pep
Medlem
Jeg havde brug for lidt XP tierpoints for at få mit Flying Blue gold opgraderet til platinum. Fandt en 500 USD business deal med Saudia til Bangkok for en turnaround på 17 timer. Saudia var for mig er et interessant og uprøvet flyselskab. 1001 nats eventyr med masser af overraskelser, de fleste gode. Næppe en tur for uerfarne rejsende. Antiklimax var at jeg blev aftvunget køb af transit visa i Riyadh (150 usd) selv om jeg kun var i lufthavnen for at konnekte fra SV til QR. En meget exotisk tur, jeg har åbenlyst glemt meget om arabiske, muslimske kultur og samfund. Stemningen i loungerne var ualmindelig dyster; præget af massakren i Gaza. Selv i date baren i Jedda loungen var der helt stille. Dates er ikke hvad de har været. Men min lever har det fint efter sådan en ferie med et tørt flyselskab... (-: Fik mine 75 XP ind på min konto omgående. Nedenfor i sort er min errorfare ticket, i rødt er mine anslutninger med QR og WB (award billetter). Nedenfor er mine bedømmelser til SKYTRAX.
KGL-DOH-KWI, c:black, KWI-JED-BKK-RUH, c:red, RUH-DOH
Rwandair Economy 8/10
Kigali-Doha 25 Oct. 2023 on a B737-800. Nightflight, on time. Check-in online is a nuisance as it never works with this airline. However, in airport they managed also to print out following flights boarding passes (with Qatar Airways), which was a relief. Cooperation with Qatar is better now, and lounge access is granted by holding Qatar Airways gold card. That was suspended for a year but has been reinstated. I coud also enter through my Rwandair FFP status. The Dream Lounge is Kigali is good and pleasant though not world-class. It supersedes the alternative Pearl lounge by providing panorama view over Kigali. Boarded after a 3 Minutes bus-ride.
Flight almost full, I managed to get a free seat next to me. My preordered seafood meal was delicious and delivered to perfection with my name written on the tray. It consisted of a starter (spicy tiger prawns), a main dish (salmon steak), and a chocolate dessert dish. Food on Rwandair is plenty. Four hot meal options was offered! I then also had beef stew to test and complement. Also good and tender. Wines were good and generously poured. The crew onboard are good, callbells answered and requests sought met. Blankets, headsets, and pillows given to everybody. No WiFi. IFE was deeply subpar showing US crap movies on shared monitors.
Qatar Airways. Economy 10/10
Doha-Kuwait 26 Oct. 2023 on a B777-300. Transit in Doha went well with some testing of their new gold/platinum lounges. The lounges and airport are overstaffed to my taste. To the extend they are about to become intrusive as they have too little to do. Transfer and revised seat selection was easy with new robot machines in the lounges. After the machine reads your passport, you get full overview and can print out new BP yourself. Impressive.
Short evening flight, less than 1 hour duration. Huge aircraft, virtually full (300 pax?). Briefly on time. Gate boarding functioned well through division of passengers into 4 zones. I was treated with respect and served excellently. Food and drinks were informed online prior to travel, which had raised my expectations. And, it was all there: served a nice, cold Arabian mezze, nicely prepared and presented in a transparent design box separated in food sections with a spoon fixed elegantly across the sections. Softdrinks numerous, but surprisingly, cava “champagne” was served as well as wine, spirits, and beers. Two catering service rounds in 55 minutes is impressive. Staff competent, focused, polite, and extremely efficient. They gave me 3 seats due to my Privilege status at their FFP. Headset, blankets given. IFE and WiFi functioned well, was given a headset of good quality. Even if I would have been offered a free business class seat, I would not have changed it for my given 69G seat. I have a full appreciation and pleasant experience from this flight and cant fault anything. FA were well groomed, well rested, and in a transmitting, sparkling mood. I spoke Thai with a hostess, Ms. Pisolaya, who was outstanding. Qatar delivers top notch at times, particularly in the air. Well done QR!
