Airline passengers confused over Saudia’s allowed weight allowance

August 5, 2013

Saudia_allowed_weightJeddah, Aug 5: Saudi Arabian Airlines’s recent joining with SkyTeam, a group partnership of 19 airlines world-wide, has left passengers traveling on the Kingdom’s carrier confused over baggage allowances.

Saudia had previously allocated a baggage allowance of 32kg per bag for guest class passengers and two 32kg bags for first and business class passengers on international flights.

The baggage allowance was also restricted to 25kg per bag in the domestic sector.

Since then, travel agencies have advised their passengers to carry only one piece of luggage weighing 23 kg, leading to confusion among passengers.

“I am a frequent flyer of Saudia. When I last traveled with them about four months ago, I was allowed to take only one 23-kg bag according to new rules,” said Ahmed Malik.

He pointed out that when his friend traveled just a month ago, he was allowed to carry two pieces of luggage each weighing 25 kg with Zamzam water. “When I booked my seat for travel to the UK, the travel agent told me that I can’t carry more than one 23 kg bag. Confused by that, I visited their website, where I found that guest class passengers can take one bag of 32 kg on international flights to the EU, UK, Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Arabian Gulf.

“Still confused, I approached the Saudia office, where the receptionist told me I can carry 23 kg per bag, even though a poster in the office had 32 kg written on it. For my satisfaction, I went to another officer and he said I could carry 32 kg,” said Malik, who went to a third official and was told that he can carry only up to 27 kg and that he would have to pay extra for anything higher than that.

Another passenger, Tazeen Ishrat, told Arab News that it is unclear how much baggage weight passengers can carry and that many employees at Saudia offices were unaware of the new baggage allowance themselves.

Arab News checked the poster at the Saudia Airlines office, which listed baggage allowance of 32 kg. Arab News also checked the website of the Airline and found that it was 25 kg for domestic passengers and 32 kg on international flights. The website also states that if any piece of luggage weighs in excess of the stated amounts, an excess baggage charge of $100 will have to be paid.

Passenger traveling from Jeddah to London must pay $150 or equivalent for every extra bag they carry, with a maximum of 23 kg per piece that measures 205 centimere in dimension.

Yet an officer from Saudi Arabian Airline’s booking office insists that the airline changed the baggage weight from 32 kg to a maximum of 27 kg per bag per passenger for guest class, adding that first and business class are allowed two pieces and that silver and golden Alfursan members and SkyTeam (Elite Plus/Elite) members would be allowed to carry one extra piece on international flights.

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News Network
April 25,2020

Riyadh, Apr 25: Saudi Arabia announced nine deaths and 1,197 new cases of the COVID-19 virus on Saturday.

Of these cases, 120 were recorded in Madinah, 364 in Makkah, 271 in Jeddah, 170 in Riyadh and 43 in Dammam.

The number of people who had recovered from the coronavirus in the Kingdom increased to 2,214 after 165 patients were reported to have recovered.

A total of 136 people have died of the disease in the Kingdom so far.

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News Network
June 5,2020

New Delhi, Jun 5: As part of global efforts to combat COVID-19, the UAE has provided more than 708 tonnes of medical aid, personal protection kits and supplies to 62 countries, including India, with direct beneficiaries exceeding 708,000 health workers, a UAE Embassy statement said.

The UAE is regarded as the main lifeline for the logistic operations of the international organizations' strategic warehouses in Dubai's International Humanitarian City (IHC) where the UAE is the first responder to the global crises, especially in providing assistance in relation to the current COVID-19 pandemic, it said.

Dubai's IHC has dispatched more than 132 shipments to 98 countries around the world so far since the beginning of this year, and is working as a central hub to distribute the personal protection kits, the statement said.

While the UAE continues its constant work of supporting the global efforts aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 disease, it has provided more than 708 tons of medical aid, personal protection kits and supplies to 62 countries worldwide to date, with direct beneficiaries exceeding 708,000 health workers, it said.

In addition, 65 million indirect beneficiaries profited from the UAE's global efforts in combating the spread of the virus, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Etihad Airways, effective June 10, said it will link 20 cities in Europe, Asia and Australia via Abu Dhabi.

The new transfer services will make it possible for those travelling on the airline's current network of special flights to connect easily through the UAE capital onwards to key global destinations.

Etihad recently launched links from Melbourne and Sydney to London Heathrow, allowing direct transfer connections to and from the UK capital via Abu Dhabi.

Easy transfer connections via Abu Dhabi will now be available from Jakarta, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo to major cities across Europe including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, London Heathrow, Madrid, Milan, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Zurich, the airline said.

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Agencies
April 27,2020

Riyadh, Apr 27: A Saudi Arabia-led coalition said on Monday that all parties need to return to the status that existed before the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen declared an emergency in Aden, according to a statement published by Spa.

The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, stresses the need to restore conditions to their previous state following the announcement of a state of emergency by the Southern Transitional Council and the consequential development of affairs in the interim capital (Aden) and some Southern governorates in the Republic of Yemen.

The Coalition urges for an immediate end to any steps contrary to the Riyadh Agreement, and work rapidly toward its implementation, citing the wide support for the agreement by the international community and the United Nations.

The Coalition has and will continue to undertake practical and systematic steps to implement the Riyadh Agreement between the parties to unite Yemeni ranks, restore state institutions and combat the scourge of terrorism. The responsibility rests with the signatories to the Agreement to undertake national steps toward implementing its provisions, which were signed and agreed upon with a time matrix for implementation. The Coalition demands an end to any escalation and calls for return to the Agreement by the participating parties, stressing the immediate need for implementation without delay, and the need to prioritise the Yemeni peoples' interests above all else, as well as working to achieve the stated goals of restoring the state, ending the coup and combatting terrorist organizations.

The Coalition reaffirms its ongoing support to the legitimate Yemeni government, and its support for implementing the Riyadh Agreement, which entails forming a competent government that operate from the interim capital Aden to tackle economic and developmental challenges, in light of natural disasters such as floods, fears of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic outbreak, and work to provide services to the brotherly people of Yemen.

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