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Love your content Dan. Would never travel enough to benefit from it. But your videos are chill to watch and educational. Big aviation fan myself. Quick question your blood pressure drops when you get sick? That must be a nightmare never heard of that before.
Announcements for Mecca are not to "appeal to a segment". It's a religious requirement for the people going for pilgrimage or umrah. Once they pass a very specific geographic area (otherwise known as Miqat) they have recite a certain prayer to start their religious journey, otherwise it wouldn't be accepted. The announcements are to let everyone know that the plane is passing by the geographic area.
Emirates does announce when we are near Makkah. I've flown JED to DXB just last year. It has to do with significance with Islam and the hajj/umrah practice.
why on earth would the receptionist being a woman stop you from asking for a refund at the hotel? It seems potentially sexist to assume that saudi women couldn't handle a mild bit of conflict?
Pilots sitting in vacant seats in the cabin is actually a common practice in other airlines too. Doesn’t seem like they were disturbing u in anyway, and were just minding their own business yet this is worthy of a complaint? Hmm.
I've had food poisoning on a flight from Taipei a few years back and that was the worst, it was so bad I could barely even walk through the terminal. I hope you felt much better after you arrived. That was so nice of him to show you all the food options, although probably not the most enjoyable part for you this time! Another great review, and your seat maps are so awesome lately!
Your hotel 'wake up" procedure at 5 am - I stayed at the Aerotel in Bahrain a few weeks ago due to an 8 hour delay of GF coming in from LHR - this plane was the one to continue to Bangkok. I had exactly the same experience with someone trying to open the door twice. Are these people insane? Thanks for your great trip reports as always and greetings from Frank, Najomtien, Thailand!
What is it with Aerotels? Never stayed in one but this seems decidedly weird, and I'm really shaken by the fact the staff don't seem to care. I'm a woman often travelling alone. Don't think I'll be staying at one of these places anytime soon.
Wow. Someone trying to get into your room is absolutely terrifying. Especially with the phone not working too. I would’ve thought that was an inside job to get robbed/hurt. I’m really glad you’re safe.
I actually had that happen in Australia, my home country. I was alone and woke up to a person standing over my bed looking at me. I froze,he left and it turned out to be the front desk creep. This was a small motel. Lesson learnt, make sure you have a door with a bolt inside.
@@ttdur8102 yes, but of course they denied it. It was a family run motel across from the hospital I worked at, I was staying one night as I had special training next day and thought it would be easier. Big mistake.
For deaf people whose first language is a sign language, reading subtitles can be more challenging as it can be possible that they're not fluent in written language (and the spoken language of their region differs from their own sign language, they are separate languages with different grammatical structures). Providing them with signed safety instructions makes it more inclusive :)
Isn't sign language "regional" and national as well though? I mean French and American sign language are only 30% intelligible so I am not sure how much that would circumvent the problem. I am quite curious which is the sign language of choice and how easy to understand for speakers who have a different sign language as first language
I don't think he was questioning the sign language interpreter. He was questioning why despite having an interpreter there was no subtitles and only safety video in Arabic. Having that in just one language (or practically two) but without subtitles for those who don't speak Arabic sounds everything but inclusive.
the 5ish morning scare actually coincide with morning prayer time. not sure if they got the wrong room and wanted to wake you up for the morning prayer. regardless they shouldnt attempted to open your room door without consent.
Hey dan, the announcement you meant at the approach to jeddah is for passengers who are going to perform umrah, there's something that is basically a ritual for declaring the intention to do the umrah to god that is prformed in specific locations around mecca for people who are coming from outside the mecca region, so they have to tell the passengers to declare it because if they don't their umrah is not accepted, so the first announcement is to tell the passengers to be ready, and the second is when the plane flys over that location so they can do it, and I think all planes coming into jeddah are obligated to do that, even emirates and Qatar airways I haven't flown saudia in like 15 years but that's what I remember, hope it helps
Sorry to hear about your bout with food poisoning. I certainly can relate having an episode where I prayed to God to take me. That episode change my life and I have been more careful about what I eat and where I eat. I also take Bismuth Subsalicylate when I travel and use it at the first sign of trouble or proactively, like before a flight. Away from home I shy away from food that is not cooked (salads, salmon tartare, sashimi…etc.). One last piece of advice: I get the unpleasantness of throwing up but this is your bodies natural response to eject the poisoning agent. Often the digestive system and accompanying symptoms recover much faster after throwing up. Take care and thank you for the professional videos.
16:46 The time it takes for food poisoning symptoms to start can vary depending on the specific type of bacteria or virus involved, as well as the amount of contaminated food consumed. In general, symptoms of food poisoning can appear within a few hours to several days after consuming contaminated food. For example, symptoms of food poisoning caused by Salmonella bacteria can appear within 6-48 hours after eating contaminated food, while symptoms of food poisoning caused by Clostridium perfringens can appear within 6-24 hours. However, it is important to note that some types of food poisoning, such as those caused by certain strains of E. coli or Listeria bacteria, can take longer to develop and may not appear for several days or even weeks after consuming contaminated food.
I had food poisoning on my first flight ever on an A380 (I had been looking forward to it so much)- I think it was with Cathay Pacific, from Phuket to London Heathrow. The night before we had a fish dinner on the beach in a small place and I guess the poisoning was from that meal. We were travelling Business thankfully and the crew couldn't be more helpful- they even asked one of the pilots if he had some medication with him- which he did and gave to me. They kept serving tea and water, called ahead to the airport for wheelchair service as by then I was too weak to walk and even got someone at the airport to buy one of those horrible tasting fluo pink rehydration drinks. Oh well, it was certainly a special way to get to know the A380 ;-)
I think you are probably talking about Thai Airways, because Cathay Pacific doesn't have any a380s, and Phuket is in Thailand, so I am only guessing. Or it could be British Airways. But anyways sorry for your bad experience, but atleast the crew and the staff didn't disappoint ;)
@@ninettemurk7492 I don't think that Qatar had a380s at that point...I think they got them like maybe 4 or 5 years ago although I am not sure. Also if it was Qatar, I am pretty sure that there would have been a stopover in Doha since that is the hub of Qatar.
