RIYADH, 8 July — “Excuse me, but would you please move to that seat over there? We’re trying to seat a family together,” said the steward to the male passenger. The passenger, obviously unhappy, complied with the steward’s request and moved.
“Excuse me, but can I see your boarding passes, please? OK. Do you mind moving to that seat over there so this woman can sit next to another woman?” said the supervisor to a male passenger. Sound familiar? If you have guessed I’m talking to a Saudia flight steward, you guessed right!
It was last Wednesday and my wife and I were going to Arab News in Jeddah to host a party for the staff to celebrate our marriage. Flight SV1087 was scheduled to leave Riyadh at 11:30 p.m. and arrive at 1 a.m. We had booked a hotel in Jeddah and informed them that we would be there at 1 a.m. according to schedule. Though we should have begun boarding at 10:45 p.m., we didn’t start until 11:15 p.m. The flight was delayed by 50 minutes and we arrived at 1:50 a.m. When we got to the hotel, they had canceled our booking. Thank you, Saudia!
During the past year, I have made several trips a month between Riyadh and Jeddah. And almost every single time, the flight is delayed because families insist on being seated next to each other or because women refuse to be seated next to a strange man. Why does this happen on almost every flight? There might have been an excuse for it in the past but it happens every day — and nothing is done. I have more than once been shown a computer screen and asked to choose my seat. Why aren’t all passengers — particularly families — given this option? Who is responsible for this regular chaos on Saudia? Don’t Saudi ground staff know their own Saudi traditions? Don’t they know that Saudi women will refuse to sit by strange men? This is not a new problem on Saudia but it is one that has caused problems— not for years but for decades. I have a suggestion for Saudia management. Why not allot the last six rows on all Saudia flights to women? That way the flights would not be delayed because there would not be the usual chaos before take-off. Upon boarding, all female passengers, including children, would go to their seats in the rear of the aircraft. No fuss and no chaos because there would be no men in the rear. This might not be the ideal solution to the problem but can anyone else produce one? After all, our public buses have male and female sections. Our schools, universities, banks and other institutions are segregated by sex. Why not our airline?
The other thing I would like to suggest to Saudia’s management is that all Saudi flight crew, including pilots and co-pilots, receive a course in how to deal politely with the traveling public. Flight SV1087 was delayed by 50 minutes and most passengers were fanning themselves with magazines and newspapers. The AC of course does not work until take-off so not only did we have to endure the usual chaos of seat changing but we had to suffer the heat while doing so. And there was not a single word of apology from the flight crew for the passengers’ inconvenience. And to add fuel to the already smoldering fire, we passengers on Saudia have to deal with flight attendants who often behave as if they were robots instead of humans capable of smiling and showing any pleasant emotion. For once I would like to be on a Saudia flight where stewards and stewardesses smiled at passengers as they distributed food and asked if they could be of any assistance instead of always waiting to be asked. The behavior of the flight attendants especially in what Saudia calls “Guest Class” is appalling. The flight attendants in that cabin treat the passengers as if the latter were applicants for charity rather than as if they are passengers who have paid good money for the flight and also some semblance of service.
And just so I can get everything off my chest, I would like to mention another point. Several years ago, Saudi Arabian Airlines boasted of its new aircraft. They were new and every seat, we were told, had its own TV screen so passengers could enjoy a film, a TV show or any program aired on the flight. Surprisingly, on all domestic Saudis flights, ear phones are not distributed to passengers and no show of any kind is broadcast on any flight. What was all the boasting and bragging about? The TV screens are there but they are useless and passengers cannot even enjoy listening to the radio, let alone watching a film. Now I ask you: Does this sound even remotely like a first class world airline? Is this is what we Saudis and expatriates should expect of the national carrier? Or must passengers continue to suffer because Saudia, being the only carrier in the Kingdom, enjoys a monopoly? What about an answer from Saudia management?