Saudia. Business 7/10
Travelled KWI-JED-BKK-RUH 26-27 October 2023 for the sole purpose of retaining my dear Gold Card with Air France. Aircrafts were A320-Neo and B787s, respectively. Could not check-in online; only for the last of the 3 legs, but that would be disallowed anyway as the sequence of travel legs must be adhered to. Thus, I became worried as I came to Kuwait from abroad for positioning to start the travel correctly. After some search I found the right transfer desk and got full cooperation but they could still not check me fully in but they rendered me lounge access until the travel became “unlocked”. Four hours prior to departure, a Saudia officer came. After some clarification from my side, he eventually produced all my 3 boarding passes; easing my mind and my onward logistics. By having the BPs I would be able to stay airside throughout travel. I was neither asked for passport again, neither in Kuwait, Jedda, or Bangkok. I love the ease, freedom, as the BPs does the entire job.
Kuwait airport can be a challenge for a first time visitor and Westerner. It is old, small and very Arabic, took some time to get orientation for transit. Few speak English, and they lack non-Arab exposure. The arrivers and the departurers are not separated and there are potential security issues. Throughout my three Saudia travels there was no premium towards priority passengers whether business travellers or elite card holders. Except for lounge access.
Dasman Lounge in Kuwait (KWI) has interesting exotic (Arab) food offerings. And, loads of softdrinks. Dry as a biscuit (no alcohol). Half of the guests are in the smoking room. Cigarets must be cheap, nobody smokes their sticks beyond half before throwing them as butts.
Onboard to JED, on the A320, the configuration was 2 x 2 in business, while 3 x 3 in economy. Huge seats, IFE, and advanced headset was available. The crew were good, attentive. Welcome drink were lemon mint juice. Thereafter, we had saffron yellow hot tea, which is a local delicatesse. After an early breakfast (Arabian choices), I had some sleep in the recliner. Flight on time.
Al Fursan lounge in Jedda must be a Mecca for lounge goers: it is the largest Skyteam lounge worldwide. A first class section provides even a cigar room and a date bar. Slumber rooms, caphes, authentic Arabic food stations, sports room, restaurants. Also, a piano podium is at disposition.
Next flight JED-BKK on a newer B787-10. Busgating, but quite quick. Nice cabin and chair. Even it was a window seat I could hardly reach near to it to view as the distance in the skewed seats is excessive. Safety belts are like car belts, which prevents the body from being torn apart in events of crashes. Nice touch. I saw cabin crew praying on the floor during travel; it makes me uncomfortable and I see it as a disciplinary issue. Welcome drinks offered. Menu cards. Dishes hard to understand for non-Arabs without supportive pictures.
In Bangkok, Saudia uses the quite ordinary, 3rd party Miracle Lounge for its business passengers. However, this is a conflict of interests as Miracle refuses acceptance of Saudia visitors until 3 hours before departure. Not acceptable. Me, as a Flying Blue gold card holder I could access the AF/KLM Skyteam lounge with ease some 17 hours prior to departure. The front desk told me that they refer Saudia Business travellers to the poorer Miracle lounges. Thus, FB status overtrumphs cabin class assignment; new lesson to be learnt. The SkyLounge in BKK is good and has improved a bit; nice showers, piano background music, sparkling wines and more food options than earlier. However, a bar, bartender, and a noodle station is still needed for it to cope with the three leading lounges in BKK which are SQ, QR, and CX. The many Thai lounges have fallen behind for long time humbled by an exploitative owner, who seems more focused on Premier League in UK.
Flight from Bangkok to Riyadh went smooth, though no WiFi onboard. At boarding, me and my hand-luggage was searched for possibly carrying any alcoholic drinks. I had a few, but they somehow passed. The anti-alcohol policy is more policed than for other dry carriers, e.g. PIA or Egypt Air. In Riyadh I was humiliated to pay 150 USD for transit visa, which was perceived as robbery; I had my onwards flight clearly sorted out but was forced to pay.
