SIN-MLE-RUH B787-9 Saudia Business Class
Saudia B787-9 Business Class - Middle Seats
A surprisingly nice Business Class experience with Saudia, with a great hard product, food and impeccable service. An underrated airline!
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Amidst a sweltering day in Singapore, we were determined to escape the heat. What better timing than to fly to Europe during their winter season!
Keen on securing a comfortable journey for the missus, I wanted to book an award flight to Europe, ut it proved challenging with almost no award availability 😢
In the end, I looked at Business Class revenue flights on Google Flights, and stumbled upon reasonably priced one-way Saudia flights. What piqued my interest even more were the multiple segments (SIN-MLE-RUH-FRA), promising to maximize enjoyment (at least from my perspective)🤣
Furthermore, this itinerary presented the opportunity to experience two distinct Business Class products on Saudia: the B787-9 version featuring a reverse herringbone layout from SIN-MLE-RUH, followed by the slightly less private but still enjoyable couple seats from RUH-FRA, on the A320.
Damage: $1300 for a one-way Business Class flight. At this price, I found it to be quite worthwhile, especially considering there were two flight segments.
Check-In
We arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 3 for luggage check-in, which was a bit unusual for me as I typically only travel with hand-carry luggage during my solo travels 😶. We only reached close to take-off time, partly due to the limited lounge options available for Skyteam Business Class passengers.
While there, we noticed a display promoting the latest Avatar movie, which tempted us to watch it once we returned from our trip!
Lounge and Boarding
There wasn't much incentive to arrive early, as Saudia Business Class passengers are invited to the SATS Premier Lounge at Terminal 3. But if you fancy some laksa before embarking on a long European journey (perhaps your last taste of Singaporean food for a while? 😆), you can make a quick stopover.
Boarding was at Gate A21, which was pretty near to the SATS Premier Lounge.
Seats
I did read up on online reviews of Saudia’s B787-9 Business Class, featuring the newer reverse herringbone seats, and a significant improvement over their previous angle-flat version. However, I still found myself pleasantly surprised when upon entering the cabin 😮. The The color scheme and design of the cabin exuded style, complementing the well-maintained seats.
Of course, we selected the middle seats, and in terms of intimacy, the inward positioning of the seats actually helped in reducing the distance between us. The relatively narrow barriers, such as the countertops, further enhanced closeness with the missus.
If you are a solo traveller, the privacy divider also does the job well enough to maintain a sense of seclusion between you and the seatmate.
Seat controls were also modern, with a touchscreen controlling the seat angle, legrest and reading lights. Much more sensitive than the traditional button controls!
Features
Besides noting on the privacy, there was ample storage available, with storage space on both sides of the seat.
There was also plenty of USB charging points and an IFE controller located inside one of the side storage space too.
A large dining tray, featuring appealing wooden tones, was situated below the IFE screen. However, its restricted y-axis movement will make it difficult for individuals trying to maneuver out of their seat to access the bathroom, as I found it later during the middle of meal times.
Wifi
In-flight Wi-Fi is accessible, with Business Class passengers receiving a complimentary Wi-Fi code via email upon online check-in. However, I found that it worked only intermittently, although I appreciated that it is complimentary! A nice touch from the airline.
Additionally, paid Wi-Fi plans are available with data-specific allocations, offering the following options:
App Messaging: Free with a data limit of 5MB
Text Messaging only: USD1.99
60 minutes of Internet access with a 50MB data limit: USD9.99
Personally I liked the text messaging option, but I found the Internet package to be somewhat pricey considering it only offered 60 minutes and 50MB of data. Nonetheless, I acknowledge its value for guests who require urgent internet access.
Amenities and Amenity Kit
A pair of top notch noise-cancelling headphones was provided, and were exceptionally comfortable, ranking among the best I've experienced on my flights so far!
Additionally, a burrito-shaped Personal Hygiene Kit was offered, which included a fancy Saudia-branded face mask and alcohol wipes.
The amenity kit, designed by Missoni, was truly impressive in my opinion. It featured a functional size and an abundance of amenities, including a comb, socks, eye mask, personal care products by Grown Alchemist, dental kit, earplugs, and even a lens wipe! Overall, it was a delightful offering, one of the best amenity kits that I have ever received.
As take-off approached, Saudia's safety video played, which started off with the customary prayer followed by a standard airline safety presentation in both English and Arabic, nothing fanciful and effectively serving its intended purpose.
In-Flight Entertainment
After take-off, I began to browse through the available options on the in-flight entertainment system while we were airborne.
The IFE screen boasted impressive quality and size, with a highly responsive touchscreen.
Regarding the selection of movies and TV shows, it was arguably not their strongest suit, offering a limited variety of the most recent movie releases. Ultimately, I opted to watch The Chronicles of Narnia, which brought back nostalgic memories and refreshed my recollection of the novels (although I hadn't really watched the movie series before).
Soon it was time for take-off, and Saudia’s safety video played with the expected prayer section as seen in most Middle Eastern airlines, and a perfectly typical airline safety video after that, both in English and Arabic.
Dining
Dinner service commenced with the appetizer: Tomato Basil Soup with Bread Assortment and Mixed Berries Juice. The soup was super delicious, and complemented the bread perfectly!
For the mains, I opted for the Lamb Kofta, which turned out to be remarkably tender! Impressive.
The missus chose the Sea bass with Bread Assortment and Mixed Salad. She noted that the fish meat was slightly tough.
Dinner service ended with a Middle Eastern Dessert - Bird’s nest kunafa. While enjoyable, it didn't quite match up to the one I had experienced in the Qatar Airways First Class Lounge.
The missus selected the New York Cheesecake, which she found to be exceptionally delightful!
Chocolate was served after dinner, a thoughtful gesture from the crew!
After a nice sleep on Saudia’s lie-flat bed (more on that in the next section), breakfast service started about 2 hours before landing. I wanted a more local taste and chose the Arabic breakfast - served with falafel, fruit assortment, goat cheese and coffee. Which was not exactly a correct option btw Perhaps I was still not accustomed to the Middle Eastern flavours yet?
If you noticed that I did not mention on the alcoholic drinks, that was because Saudia is a dry airline, hence the drinks were non-alcoholic. Apple juice and sparkling water were good enough for me!
Sleep Experience
After thoroughly enjoying my dinner service, the cabin lights were dimmed, signalling time to settle in for some rest before our stopover in MLE (for about 1 hour). The sleep experience was exceptionally comfortable, with ample legroom. In fact, the missus didn't wake up in time for the landing in MLE 😆. I also managed to get some great sleep both before and after the stopover.
However, it's worth noting that privacy may be lacking in the reverse herringbone seats (in which I did not felt as obvious on the Qatar Airways version), so it's something to consider if privacy is a significant concern for you.
Bathroom
Nothing particularly special about the bathroom, but I have a soft spot for wooden floorings in toilet (don’t ask me why 🤣🤣).
Bathroom amenities were provided by Patic Fragrance, which I found interesting as it's apparently a local Saudi brand by the Saadara Group!
Service
Beforehand, I had read online reviews about Saudia’s Business service, which were mixed. Fortunately, the service on this flight was excellent, with attentive and professional crew who ensured a smooth transition during the stopover at MLE. It was interesting to observe the MLE airport cleaning crew coming into the Business Class cabin firsthand.
With that, we landed at Riyadh Airport in the middle of the night and began preparing for the long overnight layover.
Conclusion
Our inaugural flight on Saudia was a really pleasant one! We were really impressed with the hard product and service provided, and the new lie-flat Business Class middle seats stood out as one of the better ones that we have experienced so far. Another strong addition in the Skyteam impression list!
