Welcome to my return trip report on Saudia Airlines!
The luggage issue still lingered very much in my mind especially with the way the airline dealt with my issue at that time. Its nonchalent attitude towards me speaks volume of the airline and whether this is a one off incident, it gave me a disappointing impression. Anyway, a few days before departure, I did a check on the aircraft for my flight and apparantly the aircraft type was changed from the 787-9 to the 787-10 aircraft and to make it even more surreal, I would be flying on the same aircraft (HZ-AR29) from London Gatwick to Jeddah and from Jeddah to Singapore. This means there is not an excuse for the airline to leave my luggage behind at Jeddah airport. Did lightning strike twice? Do read my Part 2 of the trip report to find out whether I received my luggage at Changi Airport.
So without further ado, let's begin this trip report!
Inflight entertainment
My flight summary
Welcome to Jeddah!
On the day of departure
At this point, I became quite familar with Gatwick airport and it was quite unusual because I normally fly in and out of Heathrow airport.
The check-in desks for Saudia Airlines, I was there when I arrived into U.K, to sort out my luggage issue.
The entrance into North Terminal, London Gatwick Airport.
Since there was nothing much to explore at the landside, I made my to the airside via security check.
Once security check was done, I had to walk through this duty free shop to access the gate area.
It was so easy to find my flight information. (Hint: The one with the green logo)
Passing through the duty free shops.
This is probably my last visit of this airport for this year. My next trip to London, I am looking at coming back by a different airport, stay tuned for it!
The airport layout information
During the busy period, it can be challenging to find a vacant seat.
This way to the my flight's gate.
My ride to Jeddah and Singapore!
This is the new livery which brings back the retro identity of the 70s and 80s.
A retro photo of the airline photographed in 1985, thanks to Paul Robinson.
This is the airline's Boeing 747SP!
A few more candid photos of this Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner.
Which angle of the aircraft do you like best?
For the weather, it was a complete opposite of what I experienced when I arrived into this airport a few days ago with Air Europa.
Time to board!
However, we were stuck here for a good 15 minutes or so.
This would be my first time flying on Saudia's aircraft featuring this livery.
My ride: HZ-AR29
Flight route: LGW-JED
Distance: 4,715km
Average Flight Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Airlines flying on this route: Wizzair and Saudia
Currently: No flights between this 2 cities
My seat: 65A
(Photo: Aerolopa.com)
Date of departure: 26th February 2026
Airline: Saudia Airlines
Flight: SV100
Route: LGW-JED
Terminal: N
Gate: A34
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 (Changed to 787-10)
Registration: HZ-AR29
Load: 100%
Flight Time: 8 hours 50 minutes
Actual Flight Time: 8 hours 58 minutes
Schedule departure: 1400
Boarding: 1318
Push Back: 1358
Take Off: 1416
Schedule Arrival: 2300
Actual Arrival: 2246
Departure Weather: Cloudy
Departure Runway: 28R
Arrival Weather: Partially Cloudy
Arrival Runway: 34R
My flight experience
Boarding took place in groups and it took a while before my turn to do so. It was almost a full flight at least for my cabin as every seat was taken up and I chose a window seat to enjoy the view. Unfortunately, I was sitting beside a rather large size gentleman and it got a bit uncomfortable after a while (nothing against him).
It took a while before everyone was settled. The aircraft even pushed back when a few passengers were still keeping their items at the overhead compartment. The crew should have told them to be seated immediately. Once the engines were started, we were on our way. At this time, the airport was not busy but the weather was deteriorating as every minute passed. This sort of weather is very common in London so I am used to it. I did a check on the weather, I would expect a bit of turbulence due to some cross wind during the flight path and that did happen but once the turbulence subsided, the crew started service and some of the passengers began to dress up to do their prayers as it was still the Ramanda period. Eventually the weather was better and the turbulence stopped and it was smooth for the rest of the flight. I managed to get myself entertained for the 5 hours and a half hours. By the last hour, I was a bit restless and couldn't wait to get out of the aircraft. It was a combination of uncomfortable seat due to tight legroom space and the slightly noisy environment has made me feel this way.
For the inflight meals and service, there was nothing much to shout about. We arrived at Jeddah airport ahead of time and I was fortunate to fly with this airline at this point of time because just a few days later, the middle east war started and flight cancellations inevitably happened not long after. If I had flown a couple of days later, I would have been affected.
Welcome to Cattle Class!
The airline's male crew in the airline's uniform.
The cabin interior
This is my seat for this flight, seat 65A.
Since I had to pay for the front cabin even during web check-in, I decided to choose whatever seat that is available for free in the rear cabin. This is the one of the few airlines that still charge you during web check in for seat selection in this section of the aircraft.
I wouldn't mind paying more if there is better legroom space such as better seat width and seat pitch but not for this regular seats.
Just like my photos of the other aircraft I flew on in this class, whether its in old or new livery, the cabin interior is the same.
The last few rows of the front cabin of the economy class.
Each passenger receives a pillow and blanket which is placed on each seat.
This crew member was one of the better ones on this flight.
The front row of the rear cabin. Do note that the window seat of the first row may have limited legroom space due to the emergency door.
Do you all think that the airline should update the seats? I am not a fan of this colour to be honest. But hey, to each his own!