The verdict is very bumpy and mixed. I do like SVs pragmatic approach and their IT system works despite a few hiccups on inability to print out initial BP, while the subsequent have no issues. Flew on time all 3 flights. Given my earned mileage instantly after each leg accomplished. The membership to Skyteam is an invaluable asset and creates more international and ecumenical exposure to the airline and their staff, which is necessary for any expansion. A recurrent issue with SV appears (from 150 reviews read) to be missing or delayed checked luggage which leaves an angry mob behind and taints the company.
Onboard, hardware and IFE is very good and on par with the best carriers: luxury headsets, huge monitors, amenity kits, blankets, etc. Movies on offer are few and conservatively selected.The prayers for every kick-off do not add value to me. FAs praying on the floor during travel is also disturbing for comfort and service provision. Foods are fine, but difficult to orient into for non-Arabs. All FAs appeared to be Saudis? This results seemingly in limited international cultural understanding and limited Western exposure, value differences, and linguistic barriers. The alcohol ban onboard is known assumed pre-accepted by passengers. However, the culinary adventure and perceptions are somehow negatively effected by abstaining and adhering to this ruling. Airport transfers were easy throughout, no visa enforcements in Saudia despite conflicting information from various frequent flyers fora. Aircraft gate assignments were all announced early by email for all 4 airports (three flights) visited. For the price paid, I am happy and content, will travel again, and recommend. FFP-miles were credited instantly to my account. In total: a surprising, exciting, and exotic experience; deep into a predominantly Arab worldd
Qatar Airways. Economy 6/10
Riyadh to Doha 28-10 2023 on a full, late evening flight. Modern aircraft, A350-900Q. On time. Check-in became a hassle, as there were no transfer counters and I had to shift terminal by arriving with Saudia. Thus, I was bullied around and stressed by conflicting information. Eventually, I was forced to pay a huge sum for a transit visa, 150 USD, despite I was never on landside and had only 1 hour transit time. This scrupulous exploitation is unacceptable, just taking advantage of people in rush. QR are found guilty by neither having a transfer desk nor transfer service in a big international airport to where they are flying several times per day. The good thing is that they, upon my request, at least reopened the checkin counter allowing me to checkin even after the minimum time of 60 minutes had elapsed. A lady behind me was also late, but disallowed to checkin, contrary to me. So, at least I got some premium for my hefty visa fee. Boarding was smooth, despite the flight was fully stuffed apart from an empty seat next to me. No alcohol served onboard with reference to a holy national day in Riyadh. Onboard, served a cold mezze meal which happened to be still frozen. Only a single service round, and no service the last full hour prior to landing. Jetbridge provided in both ends. WiFi complicated but not working, a big waste of time trying to connect.
Rwandair. Economy 7/10
Flew Doha-Kigali 29 October after midnight on a worn B737-800.Qatar Airways had issued this award ticket for Rwandair and also issued the boarding pass prior to Doha arrival. Accessed the Gold Lounge in Doha (gate C14); its roomy and hold most facilities. Boarding smooth upon lengthy bus ride. Onboard, neither WiFi nor video entertainment were available. My preordered special meal was not granted. Received apology and reasonable alternatives. Three kinds of hot food was offered; all good, filling, and plenty. Drink rounds were generous, incl. Provision of good wines. I inquired possible access for 3 empty seats in a row as a Dream Miles gold card holder. FAs, who were good and professional, took action on it. Eventually I got my seats and managed to sleep. Flight on time.
Foul Mesdames. En arabisk, traditionel ret, som ser værre ud end den smager. Jedda Skyteam Lounge
Kæmpe buffet med kokke i Jedda Skyteam Lounge
Bageren laver yogurt-oste pizzaer. Arabisk specialitet. Jedda loungen
Softdrinks udvalget er, ikke uventet, gigantisk
Oliven udvalget fejler intet og smagen er top notch
Et konditori med mange sofistikerede kager-chokolader, etc.
Konditoriet set paa afstand. Længere væk er en virkelig proffessional kaffebar med en fuldblods, professionel barrista
Glimt fra date baren. Forventningerne var for høje...Som det fremgår er det ikke just Valentines Eve, og dates viser sig bare at være tørre dadler omend i forskellige udgaver.
