Flying with Saudi Airlines from London

Just make sure of couple things:

1- No porn
2- DON'T take pictures with your camera of the airport or any official building
3- Take out any piercing and try to hide tattoos .. for your own good

Enjoy Saudi Arabia, loool

Make sure you have someone meeting you at the airport.
Be prepared for a long wait through passport control unless the guards are feeling kind and waive you to a shorter line.

In my experiance of Saudi Air it's how the check-in staff are feeling on the day if they let your luggage through without payment for extra Kgs.
Try paring down your luggage, you can get everything you need here. Once you are established here you will make friends and if there is anything you can't live without there will always be someone going back to the U.K. who will bring stuff out for you, within reason.

Good Luck and have a good flight.

Leeds

Have a safe flight and let us know when your in town.  As mentioned, Customs & Passport Control  can be a very long process.  Stay to the right of the room (with your family) and you should pass through without difficulty.  Hopefully you will have someone picking you up at the airport and bringing you and the fam to your hotel.  If not, PM me and I can give you the name of a very competent Driver to pick you up.

Safe travels!

most importantly, each item in your luggage should not exceed 20KGs, otherwise they will ask you to re-open your luggage and re-pack it at the airport. for example, if you have a total luggage of 40KGs, make two bags of 20KG each. This way you can even be allowed 50-60KGs without being charged.

once you arrive at immigration, you will be having a biometrics exams.
expect for a very long queue if an officer will not give you priority.
good luck and have a safe trip!

Thanks... I already have someone picking me

Arbab - I have already checked with the airline and they have mentioned I can have a suitcase weighing 30kg... are you speaking from experience of flying from Heathrow?

Immigration will be a breeze after spending 6 hours flying with this airline!

Hope you enjoy arabic films!

well I finally got through....Maserman I so have to disagree with your comment... the flight was so nice and service was good... immigration was a nightmare... It took 4 hours for me to clear immigration because of the queues and people jumping in and then people going walkies.... absolute nightmare...

That is one experience I will not forget... and then after all that, the driver who had been waiting for me had gone, so I had to catch a taxi and he tried ripping me off from the get go... so a wonderful start to my stay here

Welcome to KSA! 

I'm so glad yoyu enjoyed your flight

Immigration isn't usually that bad, you poor thing.

I hope you have a wonderful stay in KSA.

Let us know if your job lives up to expectations??

You must have been very unlucky, my family arrived this morning and were through immigration in 20 minutes and then got their bags and were outside 50 minutes after getting off the flight.

Families & ladies get preferential treatment at the airport, separate lines, quick process...

For single man..3 hours is average.

Welcome Leedslad, personally, I think it is a good thing you had this bad experience because you cannot sail through life here (or anywhere else for that matter) without hurdles.  It is good you have had yours early as it is a good sign the rest will be much better.  Maserman had his the other way around, plane sailing first then nightmare after once in country and in work!  So, it's swings and round-a-bouts.  If you get stuck with anything or want some orientation, just pm and we will see if a group of expats are around to meet up.  Good luck with work and accommodation, hope you get settled quickly

gowiththeflowUK wrote:

Welcome Leedslad, personally, I think it is a good thing you had this bad experience because you cannot sail through life here (or anywhere else for that matter) without hurdles.  It is good you have had yours early as it is a good sign the rest will be much better.  Maserman had his the other way around, plane sailing first then nightmare after once in country and in work!  So, it's swings and round-a-bouts.  If you get stuck with anything or want some orientation, just pm and we will see if a group of expats are around to meet up.  Good luck with work and accommodation, hope you get settled quickly

Hi GowithflowUK,

This is Umut (the Turkish guy iving in Jubail) I was wondering if you have received my email? I emailed you a couple of days ago...

Cheers

GWTF - I hear you....I guess I am just getting used to the slow pace of life... still hunting for a compound... like someone said to me... its best not to have any expectations here... that way when something happens, you are pleased

hey Leedslad
welcome to saudi
sorry to hear about what happen at the airport
i hope u will have a good time in saudi