RIYADH, 10 September 2003 — Saudi hospitality is renowned the world over and is a valuable asset in the recent move to upgrade tourism within the Kingdom. However, warmth and hospitality are not the top priority for some local airport staff, who are more likely to drive people away with their unfriendly attitude, a persistent cause of grief for many passengers, residents and visitors alike.

“Visitors arriving in the country for the first time are likely to form their first impressions about the place from the way they are treated at the airport,” said Perween Sultana. “A negative experience will leave them with a negative impression.”

Sultana, who has been in the country for over 20 years and has an extensive record of both domestic and international travel, said that when compared to a few years earlier, there are more Saudis today who speak fluent English and are well trained in customer service. But she added that the changes have been slow, and the airport is one of the many places where courtesy and communication skills are still lacking.

Jawaid Ali, who works in Riyadh and travels frequently on business to domestic and foreign destinations, has ample experience with local airport and airline staff. According to Ali, some airport staff members, especially those at security checkpoints, are at times unnecessarily rude to the passengers.

Ali also pointed to a number of other issues that could hamper the Kingdom’s efforts to increase travel within the Kingdom. One problem is discrimination against passengers of certain ethnic backgrounds, a complaint voiced by several passengers interviewed by Arab News.

“There is definitely unequal treatment, especially for expatriates,” said Ali.

A number of passengers Arab News spoke to said that they had been subject to unfair treatment simply because of race, ethnicity or social status.

For instance, many of them complained that Saudis and Westerners are often given “VIP treatment,” while others, usually those from the subcontinent and other developing countries, are often hassled for no apparent reason.

For instance, at King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jeddah, an elderly couple from Pakistan were stopped at a security checkpoint and told that their documents were not in order, a wrongful assumption on the part of the security officer who did not bother to carefully examine the documents in the first place. When the elderly gentleman tried to explain his case, the officer refused to even listen and quickly started speaking in a rude and derogatory tone, without any consideration for the advanced age of the man in front of him. Although the officer later accepted the documents as legal, he offered the couple no apology for his rudeness and simply brushed them off. However, his whole demeanor suddenly changed as the person standing behind the couple stepped forward. This well-dressed Saudi gentleman, briefcase in hand, was spoken to with the utmost courtesy and respect and quickly sent on his way without any delay.

An officer (name withheld) at King Khaled International Airport admitted to Arab News that discrimination toward some passengers was a problem at the airport. He added that part of the problem was that some of the staff employed are simply not interested in properly performing their jobs and might unnecessarily give some passengers a hard time. He said that some Saudi staff in particular were often laid back about their work and caused problems. “A lot of people have been complaining,” he said.

As a result of their laid-back attitude toward work, some staff may ignore certain airport regulations and requirements, such as being polite to the passengers.

Another problem Ali pointed to was the communication barrier between foreign travelers and airport staff members, several of whom speak only Arabic.

Khalid Al-Ghefaili, operations director at King Khaled International Airport, told Arab News that language skills, while a bonus for airport staff, were not a major requirement.

“Those in managerial positions usually speak fluent English,” said Ghefaili. “But ordinary airport staff speak a mix of English and Arabic.”

He added that the lack of English in the lower ranks was a problem everywhere and not just limited to the Kingdom.

With regard to customer service, Ghefaili said that if one of the staff members was unnecessarily rude, his behavior should be immediately reported to the concerned authorities.

“All passengers who have a problem with a member of staff should report to the airport duty manager,” he said. “The airport duty manager will take action and immediately correct the situation.”

Syed Abid Ali, who lives in America and recently visited the Kingdom with his family, said he was disappointed to find that customer service and common courtesy were not always at the forefront of public dealing in Saudi Arabia.

Ali said that he was particularly angered by his experience at Madinah airport. After they had checked in most of their luggage, Ali and his family moved to a security gate only to be confronted by an angry officer who started shouting something in Arabic. The reason the officer bawled them out was the one remaining piece of luggage that Ali had not checked in and had believed small enough to be taken on board the plane. Rather than politely asking him to check in the remaining luggage, this officer apparently thought yelling his instructions in an authoritative manner would be more effective.