My Riyadh Air 787 Business Class Flight: Did It Live Up To The Hype?

Hello from Spain, as I just flew Riyadh Air’s Boeing 787-9 business class on the six hour flight from Riyadh (RUH) to Madrid (MAD), as I continue the return portion of my review trip. Obviously I was very much looking forward to this flight, given that Riyadh Air recently launched commercial operations, has huge growth plans, and has promised to be premium, with an obsessive attention to detail. So, how did it all go? On balance, my experience was excellent. Riyadh Air’s cabins are gorgeous — this airline has simply hit it out of the park when it comes to design (the same was true in the lounge). The airline also has top notch amenities and food, friendly crews, and very good entertainment. However, not surprisingly for a new airline, there were some areas for improvement, which is to be expected. The Wi-Fi was broken, and I feel like service needs to be a little more efficient (which will come with time). All-in-all, for a startup airline, they’re definitely operating like pros. In this post I’d like to share some initial thoughts, and then soon I’ll have a full review. Riyadh Air’s 787 business class cabin might be my new favoriteRiyadh Air’s 787 business class has great tech… ishRiyadh Air’s business class amenities are extensiveRiyadh Air’s business class food is very goodRiyadh Air’s crews are friendly, surprisingly up to speedBottom line Riyadh Air’s 787 business class cabin might be my new favorite Riyadh Air has what I think are the best Boeing 787 business class interiors I’ve seen on any airline, between the quality of the seats and the cabin finishes. Let’s cover the cabin finishes and aesthetics first. CEO Tony Douglas has in the past described the interiors as being similar to a Maybach in terms of quality, and I think that’s actually spot on. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an elegant-looking business class cabin. Riyadh Air 787 business class cabin Riyadh Air 787 business class cabin The seats just feel luxurious in a way you won’t find on many airlines, ranging from the seat stitching, to the patterns on top of the seats, which are intended to look like the desert. Heck, each seat even has custom lighting settings, to an extent that you just won’t find on many airlines. Riyadh Air 787 business class seat Riyadh Air 787 business class seat But it’s not just style, as there’s also substance. Riyadh Air has gone with the Safran Unity platform on its Dreamliners, which I’d consider among the best business class seats out there. Japan Airlines was the launch customer for this product, and it really is an exceptional staggered seat with a door. Dreamliner business class seats don’t get better than this, in my opinion. Oh, and speaking of the overall cabin ambiance, I adore Riyadh Air’s boarding music. I could listen to it all day — I just wish they’d upload more than a 90-second clip to YouTube, so that I could have it on the background while working. My one hard product disappointment was the lack of individual air nozzles. C’mon Riyadh Air, newly delivered Dreamliners without individual air nozzles?! If it’s any consolation, Saudis love their air conditioning, so at least the cabin was kept at a cool temperature. Riyadh Air’s 787 business class has great tech… ish In terms of tech, Riyadh Air’s 787 business class seats have crisp 22″ 4K OLED monitors. They have all the bells and whistles, from a great map feature (and even a special one for kids, which I love), to bluetooth audio, to headrest speakers — that’s right, you can watch entertainment without using headphones, as this is technology that was launched on Japan Airlines. Riyadh Air 787 business class entertainment system Riyadh Air 787 business class headrest speaker The seats also have two USB-C outlets, one USB-A outlet, and one AC power outlet (there’s no wireless charging, but I sort of find that to be a scam anyway, so that didn’t bother me). Riyadh Air 787 business class charging outlets So far so good, but here’s the issue I had. Riyadh Air is supposed to have free Viasat Wi-Fi, though it just didn’t work on my flight for the entire time. I understand sometimes tech just doesn’t work, though I found the lack of communication surrounding this to a bit disappointing. Riyadh Air 787 Wi-Fi issues I alerted the crew about this, and they were caught off guard, and said they’d check on it. I checked with them again 30 minutes later, and they said they tried to reset it, but that was the extent of it. In these situations, it would be nice if they more proactively communicated about these issues, especially when the airline so heavily markets how it offers free Wi-Fi. Riyadh Air’s business class amenities are extensive As you’d expect for a newly launched “premium” airline in the Gulf region, there’s no shortage of amenities in Riyadh Air business class. First, I have to say that the bedding was phenomenal. Each passenger was given two pillows, a substantial blanket, and a very thick mattress pad, probably among the highest quality ones I’ve seen on any airline. The crew also performed turndown service, making it easy to get comfortable. Riyadh Air business class bedding Beyond that, Riyadh Air has a partnership with Saudi lifestyle brand Kayanee, with a range of products made exclusively for the airline. This includes lounge wear, which I found to be comfortable, and that was offered with slippers. Riyadh Air business