I was a flight attendant for 20 years and my only explanation for the first flight running behind with no reported delays is headwinds or unannounced deviating around bad weather. I've flown with my share of pilots who should be flying cargo instead of people because they just don't communicate when there's a problem. And some pilots purposely fly slow for extra money (we only got paid when the aircraft door was closed). I once had a concussion because my captain didn't tell me we're about to decend through a massive storm cloud. I wasn't the only one injured. 6 passengers were sent to the hospital. So yeah, it definitely sounds like the pilots you had either were bad at communicating, or they were dragging the tail for extra money.
That's an attractive airport and hotel. Too bad about the food problem and the hotel intrusiveness is a bit disturbing. Can't imagine I would ever have that particular journey. Your vids are very good and you always make it interesting to watch. Bravo.
All carriers are required to annouse approaching Meca, prior of 30 minutes, and abeaming. Therefore, Emarties does that. Make sure you correct that sir.
i dont get it. what's so bizzare abt your saudia biz class experience? to me the worst part of your trip was at the hotel where u got woken up 3 times. but that's nothing to do with saudia the airlines itself.. 🤷♂
Let's be honest, I remember when you said you wouldn't fly Saudi Airlines due to political reasons being abuse of human rights.. etc.. But, you had absolutely no problem flying and praising El-Al, the israeli airlines despite israel's abuse of human rights on daily basis. Airline reviews aside, I'm having trouble with accepting your principles.
Israel is a vibrant democracy surrounded by states that wish to annihilate it. Show me ONE neighbouring country of Israel where Jews are free to practice their religion or gays can live freely. Muslims in Israel can.
Jeddah travel is super chaotic- especially during Ramadan when you went. We also dealt with being behind Umrah tour groups of hundreds of people for whom this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which shows in how they navigate the airports, baggage control etc. I was there for the same reason though so I just tried to be patient and polite even when the airport staff treated me as though I was born yesterday at times
flew Saudia for the first time in March from Manchester to Manila in Economy. Was surprised at how comfortable their 777 was, I was in a 9 abreast configuration and the seats felt like premium economy on other airlines with a generous recline. The crew on all 4 flights were outstanding and accommodating, the food was OK. I think Jeddah airport is OK, but it feels a little "hollow", though theres plenty of restaurants and I was excited to try Al Baik fried chicken ! I believe Saudia now offer complementary transit visas and hotel stays for a few nights which I missed out on, but would be interesting to get a taste of Saudi Arabia in the future. Agree with your points about cultural progress, but same can be said for much of the ME unfortunately; usually the best way to fly from Western Europe to SEA is via a Gulf Arab airline, so kinda have to swallow your morals.
reason why they have so many economy class for indonesia is bcs they are their biggest market for the pilgrimage to Saudi every single year especially during Ramadhan.. And lower class people do spend their whole life savings just to do the pilgrimage..
One suggestion if I may. If I was flying a Saudi Arabia airline I would definitely respect their religion and modesty and just wear a long sleeve shirt or top especially with women. Remember your a guest in any country or their airline. 😊
Sorry to hear about your troubles Dan. With all the travel I've done over years, I never had poisoning on the road. Keeping my fingers crossed... as for Saudi Airlines, maybe it is not in Emirates league, but there are certainly many worse options out there)))
The reason why they gave him a wake up call at 5 in the morning is so he can eat Suhoor before daybreak and start fasting for Ramadan. They just assumed he was also Muslim and would like to be woken up as well.
@@bobpop8842 And they don't say anything while attempting to do this and go as far as actually opening the door with a key card? 🤨 No, someone likely thought the room was empty and this was a miscommunication.
Food poisoning typically occurs 24-72 hours after ingestion due to the need for the bacteria/virus/fungus(rarely) to duplicate in the body. So people typically associate the wrong meal with their symptoms or wrongly associate it as poisoning altogether. Things such as norovirus can be picked up on any surface and is very common but also associated with food borne.
It's wonderful to peel back the curtain and see how the "other half live", and it's great to see how knowledgeable you are, and how much you enjoy the complete experience. I was lucky enough to have travelled business class one time, and wow did I enjoy it!!! Thanks for giving me these insights to enjoy vicariously 🙂
I travel with activated charcoal because the last place I want to be with stomach issues is an airplane. Activated charcoal will remove whatever is upsetting your stomach so you won't get sick. 😊
I made perhaps 30 visits to KSA for a client in Jeddah, flying in from all directions and using QR, RJ, FlyNas and Saudia. I found the Saudi -- including Saudia -- crews unfailingly cheerful and warmly welcoming. The food on Saudia was first-rate. The bureaucracy behind them can be formidable, intimidating and -- at the limit -- disappointing. Jeddah's new King Abdul Aziz Airport was just finishing -- before Covid -- and your shots do it justice as a sculpted presence w extraordinarily majestic color, sweep and curves. Saudia does bring Islam into the passenger compartment. There have been prayer areas in the way back of the 777s, w rugs where several rows are removed. I also was onboard for a special sunset moment in Ramadan once -- flying Jeddah to Dubai. All souls on board were invited to reflect and to pray. As a Christian, I thought it was lovely. My sense is Saudia flies new-ish, if not new-er aircraft, very well maintained. Were i not a One World person, or if they flew to Chicago, i might use them more. (PS -- If you are outbound from JFK, arrive early. They do the Riyadh flight and then the Jeddah flight right after each other -- so it's a mob scene for several hours. Get in and set, retreat to the lounge as long as you can.} Thank you, Dan. Hope you are feeling better.
@The_Gambler10since the airline are very close to the government in Middle East, you can say that the Middle East airlines are a little reflection of the country. Air France in Europe is great, specially the new cabine in 777-300 er
As a fairly new subscriber, I so enjoy your reviews. The quips are absolutely hilarious and informative. I just watched your JAL Biz video and I'm even more excited to fly with them next month. Keep it up!