Beware of the windowless seats: seat 62A and 62L!
One advantage of sitting at the windowless seat is you are able to use the wall partition as a pillow support.
I originally chose the second last row, seat 67L but decided to change to 65A.
If you sit at the last few rows, you will be sitting beside the section dedicated to Muslim prayers.
Another view of my seat.
The overview of the cabin
The electronic dimmed window was not locked by the crew on this flight.
Time to disembark!
On my next flight, I would be sitting on the right side of the aircraft and I spotted my seat.
What's provided for each passenger?
Disposal Bag
Safety card
Safety video being played
One highlights about flying with this airline, you get a complimentary amenity kit even in economy class.
It is such a pretty amenity kit, agree?
A bottle of water
My choice of beverage during the meal service: orange juice
This is dinner - I opted for the chicken pasta option which comes with bread, salad, cake, a bottle of water and a choice of beverage. Saudia does not serve alcoholic drinks.
About an hour or so before arrival, we were given a snack - vegetarian pastry to enjoy and I selected the same beverage as the previous meal service.
I won't go too much into details as I have covered this on my previous trip reports but at least it is user-friendly and there are enough movies to keep myself entertained for this afternoon flight.
I am certainly a fan of 'Now you see me' movie. I certainly recommend it. There are currently 3 parts and a 4th is currently under production.
Safety video
Earplugs are provided.
It is good to keep track of the emergency procedure just in case if the worse scenario happens.
One thing I need to inform you readers is if a slide evacuation is required, for ladies, you need to remove your high heel shoes as they may puncture the slide, basically no sharp objects should come in contact with the inflatable slide.
This was quite a nice movie.
This is the inflight map.
The airport layout of Jeddah airport.
I was able to use the Picture-in-picture feature of this inflight entertainment system.
Window view photos
(Take off to Landing)
Passing by this Easyjet A320ceo aircraft.
Beautiful sight of the passenger's bridge of Gatwick airport in this gloomy weather.
Whose A320 is this? Answer is revealed at the bottom of this trip report.
The taxi ride to the runway took quite a while.
We competed with this A320 racing to the threshold.
We were second but better late than never!
Off we go in this dreadful weather.
We were greeted by some cross wind during the take off.
I miss the blue skies!
Just a few moments before we hit the clouds.
Fortunately for us, it was hardly turbulent when we flew through these clouds.
We were finally out of the clouds.
Flying in good weather at this point.
Flying over the mountain alps.
A few hours later, we were greeted with this beautiful evening light.
What a beautiful view, right?
It was night time when we started our descent into Jeddah.
We flew through some clouds with just a few minor bumps along the way.
The city of Jeddah appeared.
Do you prefer night or daytime view when flying? Personally I like night time view especially in clear weather.
A few moments before landing.
We touched down ahead of schedule.
We reached our assigned gate and this gate would also be where I would be departing from.
My flight summary
Welcome to Jeddah!
I had less than 2 hours on transit.
For transiting passengers, we had to go through security and passport/boarding pass check before being allowed into the airside.
The blue hue mood lighting makes it feel like time travel or some sort.
What it is, I find this airport to be not bad at all.
Once we passed security, we have to pass through the duty free shop.
This is the main concourse.
There are shops and restuarants to check out.
To be continued!
What's coming up next? My part 2 of my Saudia Airlines flight experience!
My ratings
Airline Website/Mobile App: 4/5
Airport Experience (Gatwick): 3/5
Inflight Service: 3/5
Seat Comfort: 4/5
Inflight Entertainment: 3/5
Cabin Ambiance: 4/5
Cabin Condition: 5/5
Cleanliness: 4/5
Inflight Meal/Beverage: 3/5
Punctuality: 5/5
Total Score: 38/50
Percentage: 76%
Conclusion
Well, what can I say about the behaviour of some of the passengers on this aircraft. I can't put the blame on the crew because simply there are a lot of them seemed to be ignorant of some of the basic rules of flying such as to remain seated before departure and after arrival. With announcements being repeated to ensure a few of these passengers to remain seated, fortunately they settled down eventually.
For the flight, there was quite a bit of turbulence during take off, once we were out of U.K, the rest of the flight was smooth and for the inflight cabin, it became quite active after the seatbelt sign was turned off, it was undestandable that some of the passengers went over to the praying area to do their prayers. For the inflight service, it was alright, nothing much to shout about but credit must give to them for able to manage this slightly more challenging set of passengers without issues. Despite the flight time being less than 6 hours, I felt like an eternity and was happy to get off the aircraft after arrival. This was certainly not the best flight, but it was one that I felt slightly uncomfortable after a few hours. It is one of those are occasions that I kept looking at the flight arrival time and furthermore I had another flight after this. Anyway, I would do an overview thoughts on this airline and at this point, did I receive my luggage on arrival in Singapore? Do read my final part of my Saudia flying adventure, coming up soon.
Thanks for reading! Hope you have a good one and as always, see you in my next blog post!
Cheers,
Charles Ryan
For my previous trip report (Air Europa Part 2: Business Class MAD-LGW), click here.
For the next trip report (Saudia Airlines final part: JED-SIN, coming up soon!
Answer: Titan Airways
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