Flight Review: Saudia Economy Class B787-9 (emergency exit seat)
Flight#: SV228
From: Barcelona (BCN)
To: Jeddah (JED)
Flight time: 5h 30min
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
A recent trip to Saudi Arabia to attend the 2025 Aerospace Connect Forum in Jeddah, a conference to showcase the Saudi plans and ambitions in the aerospace manufacturing and services industry, provided a long-awaited opportunity to try out a truly unique airline: Saudia.
And when I say “unique” I refer to a number of elements in the passenger experience that are shaped by this airline’s role as a flag carrier of Saudi Arabia and the role this country plays in the Islamic world.
Before we move onto the actual flight experience, let me say that the pre-flight experience was both rather smooth and unremarkable.
I could complete the check-in online easily, although I had to head to the check-in counter at the airport, since I didn’t get a digital version of the boarding pass. This may be by design, since some airlines from outside the EU make you get the boarding pass in person at the airport when flying from a European airport.
Cabin and Amenities
Saudia operates its B787-9s with a two-class cabin with a total of 298 seats (24 in business and 274 in economy class, the latter in a 3-3-3 configuration).
I was in economy class, but, to my delight I was asked at check-in whether I would like a seat by the emergency exit, which comes with huuuuge space!
What’s more, I had no one else seating on my row, so by so as far as personal space is concerned, the experience felt pretty premium.
Also worth noting two other elements that, I think, are not airline-specific, but part of the Dreamliner experience: the large overhead bins and large windows (also dimmable, but since this was a night flight, a feature I really didn’t use).
Below you can get an idea of how the typical economy class seat looks like. Seat pitch is pretty generous (32-34”) and the cabin lighting and seat leather upholstery give a kind of plush atmosphere, even in economy class.
Every economy class seat had a pillow and a blanket.
A couple of small details about the toilet:
Touchless flush
Full set of toiletries
It also looked larger than in other aircraft types I have been to recently, I don’t know if that’s specific of the B787 (a type I don’t fly often) or is it just a subjective impression.
Also worth noting that the toilets are also used as changing rooms throughout the flight, since a significant number of passengers change into white robes before going to the prayer room at the back of the cabin.
Inflight Entertainment (IFE) on Saudia
Saudia offers internet connectivity on its long-haul flights through several different internet plans.
The most simple one is free but fairly limited in what it allows you to do. Quite literally it is just enough to checkin briefly your messaging apps while inflight and little more, since it is capped at 3MB.
If you wish to browse more stuff during the flight you would need to opt for one of the two internet access tiers, priced at $20 and $50 respectively.
I did try the free messaging and it worked well, but I lost connectivity very soon. I guess I had hit the 3MB limit!
When it comes to more classic IFE, Saudia’s Dreamliners are equipped with seatback screens (in my case, since I was on an emergency exit seat, the screen was sliding sideways and up and held in front of me by a retractable metal arm).
Saudia IFE portal offers a movie and content catalogue with a decent number of titles (although I must confess I hadn’t heard about many of them, but I am not very up to date in cinema matters, so take my opinion here with a pinch of salt). The one thing that caught my attention is that the moving map offered quite a broad array of options, including one showing “boundaries” (see screen right menu) and even maritime borders (which is quite interesting for those of us interested in this topic!).
Seatback IFE is controlled mainly through the screen, which was quite responsive, although there is also a control console on the side of the seat (I didn’t use it though).
The crew distributed simple (but still Saudia-branded!) headphones at the start of the flight. Also worth noting that there were universal in-seat power outlets (good time to remember that, while this is not an issue on the plane, Saudia Arabia uses UK-style electricity plugs, so if your electronic devices were bought in the US or the EU, better get yourself an adaptor for when you land!)
The religious component: what’s unique of the Saudia experience
Saudia Arabia is a very religious country, as one would expect taking into account that the Kingdom is the custodian of Islam’s two most sacred sites. This close link of Saudi Arabia with the islamic religion is also reflected in its flag carrier in a number of ways.
No alcohol on Saudia flights. Not a drop. Zero. And the food is, of course, halal 100%.
A prayer is sung on the aircraft’s screens and audio system before the flight.
Lots of religious content available on the IFE platform
The aircraft is fitted with a dedicated praying area at the back of the cabin (see below). Flights to Jeddah, in particular, carry a significant number of pilgrims going to Mecca, something that you can tell from their pilgrimage robes. Also during the flight, many passengers get changed into prayer attire and spend time in this area.
Food and drink
This was an evening flight, departing late afternoon and arriving in Jeddah in the early hours, so the main meal was dinner.
As mentioned earlier, no alcohol of any type is served on Saudia’s flights (in complicance with Saudi and religious laws), but this is an opportunity to try Saudi coffee, which is a mild, highly spiced type of coffee. In some ways more similar to tea than traditional roasted coffee.
So, we had a date, a cup of Saudi coffee (soft drinks and fruit juices were also available) and a bottle of water as welcome snack.
A couple of hours into the flight arrived the main meal. There were three options: chicken with rice (depicted), pasta bolognese and a vegetarian option.
The food was really tasty, particularly the chicken with rice, but also the salad that was served as entrant. The dessert was also ok, although not my favourite type of sweet.
The crew passed still two more times before landing in Jeddah.
On one of the occasions they offered snacks and drinks (Saudi coffee, soft drinks or fruit juices).
And they passed by yet one more time to offer another round of drinks and a chocolate (which, by the way, was particularly flavourful, spiced up somehow, I don’t know exactly how).
This time I opted for “conventional” black coffee, which was also very good.
Our Take:
Saudia offers a nice and well-rounded experience. This comes, of course, with some specificities, as we have commented above. As long as you don’t mind spending a few hours in the air without booze, it can offer you a comfortable experience to travel long haul.