I have used Saudia quite a lot of times. Not in Biz just Cattle. I can confirm the crew and ground staff are most polite and efficient. The economy cabin is, I believe, a shade more comfortable than any other airline I use. I am a long time KLM Air France customer. Other Airline seating seems extremely flimsy and in no way comfortable enough for a +5 hr flight. (Think you will know exactly where the coccyx is installed.) Anything Internet is extortionate in Saudi Arabia. Blast the hotel admin online. Your security is important and getting decent sleep important too. Agree with pumping the brakes when dealing with a woman in Saudi. But you probable wouldn't have got very far off the ground if it was a guy.
Keep up the fantastic work Dan! 👍 Your content is the most informative and professional out there, I really like your seat maps. So sorry to hear that you had food poisoning on the flight, well done for continuing the review!
I am really curious about why someone was trying to get into the room?? and why?? that is so disturbing. did you find out? or does anyone know more about this?
Food poisoning is the worst. Spolis everything. Ever the professoinal, you still managed to get a video out. Glad you recovered, Dan. Thanks for sharing.
"Lucky they were women at the front desk, else I'd have requested a full refund." Why are you treating men and women differently? Are the female staff not capable of giving you a refund? What's your rational on this please Dan.
@@NonstopDan with all due respect, that’s BS. What would expect? Management beating her because of the refund? Seriously? Do you think we’re a lawless jungle? This is extremely racist and ignorant.
@@NonstopDan Women in Saudi Arabia would want to be treated indifferently to men, especially in workplaces. With what you did, you were helping promote the gender stigma in our country. You could have easily asked for a refund and see where the process goes.
I flew Saudia in august 2022 and it was weird. Got an amenity kit with toothbrush and eyemask in eco. Crew was amazing too. However connecting in Jeddah can feel like you are in limbo. It’s super cold and you can’t really rest there. Saudia is also not really informative when in comes to delays. We got delayed for 1h then we boarded, then deplaned and needed to wait for a replacement plane. That came and for some reason we now had a stop in Riad. All in all 5h delay and no explanation. But the ticket was 400€ round trip FRA to BKK so you can’t really complain
ولله فشلتونا يا خطوط السعودية عند أجانب يقول هل تعبان انو ما يبي يسفر بخطوط السعودية مره ثاينه و يقول مدير رحلة اعطيه ورقة تقييم و حط اسمو فوق هل مدير عشان يقيمو كويس
Great video Dan! I flew Saudi business back in October and (apart from the food poisoning!) had a very similar experience. Lovely crew, great onboard Chef, and then male pursers who literally did nothing, sitting down chatting amongst themselves for most of the flight! I have a flight with Qatar tomorrow flying from UK to Delhi. Very excited to experience the Business Class cabin on the 787-9 ! Loved your video on that experience too. Happy flying
It seems that you were rating the Saudi culture rather than Saudia at some points of the video. Anyway, you missed an extremely important point, the price to value ratio. Saudia is no Emirates or Etihad, but their price to value is absolutely great. If you had to travel on Emirates for the same kind of flights you would easily pay 2.5x the price you paid on Saudia, let alone the terrible loyalty programs other airlines have.
wow,, you were furious..BUT NOT SCARED?! im saudi myself and this made me so scared oh my god. im in riyadh and trust me it’s better than jeddah but that’s besides the point..we literally leave our garage door open because how safe it is but idk anymore…😢
Got terrible food poisoning on my Saudi Airlines connection from Dubai to Jeddah last year after a 16 hour flight from LA, the jetlag only added to it and it is easiy the worst flight I have ever experienced. Was knocked out for a few days after that
You’re on Saudia finally I thought you’d never go on it Also about saudia they’re great but not consistent I’m pretty sure that during busy flights on business menus aren’t distributed to passengers or maybe the flight and about the 777 herringbones are only on flight to the us and Europe always from Riyadh and most of the times but not all to Jeddah were sometimes 777s with the 2-2-2 config and for more details specifically about the 777s and the regs all 777s from hz-ak11 to 35 is with the 2-2-2 usually the have more business seats but yours I think is a smaller part of the fleet but part of the planes I listed above then hz-ak36 to 43 is the 3 class with 1-2-1 business and first which are only sent to us and Europe and never Asia while the others are sometimes sent to the us and Europe but through Jeddah and about their 787s they are all with the same configuration between both -9s and -10s both ahving the same amount of business with the latter having just more economy
Pocari Sweat is a life saver for food poison. I had gastro in Japan (damn you Hokkaido boba at Ueno market) over new year eve, missed out NY day. Discover Pocari from friends and it's been a fav ever since. and yes Japanese toilet is great with gastro 😉
Ugh, I had food poisoning on a flight from London to Sydney from the SA lounge in Heathrow. I spent the first leg throwing up in the bathroom. You have my sympathies!
@@Ufor332 first time he was sleeping and the second time he was sleeping too I'm pretty sure no one would have had the time to film that or rather it must have just gone away by the time he wanted to film it and the third time he was in the shower so I think all the reasons are justified
I suspect the housekeeping staff messed up the wake up call time, found the phone was not working, and tried to wake him in person, worried about him missing a flight. Bad things happen everywhere, but Saudi is one of the safest places in the world. I cannot imagine someone trying to force into a room for illicit reasons, in the middle of Jeddah airport especially.
Emirates should start doing announcementd when near Mecca for flights to Saudi non-muslims won't understand but it's very useful when going for umrah / hajj
Dan maybe you got into the wrong plane maybe if you book saudia again make sure it’s boeing 787-10 they serve you a great food the crews are on a different level and I’m sorry for what happened to you
It is strange that, for all the oil revenues the country generates, their national airline lags so far behind the standards of other international carriers.
Omg the purser putting their own name down for compliments is beyond 😂 Super interesting review, Dan! I feel like Saudi seems to want to dive headfirst into tourism a la Dubai, but they’re still lacking so much in the way of like… common sense? Like the gourmet food on board doesn’t take away from the grossness of having to look at the pilots’ bare feet 😂 The basics/details matter and glitz and glam doesn’t make up for bad fundamentals.
