Billy From United Kingdom, joined Jul 2000, 895 posts, RR: 10 Posted (7 years 9 months 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 844 times:
Took the following services recently:
SV 1124 JED-DMM HZ-AKV 777
SV 1103 DMM-JED HZ-APQ M90
SV 1052 JED-RUH HZ-AKW 777
SV 1658 RUH-DMM HZ-AJH A30
All flights operated on time and were all full. Meals were surprisingly generous, with a hot meal on two services JED-RUH and DMM-JED. The other flights offered a tray with sandwiches, cake and a drink in economy.
All flights showed flight tracking on the video screens. The A300 appeared a little tired with signs of wear and tear. The 777s appeared to be some of the newest in their fleet. I particularly liked the M90 - quiet and not too cramped. The 777s feel very cramped, with the window seats on the A rows suffering from the electronic box location under the seat in front.
777s also have an area sectioned for praying (about four rows in the mid seat section. Coupled with the huge rear galley, this makes for a popular congregation area on these aircraft.
SV domestic fares are relatively cheap, but the flights do fill up. All flights were pretty good in terms of service, far higher than domestic services in France, for example.
Jeddah suffers from those awful people-carrier vehicles that transport passengers from the terminal to the aircraft side. However, you do get a good view of the airport and visitors. A MAS 777 seemed parked up for most of the day. Yemenia visited with its A310, and there was some Haj charter traffic (Garuda Britannia).
Nothing special at any of the other airports, though I did manage to see Riyadh Airport from the air during the flight from DMM to JED.
The following week I took three South African Airways domestic flights (in business class this time) for another report.
Ctbarnes From United States, joined Mar 2000, 3491 posts, RR: 55 Reply 2, posted (7 years 9 months 5 hours ago) and read 652 times:
Seems as if SV have upgraded their service. When I lived in Saudi in 1994, I took several domestic trips and was served only beverages between JED-AHB and AHB-RUH. Still, the fares were cheap and the upgrade to First Class cost peanuts. I particularly enjoyed the Arabic coffee and the melt-in-your-mouth dates they served in first class!
Charles, SJ
The customer isn't a moron, she is your wife -David Ogilvy
Hoffa From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (7 years 8 months 4 weeks 1 day 22 hours ago) and read 631 times:
SV service on the trunk routes JED-RUH-DHA/DMM is always pretty spotty, depending on time of day. Sometimes you get only a drink, sometimes some small sandwiches, sometimes a full hot meal.
As for the domestic airfares, they are 100% regulated by the government and haven't been raised in the past 5 years. I wonder if they break even on these flights (although notions like "profitability" are pretty abstract in the good old KSA).
Billy From United Kingdom, joined Jul 2000, 895 posts, RR: 10 Reply 5, posted (7 years 8 months 4 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 622 times:
Female F/As are usually Philippina ladies, but htere seemed to be other Middle Eastern ladies (possibly Egyptian), but never Saudis.
I was interested to note that SV still has a couple of 732s operating on some of the domestic routes. They look smart in their beige and blue. Utilisation seems pretty poor as planes seem to sit around all day on the ramp.
Last trip to Saudi, I managed to ride their L10 and 732 on domestic trips. Cabin service was minimal then. Perhaps they have spruced things up for whatever reason.
There is talk of sundry Princes keen to start their own domestic airline. This was all the talk whilst I was down there talking to the Jeddah airport people.
411A From United States, joined Nov 2001, 1594 posts, RR: 9 Reply 7, posted (7 years 8 months 3 weeks 5 days ago) and read 558 times:
Flew for SV for twelve years, all on the L1011. Remember on one occasion when a royal decree was issued for "no smoking" on domestic flights.
A local, in tea towel and fan belt, was noticed smoking in FC on a JED-DHA flight. Security was called and he was hauled off in DHA, bound hand and foot, head banging on each step on the way out of the aeroplane.
Another was found smoking in an aft toilet and had his "smoking material" put out with a fire extinguisher by a French hostie .... and his ah....privates did not escape the extinguisher either.
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