP. Saudia tend to use their own internal codes for certain aircraft in their flight schedules. Where 74L refers to the B747SP generally, it actually refers to an Air Atlanta B747-300 for SV. This operates all their DAC flights:
You will also find 77L & 77W in Saudia's schedules but all their B777s are -200ERs. It just refers to different configurations.
I must say it is pretty confusing when a carrier uses their own internal codes in public schedules - especially in Saudia's case when they specifically use codes that actually refer to different aircraft types!
Your only chance to get on a B747SP is with Iran Air. The shortest route would be PEK-NRT/NRT-PEK.
Eightball From Saudi Arabia, joined Oct 2007, 271 posts, RR: 1 Reply 16, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 5 days 12 hours ago) and read 2537 times:
Quoting Pe@rson (Reply 10): Hey, here's an idea: as foreigners need to be visiting family/friends to gain a Saudi visa (or on an official tour), possibly you could be the friend we visit and thus we might be eligible for a tourist visa? I am not sure if it would be that suitable. In return, we could come up with some 'arrangement' between ourselves. Quid pro quo! You benefit, we benefit!
Well dude, to be honest with you as far as I know that won't be possible with the current Saudi visa regulations.
As a Saudi citizen, I think that tourist visa regulations for Saudi Arabia should definitely be eased up. We have a long coast on the Red Sea which is full of scuba diving and snorkeling opportunities (I'm a certified PADI Advanced Open Water Diver myself), and the Asir region is also a beautiful place to visit. There is a whole lot of potential in this country for tourism.
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21465 posts, RR: 24 Reply 17, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 2517 times:
Quoting Pe@rson (Reply 8): Quoting Eightball (Reply 5):
The SV 747-SP's used to fly on passenger flights in the past, but not anymore.
Flightstats, schedules and booking engines beg to differ!
I thought the only 747SPs in SV livery were now operating as part of the royal fleet, not in scheduled service. Has this changed? There was one parked in GVA on Monday and it definitely wasn't a scheduled flight.
UK_Dispatcher From United Arab Emirates, joined Dec 2001, 2550 posts, RR: 33 Reply 18, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 5 days 9 hours ago) and read 2513 times:
Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 17): I thought the only 747SPs in SV livery were now operating as part of the royal fleet, not in scheduled service. Has this changed?
Quoting UK_Dispatcher (Reply 14): Where 74L refers to the B747SP generally, it actually refers to an Air Atlanta B747-300 for SV. This operates all their DAC flights:
Pe@rson From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2001, 18829 posts, RR: 54 Reply 19, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 5 days 9 hours ago) and read 2506 times:
Quoting Eightball (Reply 16): Well dude, to be honest with you as far as I know that won't be possible with the current Saudi visa regulations.
Yeah, no worries.
Actually, I remembered that I have a business friend living and working in Jeddah who said that the firm he works for has sponsored family and friends to obtain a Saudi visa, and he said he would ask about it for me.
But I'm not yet 100% sure about when I can go, so it's on hold for now.
"Everyone writing for the Telegraph knows that the way to grab eyeballs is with Ryanair and/or sex."
AlexEU From Serbia, joined Oct 2007, 1791 posts, RR: 2 Reply 20, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 2493 times:
AFAIK, Saudi B747SP are used mainly by the King of SA and their govt? Probably the same applies for Yemenia B747SP.
Iran Air is using B747SP for flights to Tokyo, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.
SpeedBirdA380 From United Kingdom, joined Jul 2008, 539 posts, RR: 2 Reply 22, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 2392 times:
Quoting Eirik (Reply 12): Probably not often on domestic (Thailand) flights anymore, ´think you gotta be ´lucky´ in the high season or something
Yes I think there was a big demand when I flew the route as it was the Thai new year period.
Quoting AlexEU (Reply 20): Last time I saw Orient Thai at Bangkok, they were using B747-300 on their route to Hong Kong.
Yes thats correct. I think I was lucky to get a 741 on my trip as it was a busy period. Just to clarify I flew HKT-BKK not HKG-BKK as seeing you mentioned Hong Kong I thought perhaps you misread it.
Pellegrine From United States of America, joined Mar 2007, 1845 posts, RR: 8 Reply 23, posted (3 years 9 months 3 weeks 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 2359 times:
Quoting UK_Dispatcher (Reply 14): Your only chance to get on a B747SP is with Iran Air. The shortest route would be PEK-NRT/NRT-PEK.
First I hear of this, I'd love to fly that route.
Quoting Eightball (Reply 16): As a Saudi citizen, I think that tourist visa regulations for Saudi Arabia should definitely be eased up. We have a long coast on the Red Sea which is full of scuba diving and snorkeling opportunities (I'm a certified PADI Advanced Open Water Diver myself), and the Asir region is also a beautiful place to visit. There is a whole lot of potential in this country for tourism.
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