En isbar kan man altid bruge.
Date baren på afstand.
Cigar lounges er altid gode og rettidige i en 1st class section
Slumber section 1st Class
Ombord på B787-10eren til Bangkok. Øllen er Estrella Damm med 0.0 procent alkohol
Entertainment er på Internationalt niveau. Øretelefonerne er de bedste jeg har haft nogensinde
Rejse mod vest fra BKK-RUH giver en flere timers lang solnedgang
Arabisk mezze på Qatar economy. Fikst, elegant, og velsmagende for en kort tur
KGL-DOH-KWI, c:black, KWI-JED-BKK-RUH, c:red, RUH-DOH
Rwandair Economy 8/10
Kigali-Doha 25 Oct. 2023 on a B737-800. Nightflight, on time. Check-in online is a nuisance as it never works with this airline. However, in airport they managed also to print out following flights boarding passes (with Qatar Airways), which was a relief. Cooperation with Qatar is better now, and lounge access is granted by holding Qatar Airways gold card. That was suspended for a year but has been reinstated. I coud also enter through my Rwandair FFP status. The Dream Lounge is Kigali is good and pleasant though not world-class. It supersedes the alternative Pearl lounge by providing panorama view over Kigali. Boarded after a 3 Minutes bus-ride.
Flight almost full, I managed to get a free seat next to me. My preordered seafood meal was delicious and delivered to perfection with my name written on the tray. It consisted of a starter (spicy tiger prawns), a main dish (salmon steak), and a chocolate dessert dish. Food on Rwandair is plenty. Four hot meal options was offered! I then also had beef stew to test and complement. Also good and tender. Wines were good and generously poured. The crew onboard are good, callbells answered and requests sought met. Blankets, headsets, and pillows given to everybody. No WiFi. IFE was deeply subpar showing US crap movies on shared monitors.
Qatar Airways. Economy 10/10
Doha-Kuwait 26 Oct. 2023 on a B777-300. Transit in Doha went well with some testing of their new gold/platinum lounges. The lounges and airport are overstaffed to my taste. To the extend they are about to become intrusive as they have too little to do. Transfer and revised seat selection was easy with new robot machines in the lounges. After the machine reads your passport, you get full overview and can print out new BP yourself. Impressive.
Short evening flight, less than 1 hour duration. Huge aircraft, virtually full (300 pax?). Briefly on time. Gate boarding functioned well through division of passengers into 4 zones. I was treated with respect and served excellently. Food and drinks were informed online prior to travel, which had raised my expectations. And, it was all there: served a nice, cold Arabian mezze, nicely prepared and presented in a transparent design box separated in food sections with a spoon fixed elegantly across the sections. Softdrinks numerous, but surprisingly, cava “champagne” was served as well as wine, spirits, and beers. Two catering service rounds in 55 minutes is impressive. Staff competent, focused, polite, and extremely efficient. They gave me 3 seats due to my Privilege status at their FFP. Headset, blankets given. IFE and WiFi functioned well, was given a headset of good quality. Even if I would have been offered a free business class seat, I would not have changed it for my given 69G seat. I have a full appreciation and pleasant experience from this flight and cant fault anything. FA were well groomed, well rested, and in a transmitting, sparkling mood. I spoke Thai with a hostess, Ms. Pisolaya, who was outstanding. Qatar delivers top notch at times, particularly in the air. Well done QR!
Saudia. Business 7/10
Travelled KWI-JED-BKK-RUH 26-27 October 2023 for the sole purpose of retaining my dear Gold Card with Air France. Aircrafts were A320-Neo and B787s, respectively. Could not check-in online; only for the last of the 3 legs, but that would be disallowed anyway as the sequence of travel legs must be adhered to. Thus, I became worried as I came to Kuwait from abroad for positioning to start the travel correctly. After some search I found the right transfer desk and got full cooperation but they could still not check me fully in but they rendered me lounge access until the travel became “unlocked”. Four hours prior to departure, a Saudia officer came. After some clarification from my side, he eventually produced all my 3 boarding passes; easing my mind and my onward logistics. By having the BPs I would be able to stay airside throughout travel. I was neither asked for passport again, neither in Kuwait, Jedda, or Bangkok. I love the ease, freedom, as the BPs does the entire job.
