Airline startup Riyadh Air is expected to launch operations in late 2025, as Saudi Arabia’s ambitious new carrier, connecting Riyadh (RUH) to the world. We’ve increasingly been learning details about the carrier’s passenger experience, like Riyadh Air recently unveiling its Boeing 787-9 cabins.
While minor in the scheme of things, here’s another passenger experience update from Riyadh Air…
In this post:
Riyadh Air will offer chauffeur service in Riyadh
Riyadh Air and Blacklane have announced a strategic partnership, to offer seamless ground transportation. This collaboration consists of a couple of different things.
For one, Riyadh Air will offer complimentary chauffeur service for eligible passengers traveling to and from Riyadh. This will be available to business class passengers and select eligible loyalty guests, who will receive a complimentary chauffeur service within a 50-kilometer radius of the airport.
Furthermore, Blacklane will be integrated into Riyadh Air’s booking platform, so that Riyadh Air passengers will be able to book flights and ground transportation as part of the same process. Beyond that, though, this will allow guests to arrange (at a cost) transfers across the globe, including airport transfers, city-to-city travel, and in-city rates by the hour, at any of Riyadh Air’s global destinations.
Here’s how Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas describes this development:
“Our partnership with Blacklane reinforces our ethos of ensuring our customers experience Saudi hospitality with world-class service standards. We revealed our stylish new Business Elite and Business Class seats recently, and this is the next step in keeping our promises to deliver an exceptional premium experience to our guests. Riyadh Air and Blacklane are two outstanding brands with hospitality and an attention to detail at heart, and our relationship will offer our guests a truly elevated travel itinerary, from the first mile to the last.”
This partnership seems logical enough
I’m not surprised to see that Riyadh Air plans to offer complimentary chauffeur service at its hub, for premium passengers. While it’s rare in many parts of the world, it’s pretty standard with some of Riyadh Air’s biggest rivals, like Emirates and Etihad.
It sounds like Riyadh Air doesn’t plan to offer complimentary chauffeur service at outstations, unlike Emirates. That’s fair enough, since I’m not sure the math on that really consistently checks out. After all, it’s pretty costly for the airline, I’m not sure it does much to impact booking decisions, and most business travelers can expense ground transportation anyway.
Riyadh Air has labeled itself as “the world’s first digital native airline,” and the airline is promising great tech throughout the booking process and travel experience. So I imagine we’re going to see a lot more third party integration into Riyadh Air’s website and app. The Blacklane integration might be a (very small) example of that.
Bottom line
Riyadh Air plans to partner with Blacklane, to offer complimentary chauffeur service for premium customers in Riyadh. Furthermore, Blacklane will be integrated into Riyadh Air’s booking channels, so that customers can book premium ground transfers around the globe (at a cost).
What do you make of Riyadh Air partnering with Blacklane?
As long as they have no booze, they will never be as great as Emirates or Qatar.....sorry!
Saudi Arabia legalized booze for (some) commercial purposes last month. Keep up.
" follow the riyals ! " .... lol
Will they 'sell out' to the 'Western Devils' by plying them with alcohol, hypocritically ?
Maybe they're hoping for some 'epiphany' / dispensation from on high ....
They'll have to compromise their religious values if they even hope to compete either their M3 brethren...
Just don’t tell the driver “chop, chop!” if you’re in a hurry.
To all those naysayers (of which most probably haven't been to the region): Riyadh Air will indeed fly soon. This is not GLOBAL Airlines and things are actually happening in KSA!
I don’t think anyone denies Riyadh air won’t fly, people are not dumb, this is a Saudi government backed project, it has a pile of cash that can burn forever. It is just that they are taking a long time to launch operations with multiple delays but keeps announcing new quirks every few months which keeps adding to the delay. Would rather just prefer they just launch what they have announced till now, it is...
I don’t think anyone denies Riyadh air won’t fly, people are not dumb, this is a Saudi government backed project, it has a pile of cash that can burn forever. It is just that they are taking a long time to launch operations with multiple delays but keeps announcing new quirks every few months which keeps adding to the delay. Would rather just prefer they just launch what they have announced till now, it is already incredible enough on paper. Anything else can come and go later
Not that it really matters for me. It will be typical gulf carrier. I don’t really see much difference between them because they are exceptional in opulence, except EK in J but that is mostly down to the fact that there current J class is visually and physically a step behind everyone even if the service is outstanding
Wow, what a progressive airline experience !!... Are they the fist ones to allow a female to drive that vehicle ??
( Was that "staged" on purpose?,,, Come on ! )
...
Its standard operating procedure for anything in saudi and uae thats presented to the west, make sure theres lots of pics of women doing stuff, usually throw in a smiling non-local too to try and pretend they arent actually backwards.
Come now bossa, have you forgotten that in 2018, Saudi Arabia became the last country in the world to ban lady drivers? …. :-)
Dear Riyadh Air,
Fly a passenger already.... THEN tell us about all the extras.
Signed with Sincerity,
~Everyone.
My thoughts exactly as I read the article.