class lounge wear Riyadh Air business class lounge wear There was also an amenity kit. While it didn’t have a huge number of products, they were high quality, with an excellent eye mask, a dental kit with Marvis toothpaste, and four Kayanee products. Riyadh Air business class amenity kit Before bed time, I was even offered an oil that was intended to help with relaxing, which the crew suggested I rub on my wrists or on my neck. It’s always nice when airlines try to offer cute touches like this. Riyadh Air business class relaxing oil Riyadh Air’s business class food is very good A six hour flight leaving at 2AM and arriving at 7AM (local time) is hardly going to be the most exciting in terms of catering, even though it’s among the most common flight schedules in the region On this flight there was a dine on demand menu, with a full breakfast selection, plus an “anytime” menu. You can have what you’d like, but I found it interesting that the crew generally recommended having breakfast after takeoff and then the anytime menu before landing (or at least suggested that this is what most people do). That’s exactly the opposite of what you’ll find on carriers like Emirates. Again, since it’s in dine on demand it doesn’t actually matter what they “recommend,” I was just surprised to hear it. I decided to have a snack after takeoff from the anytime menu, and I opted for a beef pastrami panini, along with a dessert trio. They were both delicious, and rather decadent. I accompanied the first course with the “Saudi Cocktail,” consisting of sparkling apple and mint juice, which was even served in a proper(ish) wine glass, and then I had a chamomile tea with the dessert. Riyadh Air business class snack Riyadh Air business class dessert Then before landing I had breakfast. Airplane breakfast is rarely exciting, though this had to be one of the best I’ve had in a long time. To start, I had a date and banana smoothie, and a local breakfast cold assortment, with za’atar labneh, marinated halloumi, and shanklish. Riyadh Air business class breakfast appetizer For the main course, I had the scrambled egg shakshuka, which was phenomenal, the most well executed egg dish I’ve had on a plane in a long time. Riyadh Air business class breakfast main course I finished off the meal with a cappuccino, nicely presented on a tray with some sweets. Riyadh Air business class cappuccino Riyadh Air’s crews are friendly, surprisingly up to speed Riyadh Air has no doubt punched above its weight when it comes to recruitment for a Saudi airline. If we’re being honest, historically most foreigners have applied at carriers like Saudia if they were rejected from Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, etc. In the case of Riyadh Air, the airline managed to recruit crews from many of the prominent Gulf carriers, because obviously there’s a lot of excitement about being able to work for a startup, and the carrier’s great marketing helps as well. Riyadh Air 787 exterior Given how little experience they had with this product, I’d say the crew was great, as they were professional and well intentioned. Keep in mind that Riyadh Air just launched operations weeks ago, so for many flights attendants, they’re still on their first few trips. When you take that into account, service was as good as I could’ve expected. To be constructive, though, I do think they need to work on tightening up service a bit in terms of how long it takes. We’re talking about a sub-six hour flight here, and the latest you can have a meal is two hours before landing, and they already started to turn on the cabin lights (though on a dim setting) 2.5 hours before landing. On such a short flight, allowing passengers to maximize their rest is important. So hopefully that’s something that can be addressed over time, especially since it’s not like Riyadh Air’s business class cabin is big — we’re talking about just 28 seats. Riyadh Air 787 business class mood lighting Bottom line I’m delighted I had the chance to fly Riyadh Air’s Boeing 787 business class, just weeks after the airline formally started commercial flights. This airline has been in the works for years, and there are a lot of smart people from all over the world working there. Getting an airline off the ground is no small task, even when you’re as well funded as Riyadh Air. Riyadh Air knocked it out of the park with its cabins, both in terms of style and substance. The entertainment system and tech are also great, as are the amenities and food. My only real issue was that Wi-Fi didn’t work. Of course that happens, but for an airline that promises how it’s a “digital native,” it’s less than ideal. So, that brings me to the question asked in the title — did the airline live up to the hype? I’d say yes and no. This is a top tier business class product, minus the alcohol situation (if that matters to you). Should you travel to or specifically connect in Saudi Arabia to fly Riyadh Air? Unless you’re me, no, probably not. 😉 In terms of soft product, I’d argue that Saudia is quite competitive nowadays as well, though the Riyadh Air hard product is next level. Riyadh Air’s primarily goal is to serve the local market, and the argument is that Riyadh has historically been underserved. If the goal is to stop people from connecting through other Gulf hubs, like Doha (DOH), then I’d say Riyadh Air’s product absolutely accomplishes that goal. What do you make of Riyadh Air’s 787 business class?