Saudia 787 Business Class Jeddah to Singapore
The Verdict
Let down only by a dinner service that ran too slow for a 1am departure, this remains one of the more genuinely enjoyable Business Class experiences I’ve had out of the Middle East this year.
The buzz this year has all been about Riyadh Air, probably the hottest airline launch of the decade. But while they’re still finding their feet on a handful of routes, I wanted to know whether Saudia, the airline that’s actually been carrying the flag for decades, might be quietly upping its own game. So I booked myself onto their Business Class service from Jeddah to Singapore, on a relatively new 787-10, to find out.
As always, I paid for this flight myself. No press invite, no sponsorship, just an honest, come-as-you-are review.
Jeddah Airport
Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International is the primary gateway for Hajj pilgrims, with millions arriving from across the world, but tonight I was simply connecting.
The terminal’s only been operational since 2018, and it surprised me with how modern it felt, the layout reminded me a lot of Abu Dhabi’s new terminal, just with three piers instead of four.
No major European carrier flies here currently, British Airways suspended its service this year, though Wizz Air has quietly established a small base.
AlFursan Flagship Lounge
The AlFursan lounge sits on the upper floor of Terminal 1, and it makes a real entrance befitting a flagship product.
There are even loungers set up outside for the check-in queue, though at around 8pm there was barely anyone around to use them.
Boarding
King Abdulaziz International handles roughly 53 million passengers a year, so it’s a properly big operation, though the terminal design made it easy enough to find my way around.
Saudia has leaned hard into a new brand identity through the 2020s as it tries to compete with the Middle East’s big three carriers, and it’s still a serious player with a fleet of over 150 aircraft.
At gate area was already quite full when I arrived, with most passengers seated..
I managed to squeeze through the crowd to get a snap of our 6 year old Boeing 787-10..
Boarding itself, however, was chaotic and disorganised !
The gate area was an interesting mix of pilgrims returning home, migrant workers visiting family, and a handful of Western tourists thrown into the crowd.
There were no clearly marked priority lanes, so it became something of a free for all.
I only made it onto the aircraft early through sheer persistence, directly asking staff when Business boarding would begin..
The Seat & Welcome
Saudia’s 787-10s carry just 24 Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats, the same shell you’ll find on airlines ranging from AeroMexico 787 Business Class to British Airways Club Suites...
I was seated in 4L. Each seat measures 21 inches wide with a 43 inch pitch and a 17 inch HD touchscreen
| Feature | Saudia | British Airways |
|---|---|---|
| Seat shell | Collins Super Diamond | Collins Super Diamond (same shell) |
| Storage vs power/IFE access | Clear access, storage doesn’t block the console | Storage can get in the way of power points/IFE |
I found a pillow, bedding pack, personal headphones and a bottle of water already waiting.
Storage itself is generous, spread across three different levels within the seat, and I have to mention, I loved the boarding music playing softly in the background as passengers settled in.
As I got comfortable, I was greeted by name and offered hot towels and a welcome drink, I chose the signature date smoothie, which I love.
Arabic coffee and dates were also on offer, but I passed, not wanting anything to interrupt my ability to sleep on this late departure. For those that find warm cabins an issue, thankfully Saudia has kept individual air vents for Business !
The headphones provided weren’t true noise cancelling, but they were perfectly comfortable. Amenity kits were distributed shortly after.
With a nearly full cabin, we pushed back slightly ahead of schedule at 1am.
Dinner Service and the Dry Airline Question
Given the late-night departure, the first meal service is intentionally lighter. It’s worth addressing directly, Saudia is a dry airline, no alcohol at all.
The Business Class drinks and dining menu was as follows:
But take a look at the drinks selection they do offer! Personally, I think it’s a bit absurd some travellers won’t consider an airline purely because they can’t have a drink for eight hours. Like really?
Service began 42 minutes after takeoff, starting with a round of drinks before meal preferences were taken..
Wanting something light and healthy, I chose the salmon poke bowl, assuming it would arrive chilled and quickly.
I was wrong.
After a 20 minute wait, I half regretted ordering at all and found myself wondering whether I should have just gone straight to sleep. By the time the dish arrived, it was almost 3am in Jeddah/1am London time !
As I suspected, the salmon was heated for some reason, I guess it wasn’t smoked. I also wondered why the colour was abit odd, but it may’ve been the watermelon!
I finished it in about five minutes. It was good, I’d give it an 8 out of 10, but the wait took the edge off the experience.
Saudia 787 Restrooms
By the time I’d finished brushing my teeth, the cabin lights were already fully dimmed.
Saudia runs two dedicated Business Class restrooms on this aircraft, and both were well appointed and kept spotlessly clean throughout the flight.