Dan, I am with you. I will do whatever I can to avoid throwing up. But when it comes, and I can't hold it down, I get quick relief. I know this, yet I avoid it! Glad to see you feel better.
Lived and worked in KSA for 10 years. Due to contractual rules, I had to fly Saudi Air every 3rd flight while going on vacation. (3 company tickets a year). Worst airline ever. The worst leg was from Jeddah to Al Kohbar on the oldest 747 I have ever flown in. Thousands of 'loose rivets' flying in formation! Needless to say, I would never fly with them again.
My guess to what happened in the hotel is thats muslim celebrate Ramadan this month and thay can only eat while the sun is down so they have a guy that wake people up super early so they can eat
in my opinion its kinda cool that the pilots sitting with you and making himself at home. he doesnt feel uncomfortable whatsoever and thats a good sign no one should
Travelling with food poisoning is my worst nightmare 🥹 I was in transit in Dubai trying to sleep and I woken by housekeeping vacuuming outside my door at 4am for two hours !!!
Does anyone know why the Euro price of the hotel is higher than the USD price? The Euro is stronger than the dollar even a month ago. I am just curious. Great video, Dan!
I hope it wasn't too embarrassing in such a tight space. At least you have evidence of the food you had on the first flight, and hopefully the hotel. You were lucky in this instance. Health is Wealth.
I had food poisoning a few months ago flying Emirates First, and I kid you not I shat my pants 🤢 on the plane as they were serving dessert. If the plane didn’t have a shower and I didn’t have a second pair of pants in my carryon I really dont think I would’ve survived those 9+ hrs on the plane
Hey Dad, Just some constructive feedback: I think the coding/loading part of the airline seatmap really slows down and gets me disinterested in the video - I think it was far more effective, engaging and fluid when you went straight into the seat map in the past. Just wanted to improve the structure of the vid!
Great review, Dan - food poisoning on a 10 hour flight is my idea of absolute hell, so we’ll done for surviving. The fact that you were badly treated / looked down upon by the Pursers is so infuriating. You were dressed perfectly appropriately for travelling, and the way both acted sounds entirely unprofessional. I pity the poor stuff needing to work under them! This does not make me want to fly Saudi at all, and to be honest I am not remotely sad about that!
I flew Saudia in economy a month ago and i can relate with your experience. The female crew were amazing, male on the other hand not so much but maybe it’s a Saudi thing don’t know (friendliness comes in different forms). Economy hard product was good. Legroom amazing, IFE simply crap and outdated but i usually sleep or listen to my own music. Transit experience was a bit disorganized as multiple long haul flights arrived at around the same time. Would i fly them again? Probably yes if the price is right 😊
It has an interpreter in there because for any passenger who is deaf and sign language is their first language they can understand the instructions in the safety video just like the other passengers and I’m currently taking an ASL class for this semester too
Next time you fly to Japan, you should fly to Seoul direct flight from Jeddah, and it's better by the Dreamliner, the 777. If you want a good experience, you can fly from JED to LAX or IAD or From RUH to CDG, LHR, and JFK
I'm finally back after a month of intense travel! Click my CoPilot link go.mycopilot.com/NonstopDan to get a FREE TRIAL with your own expert fitness and health coach🏃♂
First comment
Good vid
How was Japan? It’s one of my top 3 countries in the world 😍
My favorite day of the month- Dan day!!
Love your content Dan. Would never travel enough to benefit from it. But your videos are chill to watch and educational. Big aviation fan myself. Quick question your blood pressure drops when you get sick? That must be a nightmare never heard of that before.
Announcements for Mecca are not to "appeal to a segment". It's a religious requirement for the people going for pilgrimage or umrah. Once they pass a very specific geographic area (otherwise known as Miqat) they have recite a certain prayer to start their religious journey, otherwise it wouldn't be accepted. The announcements are to let everyone know that the plane is passing by the geographic area.
A video of someone battling their own prejudices.
If you watched the video and ignore the nitpicking, it comes across as a decent airline and airport.
Oh you mean ignore any of the criticism, right.
Emirates does announce when we are near Makkah. I've flown JED to DXB just last year. It has to do with significance with Islam and the hajj/umrah practice.
why on earth would the receptionist being a woman stop you from asking for a refund at the hotel? It seems potentially sexist to assume that saudi women couldn't handle a mild bit of conflict?
It is inherently sexist to assume that
@@ajwadsabanocalm down
Pilots sitting in vacant seats in the cabin is actually a common practice in other airlines too. Doesn’t seem like they were disturbing u in anyway, and were just minding their own business yet this is worthy of a complaint? Hmm.
For real! I flew first class from the Dominican to Dallas, had a pilot in uniform on the flight next to me. Ended up talking to him the whole time! 😂
Besides: it HIS cabin 😅
He is so out of touch for real
I've had food poisoning on a flight from Taipei a few years back and that was the worst, it was so bad I could barely even walk through the terminal. I hope you felt much better after you arrived. That was so nice of him to show you all the food options, although probably not the most enjoyable part for you this time! Another great review, and your seat maps are so awesome lately!
Your hotel 'wake up" procedure at 5 am - I stayed at the Aerotel in Bahrain a few weeks ago due to an 8 hour delay of GF coming in from LHR - this plane was the one to continue to Bangkok. I had exactly the same experience with someone trying to open the door twice. Are these people insane?
Thanks for your great trip reports as always and greetings from Frank, Najomtien, Thailand!
What is it with Aerotels? Never stayed in one but this seems decidedly weird, and I'm really shaken by the fact the staff don't seem to care. I'm a woman often travelling alone. Don't think I'll be staying at one of these places anytime soon.
yeah id be pissed.. id f em up. If it were my wife that it happened to? Forget about it. Dan's too nice, but that's what we like about him
Wow. Someone trying to get into your room is absolutely terrifying. Especially with the phone not working too. I would’ve thought that was an inside job to get robbed/hurt.
I’m really glad you’re safe.
I actually had that happen in Australia, my home country. I was alone and woke up to a person standing over my bed looking at me. I froze,he left and it turned out to be the front desk creep. This was a small motel. Lesson learnt, make sure you have a door with a bolt inside.
@@louise7552 So scary 😭
Did you address it later??
@@ttdur8102 yes, but of course they denied it. It was a family run motel across from the hospital I worked at, I was staying one night as I had special training next day and thought it would be easier. Big mistake.
@@louise7552 Wow. I’m glad you’re okay. That’ll be something I look out for as well
@@ttdur8102 definitely. I never considered being unsafe in a motel before this.
Saudi transit visa (up to 4 days) is free if you fly with Saudia btw
For deaf people whose first language is a sign language, reading subtitles can be more challenging as it can be possible that they're not fluent in written language (and the spoken language of their region differs from their own sign language, they are separate languages with different grammatical structures). Providing them with signed safety instructions makes it more inclusive :)
Isn't sign language "regional" and national as well though? I mean French and American sign language are only 30% intelligible so I am not sure how much that would circumvent the problem. I am quite curious which is the sign language of choice and how easy to understand for speakers who have a different sign language as first language
I don't think he was questioning the sign language interpreter. He was questioning why despite having an interpreter there was no subtitles and only safety video in Arabic. Having that in just one language (or practically two) but without subtitles for those who don't speak Arabic sounds everything but inclusive.
@@SirEdmundBlack oh I thought he questioned why the interpreter rather than the subtitles. You are probably right !
@@sarahbrivio4159 There is a form of international sign! I don't know it, don't know anyone who knows it, but it exists.
Well... if you start a trip full of prejudices... the outcome most probably looks like... 🙄
the 5ish morning scare actually coincide with morning prayer time. not sure if they got the wrong room and wanted to wake you up for the morning prayer. regardless they shouldnt attempted to open your room door without consent.
Hey dan, the announcement you meant at the approach to jeddah is for passengers who are going to perform umrah, there's something that is basically a ritual for declaring the intention to do the umrah to god that is prformed in specific locations around mecca for people who are coming from outside the mecca region, so they have to tell the passengers to declare it because if they don't their umrah is not accepted, so the first announcement is to tell the passengers to be ready, and the second is when the plane flys over that location so they can do it, and I think all planes coming into jeddah are obligated to do that, even emirates and Qatar airways
I haven't flown saudia in like 15 years but that's what I remember, hope it helps
Sorry to hear about your bout with food poisoning. I certainly can relate having an episode where I prayed to God to take me. That episode change my life and I have been more careful about what I eat and where I eat. I also take Bismuth Subsalicylate when I travel and use it at the first sign of trouble or proactively, like before a flight. Away from home I shy away from food that is not cooked (salads, salmon tartare, sashimi…etc.). One last piece of advice: I get the unpleasantness of throwing up but this is your bodies natural response to eject the poisoning agent. Often the digestive system and accompanying symptoms recover much faster after throwing up. Take care and thank you for the professional videos.
16:46 The time it takes for food poisoning symptoms to start can vary depending on the specific type of bacteria or virus involved, as well as the amount of contaminated food consumed. In general, symptoms of food poisoning can appear within a few hours to several days after consuming contaminated food.
For example, symptoms of food poisoning caused by Salmonella bacteria can appear within 6-48 hours after eating contaminated food, while symptoms of food poisoning caused by Clostridium perfringens can appear within 6-24 hours.
However, it is important to note that some types of food poisoning, such as those caused by certain strains of E. coli or Listeria bacteria, can take longer to develop and may not appear for several days or even weeks after consuming contaminated food.
I had food poisoning on my first flight ever on an A380 (I had been looking forward to it so much)- I think it was with Cathay Pacific, from Phuket to London Heathrow. The night before we had a fish dinner on the beach in a small place and I guess the poisoning was from that meal. We were travelling Business thankfully and the crew couldn't be more helpful- they even asked one of the pilots if he had some medication with him- which he did and gave to me. They kept serving tea and water, called ahead to the airport for wheelchair service as by then I was too weak to walk and even got someone at the airport to buy one of those horrible tasting fluo pink rehydration drinks. Oh well, it was certainly a special way to get to know the A380 ;-)
I think you are probably talking about Thai Airways, because Cathay Pacific doesn't have any a380s, and Phuket is in Thailand, so I am only guessing. Or it could be British Airways. But anyways sorry for your bad experience, but atleast the crew and the staff didn't disappoint ;)
@@sushants.3023 It wasn't Thai Airways either. Maybe Qatar? It was around 2010.
@@ninettemurk7492 I don't think that Qatar had a380s at that point...I think they got them like maybe 4 or 5 years ago although I am not sure. Also if it was Qatar, I am pretty sure that there would have been a stopover in Doha since that is the hub of Qatar.
@@sushants.3023 You're right. But it wasn't Thai either. If only I didn't have food poisoning then, maybe I could remember it from their food ;-)
@@ninettemurk7492 maybe British Airways
ive had a great experience with saudia , but i hope you get better soon
Quite a harrowing experience. Being unwell and travelling that distance, even in business class, must have been awful. Hope you're doing better now.
I was a flight attendant for 20 years and my only explanation for the first flight running behind with no reported delays is headwinds or unannounced deviating around bad weather. I've flown with my share of pilots who should be flying cargo instead of people because they just don't communicate when there's a problem. And some pilots purposely fly slow for extra money (we only got paid when the aircraft door was closed). I once had a concussion because my captain didn't tell me we're about to decend through a massive storm cloud. I wasn't the only one injured. 6 passengers were sent to the hospital. So yeah, it definitely sounds like the pilots you had either were bad at communicating, or they were dragging the tail for extra money.
That's an attractive airport and hotel. Too bad about the food problem and the hotel intrusiveness is a bit disturbing. Can't imagine I would ever have that particular journey. Your vids are very good and you always make it interesting to watch. Bravo.