Kuwait airport can be a challenge for a first time visitor and Westerner. It is old, small and very Arabic, took some time to get orientation for transit. Few speak English, and they lack non-Arab exposure. The arrivers and the departurers are not separated and there are potential security issues. Throughout my three Saudia travels there was no premium towards priority passengers whether business travellers or elite card holders. Except for lounge access.
Dasman Lounge in Kuwait (KWI) has interesting exotic (Arab) food offerings. And, loads of softdrinks. Dry as a biscuit (no alcohol). Half of the guests are in the smoking room. Cigarets must be cheap, nobody smokes their sticks beyond half before throwing them as butts.
Onboard to JED, on the A320, the configuration was 2 x 2 in business, while 3 x 3 in economy. Huge seats, IFE, and advanced headset was available. The crew were good, attentive. Welcome drink were lemon mint juice. Thereafter, we had saffron yellow hot tea, which is a local delicatesse. After an early breakfast (Arabian choices), I had some sleep in the recliner. Flight on time.
Al Fursan lounge in Jedda must be a Mecca for lounge goers: it is the largest Skyteam lounge worldwide. A first class section provides even a cigar room and a date bar. Slumber rooms, caphes, authentic Arabic food stations, sports room, restaurants. Also, a piano podium is at disposition.
Next flight JED-BKK on a newer B787-10. Busgating, but quite quick. Nice cabin and chair. Even it was a window seat I could hardly reach near to it to view as the distance in the skewed seats is excessive. Safety belts are like car belts, which prevents the body from being torn apart in events of crashes. Nice touch. I saw cabin crew praying on the floor during travel; it makes me uncomfortable and I see it as a disciplinary issue. Welcome drinks offered. Menu cards. Dishes hard to understand for non-Arabs without supportive pictures.
In Bangkok, Saudia uses the quite ordinary, 3rd party Miracle Lounge for its business passengers. However, this is a conflict of interests as Miracle refuses acceptance of Saudia visitors until 3 hours before departure. Not acceptable. Me, as a Flying Blue gold card holder I could access the AF/KLM Skyteam lounge with ease some 17 hours prior to departure. The front desk told me that they refer Saudia Business travellers to the poorer Miracle lounges. Thus, FB status overtrumphs cabin class assignment; new lesson to be learnt. The SkyLounge in BKK is good and has improved a bit; nice showers, piano background music, sparkling wines and more food options than earlier. However, a bar, bartender, and a noodle station is still needed for it to cope with the three leading lounges in BKK which are SQ, QR, and CX. The many Thai lounges have fallen behind for long time humbled by an exploitative owner, who seems more focused on Premier League in UK.
Flight from Bangkok to Riyadh went smooth, though no WiFi onboard. At boarding, me and my hand-luggage was searched for possibly carrying any alcoholic drinks. I had a few, but they somehow passed. The anti-alcohol policy is more policed than for other dry carriers, e.g. PIA or Egypt Air. In Riyadh I was humiliated to pay 150 USD for transit visa, which was perceived as robbery; I had my onwards flight clearly sorted out but was forced to pay.
The verdict is very bumpy and mixed. I do like SVs pragmatic approach and their IT system works despite a few hiccups on inability to print out initial BP, while the subsequent have no issues. Flew on time all 3 flights. Given my earned mileage instantly after each leg accomplished. The membership to Skyteam is an invaluable asset and creates more international and ecumenical exposure to the airline and their staff, which is necessary for any expansion. A recurrent issue with SV appears (from 150 reviews read) to be missing or delayed checked luggage which leaves an angry mob behind and taints the company.
