It’s an exciting time for ambitious airline startup Riyadh Air. The airline has just taken delivery of its first factory fresh Boeing 787-9s, which will be used to launch regularly scheduled commercial service. The airline took delivery of three of these Dreamliners almost immediately, with several more coming soon, and they feature gorgeous interiors.
Continue reading: Riyadh Air Launches: Six Routes Unveiled (London First), With Tickets Now On Sale
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
They seem to position themselves above Saudia but below BA, based on their pricing. Not sure if this works on a medium haul route (slightly more than 6 hours flight time). In my personal experience, Saudia is an ok airline, not the best on the planet but on a 6 hour flight absolutely tolerable. Yes, they are dry, but so is (almost) the entire kingdom, therefore 6 hours more or less without booze not a dealbreaker. Bottom line: I would not pay USD 1000 more for Riyadh Air or USD 2000 more for BA, if I can fly Saudia.
yeah i was thinking this too - their product positioning strategy seems, uh, aspirational
Great timing. Middle East during summer and war. “That’s a nope for me, dawg.”
When Riyadh air starts flying to the us I guess its first destinations would be JFK, IAD, MIA, LAX, possibly DTW for delta connections and large Arab population in Detroit.
I just connected through Abu Dhabi on Etihad, no problems what so ever….
As for timing, there is still a lot of people flying to and from the Middle East during the summer monthsfor business, Europeans going back home for summer break etc….etc…
I still dont understand what differentiates this airline from Saudia? Both are dry, both have lie flat seats, both serve the exact same destinations. What is the game changer?
Launching daily flights to Madrid and Manchester combined seems like an odd choice: no CDG, AMS or FRA?
Maybe one of them won’t slice you to pieces if you’re a regime critic? That could be a game changer.