Saudia lost an A330 in the conflict in Khartoum recently I believe which is really sad news, hopefully the war ends very soon
All carriers are required to annouse approaching Meca, prior of 30 minutes, and abeaming. Therefore, Emarties does that. Make sure you correct that sir.
i dont get it.
what's so bizzare abt your saudia biz class experience?
to me the worst part of your trip was at the hotel where u got woken up 3 times. but that's nothing to do with saudia the airlines itself.. 🤷♂
Let's be honest, I remember when you said you wouldn't fly Saudi Airlines due to political reasons being abuse of human rights.. etc.. But, you had absolutely no problem flying and praising El-Al, the israeli airlines despite israel's abuse of human rights on daily basis. Airline reviews aside, I'm having trouble with accepting your principles.
Israel is a vibrant democracy surrounded by states that wish to annihilate it. Show me ONE neighbouring country of Israel where Jews are free to practice their religion or gays can live freely. Muslims in Israel can.
Hope you felt better real quick Dan, you're a super star for carrying on with the review ❤
I’m going through a lot and your videos are helping me get my mind off things. Thanks Dan!
I don’t know you. But I sincerely hope things get better and your future clearer quickly.
Jeddah travel is super chaotic- especially during Ramadan when you went. We also dealt with being behind Umrah tour groups of hundreds of people for whom this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which shows in how they navigate the airports, baggage control etc. I was there for the same reason though so I just tried to be patient and polite even when the airport staff treated me as though I was born yesterday at times
flew Saudia for the first time in March from Manchester to Manila in Economy. Was surprised at how comfortable their 777 was, I was in a 9 abreast configuration and the seats felt like premium economy on other airlines with a generous recline. The crew on all 4 flights were outstanding and accommodating, the food was OK. I think Jeddah airport is OK, but it feels a little "hollow", though theres plenty of restaurants and I was excited to try Al Baik fried chicken !
I believe Saudia now offer complementary transit visas and hotel stays for a few nights which I missed out on, but would be interesting to get a taste of Saudi Arabia in the future. Agree with your points about cultural progress, but same can be said for much of the ME unfortunately; usually the best way to fly from Western Europe to SEA is via a Gulf Arab airline, so kinda have to swallow your morals.
reason why they have so many economy class for indonesia is bcs they are their biggest market for the pilgrimage to Saudi every single year especially during Ramadhan.. And lower class people do spend their whole life savings just to do the pilgrimage..
One suggestion if I may. If I was flying a Saudi Arabia airline I would definitely respect their religion and modesty and just wear a long sleeve shirt or top especially with women. Remember your a guest in any country or their airline. 😊
Sorry to hear about your troubles Dan. With all the travel I've done over years, I never had poisoning on the road. Keeping my fingers crossed... as for Saudi Airlines, maybe it is not in Emirates league, but there are certainly many worse options out there)))
The reason why they gave him a wake up call at 5 in the morning is so he can eat Suhoor before daybreak and start fasting for Ramadan. They just assumed he was also Muslim and would like to be woken up as well.
@@bobpop8842 And they don't say anything while attempting to do this and go as far as actually opening the door with a key card? 🤨
No, someone likely thought the room was empty and this was a miscommunication.
@Bob Pop Not true because if you are a muslim and traveling, you are not supposed to fast.
Food poisoning typically occurs 24-72 hours after ingestion due to the need for the bacteria/virus/fungus(rarely) to duplicate in the body. So people typically associate the wrong meal with their symptoms or wrongly associate it as poisoning altogether. Things such as norovirus can be picked up on any surface and is very common but also associated with food borne.
100% this is from fecal coliform on contaminated food. Lack of sleep and jet lag decrease your immunity. Consuming lots of water is a must.
13:54 when he said “stay tuned” I actually got an ad 😂
It's wonderful to peel back the curtain and see how the "other half live", and it's great to see how knowledgeable you are, and how much you enjoy the complete experience. I was lucky enough to have travelled business class one time, and wow did I enjoy it!!! Thanks for giving me these insights to enjoy vicariously 🙂
I travel with activated charcoal because the last place I want to be with stomach issues is an airplane. Activated charcoal will remove whatever is upsetting your stomach so you won't get sick. 😊
The stuff is awesome. Was given some when I had dysentery in Mongolia! Have used it ever since..has saved me on many occasions lol.
@@JP-oe4ry I had to take it on my flight returning home from Switzerland last fall & I'm so happy I had it with me. That would've been pure misery
Looks very good with retro looking brown seats and curtains. not sure what made it so bizarre?
I made perhaps 30 visits to KSA for a client in Jeddah, flying in from all directions and using QR, RJ, FlyNas and Saudia. I found the Saudi -- including Saudia -- crews unfailingly cheerful and warmly welcoming. The food on Saudia was first-rate. The bureaucracy behind them can be formidable, intimidating and -- at the limit -- disappointing. Jeddah's new King Abdul Aziz Airport was just finishing -- before Covid -- and your shots do it justice as a sculpted presence w extraordinarily majestic color, sweep and curves. Saudia does bring Islam into the passenger compartment. There have been prayer areas in the way back of the 777s, w rugs where several rows are removed. I also was onboard for a special sunset moment in Ramadan once -- flying Jeddah to Dubai. All souls on board were invited to reflect and to pray. As a Christian, I thought it was lovely. My sense is Saudia flies new-ish, if not new-er aircraft, very well maintained. Were i not a One World person, or if they flew to Chicago, i might use them more. (PS -- If you are outbound from JFK, arrive early. They do the Riyadh flight and then the Jeddah flight right after each other -- so it's a mob scene for several hours. Get in and set, retreat to the lounge as long as you can.} Thank you, Dan. Hope you are feeling better.
@The_Gambler10since the airline are very close to the government in Middle East, you can say that the Middle East airlines are a little reflection of the country.
Air France in Europe is great, specially the new cabine in 777-300 er
Thank you sir for your nice fair review.I hope you visit and injoy saudia in the near future.
As a fairly new subscriber, I so enjoy your reviews. The quips are absolutely hilarious and informative. I just watched your JAL Biz video and I'm even more excited to fly with them next month. Keep it up!
I have used Saudia quite a lot of times. Not in Biz just Cattle. I can confirm the crew and ground staff are most polite and efficient. The economy cabin is, I believe, a shade more comfortable than any other airline I use. I am a long time KLM Air France customer. Other Airline seating seems extremely flimsy and in no way comfortable enough for a +5 hr flight. (Think you will know exactly where the coccyx is installed.) Anything Internet is extortionate in Saudi Arabia. Blast the hotel admin online. Your security is important and getting decent sleep important too. Agree with pumping the brakes when dealing with a woman in Saudi. But you probable wouldn't have got very far off the ground if it was a guy.
Total agreement.
Keep up the fantastic work Dan! 👍 Your content is the most informative and professional out there, I really like your seat maps.
So sorry to hear that you had food poisoning on the flight, well done for continuing the review!
I am really curious about why someone was trying to get into the room?? and why?? that is so disturbing. did you find out? or does anyone know more about this?
I feel sorry for you but I travelled saudia business class it was so smooth
Can i say that i love you mr. nonstop dan. you are excellent and give seriously good reviews. Kudos. Way better than anyone
"someone opened the door and at this point i am angry' I WOULD BE TERRIFIED!! Haha
Food poisoning is the worst. Spolis everything. Ever the professoinal, you still managed to get a video out. Glad you recovered, Dan. Thanks for sharing.
"Lucky they were women at the front desk, else I'd have requested a full refund."
Why are you treating men and women differently?
Are the female staff not capable of giving you a refund?
What's your rational on this please Dan.
Have you spoken to any Saudis in Saudi Arabia? If you had, you'd understand.
@@NonstopDan Kindly explain to us all.
@@NonstopDan with all due respect, that’s BS. What would expect? Management beating her because of the refund? Seriously? Do you think we’re a lawless jungle? This is extremely racist and ignorant.
@@NonstopDan Women in Saudi Arabia would want to be treated indifferently to men, especially in workplaces. With what you did, you were helping promote the gender stigma in our country. You could have easily asked for a refund and see where the process goes.
Hi Dan hope your feeling better, love your videos Thanks for posting!!
I flew Saudia in august 2022 and it was weird. Got an amenity kit with toothbrush and eyemask in eco. Crew was amazing too. However connecting in Jeddah can feel like you are in limbo. It’s super cold and you can’t really rest there. Saudia is also not really informative when in comes to delays. We got delayed for 1h then we boarded, then deplaned and needed to wait for a replacement plane. That came and for some reason we now had a stop in Riad. All in all 5h delay and no explanation. But the ticket was 400€ round trip FRA to BKK so you can’t really complain
ولله فشلتونا يا خطوط السعودية عند أجانب يقول هل تعبان انو ما يبي يسفر بخطوط السعودية مره ثاينه و يقول مدير رحلة اعطيه ورقة تقييم و حط اسمو فوق هل مدير عشان يقيمو كويس
بجاحة
Tbh i love saudia, i often use them from
Frankfurt to the middle east or asia
I recently flew on there 787 business class and it was good in my opinion
Great video Dan! I flew Saudi business back in October and (apart from the food poisoning!) had a very similar experience. Lovely crew, great onboard Chef, and then male pursers who literally did nothing, sitting down chatting amongst themselves for most of the flight!
I have a flight with Qatar tomorrow flying from UK to Delhi. Very excited to experience the Business Class cabin on the 787-9 ! Loved your video on that experience too. Happy flying
Enjoy your flight tomorrow😍
Not at all clear what was wrong with the flight except that you didn't like the purser?
Yeah, I was thinking the same
It seems that you were rating the Saudi culture rather than Saudia at some points of the video. Anyway, you missed an extremely important point, the price to value ratio. Saudia is no Emirates or Etihad, but their price to value is absolutely great. If you had to travel on Emirates for the same kind of flights you would easily pay 2.5x the price you paid on Saudia, let alone the terrible loyalty programs other airlines have.
wow,, you were furious..BUT NOT SCARED?! im saudi myself and this made me so scared oh my god. im in riyadh and trust me it’s better than jeddah but that’s besides the point..we literally leave our garage door open because how safe it is but idk anymore…😢
Yay! Nice to see you back Dan 💜
I did like the lounge at Jeddah. It has open door sleeping cabinets.
Fresh pizza, dedicated bar service.
Most airlines, including emirates, will announce when they’re near Mecca on routes to Jedda, because that’s when the umrah starts.
Got terrible food poisoning on my Saudi Airlines connection from Dubai to Jeddah last year after a 16 hour flight from LA, the jetlag only added to it and it is easiy the worst flight I have ever experienced. Was knocked out for a few days after that
I recently flew on saudia economy their cabin crew is amazing but the entertainment system is quite small not having many options
Can you make a video of first class of Cathay Pacific ?
You’re on Saudia finally I thought you’d never go on it
Also about saudia they’re great but not consistent I’m pretty sure that during busy flights on business menus aren’t distributed to passengers or maybe the flight and about the 777 herringbones are only on flight to the us and Europe always from Riyadh and most of the times but not all to Jeddah were sometimes 777s with the 2-2-2 config and for more details specifically about the 777s and the regs all 777s from hz-ak11 to 35 is with the 2-2-2 usually the have more business seats but yours I think is a smaller part of the fleet but part of the planes I listed above then hz-ak36 to 43 is the 3 class with 1-2-1 business and first which are only sent to us and Europe and never Asia while the others are sometimes sent to the us and Europe but through Jeddah and about their 787s they are all with the same configuration between both -9s and -10s both ahving the same amount of business with the latter having just more economy
Pocari Sweat is a life saver for food poison. I had gastro in Japan (damn you Hokkaido boba at Ueno market) over new year eve, missed out NY day. Discover Pocari from friends and it's been a fav ever since. and yes Japanese toilet is great with gastro 😉
Ugh, I had food poisoning on a flight from London to Sydney from the SA lounge in Heathrow. I spent the first leg throwing up in the bathroom. You have my sympathies!
I'm glad you're safe after that hotel incident. That could have been catastrophically bad.
Wonder why it happened 3 times and he didn't film it
@@Ufor332 first time he was sleeping and the second time he was sleeping too I'm pretty sure no one would have had the time to film that or rather it must have just gone away by the time he wanted to film it and the third time he was in the shower so I think all the reasons are justified
@@Ufor332 Why the quotes? Are you just naturally a clown?