Amenities, IFE and Sleep
Back at my seat, I took a proper look at the full amenity kit…
It’s an uber-luxurious selection from Lebanese designer Elie Saab, easily on par with what Qatar Airways offers in Business Class.
The seat itself transforms into a full flat bed, and I felt properly cosy settling in for the night…
Now the second reason I prefer this over BA Club Suites, is many many Club Suite seats now have a big gap between the two parts of the seat when laying them flat. This can make some seats rather uncomfortable to sleep in that even the mattress pad cannot fix.
There is no such issue with these seats here. I’m not sure if the choice of cushioning here makes the difference.
Beyond IFE System
Saudia Airlines has branded it’s IFE system BEYOND. The programming selection seemed decent, I only had a quick scan through movies and it was reasonably extensive, with a good mix of English/Arabic and Hindi movies. There were quite a few varieties of Series to get stuck into for these longer flights.
Though I mostly stuck with episodes of Lynley I’d already been partway through at home. You can browse the BEYOND IFE in advance of your flight here
With around five hours left to Singapore, I drifted off to sleep.
Breakfast and Landing
Breakfast was served an hour and 25 minutes before landing.
I went for the full local experience with the Saudia Sufrah: shakshouka-style scrambled eggs with tomato and feta cheese, served alongside bread and seasonal fruit…
As far as airline breakfasts go, this was a strong 9 out of 10, right up there with Turkish Airlines’ menemen. During breakfast there was a little bit of turbulence with the pilots keeping the seatbelt signs on. The crew were quite strictly following safety protocols and did not serve tea or coffee until the signs were off!
I was almost done with my breakfast, when I had the crew proactively come by and ask if I’m happy to be served my coffee in a cup when they can. This was a nice gesture, if otherwise they were not able to serve anything at all!
One quirk worth noting, there was no passenger window control at all in this cabin, windows were fully dimmed from takeoff, partially opened for breakfast service, and only fully cleared just before landing, revealing a fairly cloudy Singapore afternoon, which is fairly typical for the season.
Final Verdict
Landing into that gloomy Singapore afternoon, my own verdict on Saudia turned out to be the exact opposite.
This was a genuinely enjoyable, comfortable flight from start to finish. Staff and service were excellent throughout, and the amenities were more or less in line with premium Business Class standards. My only real gripe would be the pace of dinner service on a late-night departure like this one, speeding that up would let passengers actually maximise their rest.
I’ve got another Saudia review coming soon, so it’ll be interesting to see whether it holds up against this experience.
Booking
How to Book This Flight
If you’d rather pay cash, I found a one-way Business Class fare on this exact Jeddah to Singapore route for £924, which is solid value for a nearly 9 hour flight in a fully flat Business seat with this level of service.
Now that Virgin Atlantic has joined SkyTeam, Virgin Points can be used to book Saudia through the SkyTeam partnership, and the pricing works heavily in your favour here, that’s a gap of 35,000 fewer miles than the standard Flying Blue rate for the same seat, even accounting for the slightly higher taxes and surcharges on the Virgin redemption.
If you’re a Flying Blue member with miles to spare, 110,000 plus €111 is still a fair redemption for this cabin, but Virgin Points holders are currently getting the better end of the deal on this specific route. Any other SkyTeam airline miles that can be used for Saudia awards are also worth pricing out before you book, availability and pricing can shift, so it’s worth checking both programmes directly closer to your travel dates.
FAQ
Does Saudia have wifi on the 787-10?
Saudia’s stated policy is free wifi across all cabin classes, but the rollout isn’t yet complete across every aircraft and route. On this Jeddah to Singapore flight, I wasn’t able to get it working at all, so treat it as a nice-to-have rather than a guarantee until the rollout is finished.
What’s the baggage allowance in Saudia Business Class?
The standard Business Class allowance is 2 x 32kg checked bags. As a Flying Blue elite member, I was entitled to an extra 32kg bag on top of that through status, though I travel light and only checked a single 15kg bag on this trip.
Can I book Saudia Business Class with Virgin Points?
Yes. Since Virgin Atlantic joined SkyTeam, Virgin Points can be redeemed on Saudia flights through the SkyTeam partnership, and on routes like Jeddah to Singapore, Virgin’s redemption rate can work out notably cheaper in miles than booking through Air France/KLM Flying Blue directly.
Faze, founder of Wander Up Front and Elevate Your Stay, is a London-based travel specialist with a deep passion for aviation. With over 2 million miles flown, he has spent the last 8 years focusing on First and Business class experiences.
Faze provides straightforward, no-frills insights into premium airline products and services, sharing what matters to help travellers make informed choices.
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