coffindodger

Try BMI out of RUH - LHR.

Bijilo123

You are right about the no booze of course but I have flown them and they had Phillipina waitresses and the service and standards were good. I also flew them internally and they were diabolical.

Whatever else you do do NOT EVER fly long haul with Kuwait Airlines.

typical

Saudi Airlines Al Fursan? Hahahaha. Good luck!

Good for lounge access (including Virgin Clubhouse in LHR T3, nice) and priority waitlisting.

Terrible for getting flights or upgrades.

coffindodger

If you are flying a lot why not use this !!

http://www.prioritypass.com/

I use this all the time, this gets you into the lounges at nearly all airports world wide.
You dont have to be flying business or even first class on any airline.
It is the airport not the airline.
It can also save you money by not having to change money and still have a small pocket full of useless change.
If you are flying long haul some of the lounges even have a shower so you can nearly feel human again half way in your flight if you have a stop over.

typical

Because it's really expensive, and absolutely not worth it if you spend a lot of time in Saudi Arabia...

I don't get your last point. When I've chosen to buy my way into the lounge (which I usually don't bother doing), I've used my credit card.

Or you can fly EK's A380 in F and shower on the plane

For the Middle East, a decent Amex card will get you into many lounges. Of course in many places you can get an Amex Plat and they'll give you two PP cards anyway.

coffindodger

All you have to use it about 4 times a year to break even.
not every one can afford to fly Ek and use the few minutes if the golden shower.
I used to fly EK but the service has gone down hill over the last few years.
Etihad (EY) are a much better airline.

Not every one has an Amex card,and
Putting the lounge on your cc will be expensive.

typical

Compared to buying yourself in, I guess so - depending on where you are.

Most lounges in the Middle East cost around US$30-50 to buy your way in.

The PP costs either $99 + $27 per visit, or $249 + $27 per visit with 10 visits free.

It costs SAR100 for lounges in Saudi Arabia, so hardly more than the standard PP charge. It costs AED150 for the Marhaba lounges in DXB I think (but both my Amex and Mastercard get me in to them free).

I still prefer EK to EY. EY is lovely on empty flights, but on the pack-and-stack ones I find the service even worse than EK.

It's not as expensive as you suggest, and unless you fly every week probably still cheaper than the PP.

lionheart

Don't KLM fly to/from Riyadh? If so, a weekend stop-over in Amsterdam can't be bad. Plus you can then fly directly to Manchester or wherever if you are not a Londoner.

Tillybean

I would avoid if more strikes are scheduled. Only because they arbitarily cancelled my internal UK flights when I was home a couple of weeks ago - not because they fell on strike days, but as a precaution! The cancellations were done 36 hours for the outbound and less than 12 hours for the inbound, causing frantic scrabbling to get a suitable replacement.

And for an airline to get my business, I have to believe that I can fly with them!! BA dont hit that mark. The quality of service has dropped dramatically and the costs have risen.

As an aside, on the EK/EY debate - I definitely prefer EK. Their business class configuration is so much nicer than on EY and the crew, generally, tend to be better. EY have a quicker check-in for business, but the upgrades and amenities in the lounges are not so good. Although the new business class lounge for EK in Dubai is a bit of a cattle holding shed!!

I also use the Priority Pass - given free with my Citibank/Emirates credit card. This, along with my silver FF card gets me into most lounges which can be very welcome when you have a really long layover in airports.

typical

I'm not always contrary, but...

I actually think the (new) lounge is one of the nicest things about flying EY. It's much more comfortable than EK's which does indeed feel more like a very large shed. It is always so noisy.

The only problem with J on EK is the sheer variability. They have old and bad planes as well as nice new ones (such as the A380, which really is a delight to fly - J does look cramped though, so we'll see how it feels compared to F).

Back to BA, having Gold with BAEC really is great for the free lounge access. I used to regularly pitch out in the BA lounge in DXB before flying EK (pre-T3). Sad that those days are long past.

ctfc

I flew on Saudia every week for best part of a year and they do have female cabin crew - always thought the girl who reads the news summary with the silky hair and cute gap between her teeth was quite hot

norsk

Yeah I saw someone else said that as well.

How could I ever have made such an assumption? I mean they let women drive, work, wear whatever clothes they want and everything don't they...

Anyway, please accept my apologies for being judgemental and I will be in the Khobar square this Friday after prayers ready to accept my punishment.

prwatts

Well, I took the plunge and bought BA. Cheap, and the times suited me. I am hoping that they have taken such a hit that they actually look after those that have the nuts to choose them (or are stupid enough) and try not to ruin the last few shreds of their reputation. And if they let me down I will spend all my spare time in the sand over the next 2 years flaming them at every opportunity. No-on can be THAT bad, surely?
Like, this is not Air ZimBobwe, is it???? How are the mighty fallen...

Bahtatboy

There's a new airline on the scene, called Corleone Air. Unfortunately their helpline is unhelpful, their groundstaff are obnoxious, their stewards will deliberately spill hot coffee in your crotch, and their planes hark back to an earlier age. You can only contact them through Lionfart Establishment for Travel Agencies Companies and Industry LLC.

Dirtyfilthymech

You get it free when you have a Platinum Amex charge card