I suspect the housekeeping staff messed up the wake up call time, found the phone was not working, and tried to wake him in person, worried about him missing a flight. Bad things happen everywhere, but Saudi is one of the safest places in the world. I cannot imagine someone trying to force into a room for illicit reasons, in the middle of Jeddah airport especially.
Emirates should start doing announcementd when near Mecca for flights to Saudi non-muslims won't understand but it's very useful when going for umrah / hajj
Never stop Dan! Your fitness consistency is awesome 💪
I flew with Saudia last year and except the 8h stay in Riyadh, it was all in all a great experience
The hotel section is really worrying. Unknown people should not be trying to open your door at any time.
It’s probably someone thinking it’s their room, or house keeping thinking the room is empty. I’m quite sure safety is not a concern there
Dan maybe you got into the wrong plane maybe if you book saudia again make sure it’s boeing 787-10 they serve you a great food the crews are on a different level and I’m sorry for what happened to you
It is strange that, for all the oil revenues the country generates, their national airline lags so far behind the standards of other international carriers.
Omg the purser putting their own name down for compliments is beyond 😂 Super interesting review, Dan! I feel like Saudi seems to want to dive headfirst into tourism a la Dubai, but they’re still lacking so much in the way of like… common sense? Like the gourmet food on board doesn’t take away from the grossness of having to look at the pilots’ bare feet 😂 The basics/details matter and glitz and glam doesn’t make up for bad fundamentals.
Yup, you got it Carmen😂 Common sense is the missing ingredient...
I love it when the travel & aviation geeks get along in the comments! It makes for a positive, supporting atmosphere of TH-camrs!
Dan, I am with you. I will do whatever I can to avoid throwing up. But when it comes, and I can't hold it down, I get quick relief. I know this, yet I avoid it! Glad to see you feel better.
Lived and worked in KSA for 10 years. Due to contractual rules, I had to fly Saudi Air every 3rd flight while going on vacation. (3 company tickets a year). Worst airline ever. The worst leg was from Jeddah to Al Kohbar on the oldest 747 I have ever flown in. Thousands of 'loose rivets' flying in formation! Needless to say, I would never fly with them again.
My man you went to Saudi Arabia during the end of Ramadan, no wonder you got a crazy line 🤣
My guess to what happened in the hotel is thats muslim celebrate Ramadan this month and thay can only eat while the sun is down so they have a guy that wake people up super early so they can eat
Also the part you said about praying is probably Ramadan
Awesome job dan with review.
The deluuuuuuuusion honey had me in stitches 😁😁
in my opinion its kinda cool that the pilots sitting with you and making himself at home. he doesnt feel uncomfortable whatsoever and thats a good sign no one should
Travelling with food poisoning is my worst nightmare 🥹 I was in transit in Dubai trying to sleep and I woken by housekeeping vacuuming outside my door at 4am for two hours !!!
Does anyone know why the Euro price of the hotel is higher than the USD price? The Euro is stronger than the dollar even a month ago. I am just curious. Great video, Dan!
Love your videos, NSD! Keep it up, and glad you're well!
I sincerely hope you're OK Dan. Keep up the good work!
Dan!!!! First! I love you and your videos so much! Hope for much more to come ❤❤❤
Why not just open the door and ask wtf is up when they are there? Just a suggestion...
Finally, thanks for reviewing our national airline, some things arebad, especially in a old plane, but some things are amazing, Thanks @NonstopDan
Wow, I've just looked at your subscribers 713K, well done and well deserved! And thanks for more great content. Hope you're well!
I hope it wasn't too embarrassing in such a tight space. At least you have evidence of the food you had on the first flight, and hopefully the hotel. You were lucky in this instance. Health is Wealth.
I had food poisoning a few months ago flying Emirates First, and I kid you not I shat my pants 🤢 on the plane as they were serving dessert. If the plane didn’t have a shower and I didn’t have a second pair of pants in my carryon I really dont think I would’ve survived those 9+ hrs on the plane
one way to ruin such a good first class experience
Love your videos brother
Even I am a big aviation lover just like you
Thank you!!
Wait, you and Oskar went to Saudi Arabia? Like... together? Damn son 😂.
Balls of steel
Hey Dad,
Just some constructive feedback: I think the coding/loading part of the airline seatmap really slows down and gets me disinterested in the video - I think it was far more effective, engaging and fluid when you went straight into the seat map in the past.
Just wanted to improve the structure of the vid!
Great review, Dan - food poisoning on a 10 hour flight is my idea of absolute hell, so we’ll done for surviving. The fact that you were badly treated / looked down upon by the Pursers is so infuriating. You were dressed perfectly appropriately for travelling, and the way both acted sounds entirely unprofessional. I pity the poor stuff needing to work under them!
This does not make me want to fly Saudi at all, and to be honest I am not remotely sad about that!
Its so sad that the food just gets thrown out after landing😔
I flew Saudia in economy a month ago and i can relate with your experience. The female crew were amazing, male on the other hand not so much but maybe it’s a Saudi thing don’t know (friendliness comes in different forms). Economy hard product was good. Legroom amazing, IFE simply crap and outdated but i usually sleep or listen to my own music. Transit experience was a bit disorganized as multiple long haul flights arrived at around the same time. Would i fly them again? Probably yes if the price is right 😊
Thank you sir for being fair in your review .hoping to enjoy your next flight with saudi airline
It has an interpreter in there because for any passenger who is deaf and sign language is their first language they can understand the instructions in the safety video just like the other passengers and I’m currently taking an ASL class for this semester too
Next time you fly to Japan, you should fly to Seoul direct flight from Jeddah, and it's better by the Dreamliner, the 777. If you want a good experience, you can fly from JED to LAX or IAD or From RUH to CDG, LHR, and JFK
The reason I subscribed was they way you said "...the delusion, honey!". That purser probably didn't deserve any better comment.
fun fact: us saudi arabians like to joke so you can act like the flight attendants and the pilots are your friends
I'm so sorry you were sick, you are one of my favorite travellers