Onboard, hardware and IFE is very good and on par with the best carriers: luxury headsets, huge monitors, amenity kits, blankets, etc. Movies on offer are few and conservatively selected.The prayers for every kick-off do not add value to me. FAs praying on the floor during travel is also disturbing for comfort and service provision. Foods are fine, but difficult to orient into for non-Arabs. All FAs appeared to be Saudis? This results seemingly in limited international cultural understanding and limited Western exposure, value differences, and linguistic barriers. The alcohol ban onboard is known assumed pre-accepted by passengers. However, the culinary adventure and perceptions are somehow negatively effected by abstaining and adhering to this ruling. Airport transfers were easy throughout, no visa enforcements in Saudia despite conflicting information from various frequent flyers fora. Aircraft gate assignments were all announced early by email for all 4 airports (three flights) visited. For the price paid, I am happy and content, will travel again, and recommend. FFP-miles were credited instantly to my account. In total: a surprising, exciting, and exotic experience; deep into a predominantly Arab worldd
Qatar Airways. Economy 6/10
Riyadh to Doha 28-10 2023 on a full, late evening flight. Modern aircraft, A350-900Q. On time. Check-in became a hassle, as there were no transfer counters and I had to shift terminal by arriving with Saudia. Thus, I was bullied around and stressed by conflicting information. Eventually, I was forced to pay a huge sum for a transit visa, 150 USD, despite I was never on landside and had only 1 hour transit time. This scrupulous exploitation is unacceptable, just taking advantage of people in rush. QR are found guilty by neither having a transfer desk nor transfer service in a big international airport to where they are flying several times per day. The good thing is that they, upon my request, at least reopened the checkin counter allowing me to checkin even after the minimum time of 60 minutes had elapsed. A lady behind me was also late, but disallowed to checkin, contrary to me. So, at least I got some premium for my hefty visa fee. Boarding was smooth, despite the flight was fully stuffed apart from an empty seat next to me. No alcohol served onboard with reference to a holy national day in Riyadh. Onboard, served a cold mezze meal which happened to be still frozen. Only a single service round, and no service the last full hour prior to landing. Jetbridge provided in both ends. WiFi complicated but not working, a big waste of time trying to connect.
Rwandair. Economy 7/10
Flew Doha-Kigali 29 October after midnight on a worn B737-800.Qatar Airways had issued this award ticket for Rwandair and also issued the boarding pass prior to Doha arrival. Accessed the Gold Lounge in Doha (gate C14); its roomy and hold most facilities. Boarding smooth upon lengthy bus ride. Onboard, neither WiFi nor video entertainment were available. My preordered special meal was not granted. Received apology and reasonable alternatives. Three kinds of hot food was offered; all good, filling, and plenty. Drink rounds were generous, incl. Provision of good wines. I inquired possible access for 3 empty seats in a row as a Dream Miles gold card holder. FAs, who were good and professional, took action on it. Eventually I got my seats and managed to sleep. Flight on time.
Foul Mesdames. En arabisk, traditionel ret, som ser værre ud end den smager. Jedda Skyteam Lounge
Kæmpe buffet med kokke i Jedda Skyteam Lounge
Bageren laver yogurt-oste pizzaer. Arabisk specialitet. Jedda loungen
Softdrinks udvalget er, ikke uventet, gigantisk
Oliven udvalget fejler intet og smagen er top notch
Et konditori med mange sofistikerede kager-chokolader, etc.
Konditoriet set paa afstand. Længere væk er en virkelig proffessional kaffebar med en fuldblods, professionel barrista
Glimt fra date baren. Forventningerne var for høje...Som det fremgår er det ikke just Valentines Eve, og dates viser sig bare at være tørre dadler omend i forskellige udgaver.
En isbar kan man altid bruge.
Date baren på afstand.
Cigar lounges er altid gode og rettidige i en 1st class section
Slumber section 1st Class
Ombord på B787-10eren til Bangkok. Øllen er Estrella Damm med 0.0 procent alkohol
Entertainment er på Internationalt niveau. Øretelefonerne er de bedste jeg har haft nogensinde
Rejse mod vest fra BKK-RUH giver en flere timers lang solnedgang
Arabisk mezze på Qatar economy. Fikst, elegant, og velsmagende for en kort tur
Last edited:
