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Hi, just seen a good one way ticket from SE Asia to London however the flight requires a stopover in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for around 11 hours.
I was wondering is this a major problem to deal with (with regards to visas) or is it case of a simple wait in the airport for 11 hours, no need to fuss and fiddle with visas or pre-approved paperwork etc.
Only considering it for the cheaper flight price, will have a 6m baby as well so any help appreciated, thanks
visitsaudi website implies eVisa requirements.
visitsaudi website implies eVisa requirements.
eVisa even if waiting for another plane in the airport? 11hrs
visitsaudi website implies eVisa requirements.
eVisa even if waiting for another plane in the airport? 11hrs
Can you find ‘excluding transit passengers’?
visitsaudi
I tried going on the website but get an error https://embassies.mofa.gov.sa/sites/uk/EN/Pages/default.aspx
Service Unavailable
HTTP Error 503. The service is unavailable.If I remember well, you don’t need a visa if your transit is not longer than 12 hours. You can then get a transit visa via Saudia.
Should be fine. Your biggest problem will be no alcohol on the flight or stop over… don’t even think about bringing it with you either!
Be respectful of there culture and you’re fine. Equally airports and foreign nationals compounds don’t have the same rules but you will get odd looks or hassle if you take it too far
- This reply was modified 55 years, 4 months ago by .
Your biggest problem will be no alcohol on the flight or stop over
Is this genuinely a problem for anyone?
Being unable to go a maximum of 24hours without an alcoholic drink.I don’t think the lack of alcohol per se is a problem but more than the being aware that is the possible situation on some Muslim owned and operated airlines.
I think Saudi is fully dry but others have no issue in serving you your own once on board but don’t provide it themselves.
BA for example does serve alcohol on its Saudi flights but stops its service whilst in Saudi airspace and on the flight to the UK it’s just orange juice and water as the pre departure drink.
not worried about alcohol because i dont drink or dressing/speaking inappropriately.
more so that the flight is 11 hours and 12 hours layover requires a transit visa, thanksI cant believe the savings you will make is worth an 11 hour transit in the Jeddah airport, particularly with a 6 month old!
I cant believe the savings you will make is worth an 11 hour transit in the Jeddah airport, particularly with a 6 month old!
exactly, thats the wisdom i need lol… its a dec flight and im not sure to book now or wait (wait for what exactly, prices are high in dec)
prob savings of £400-500I cant believe the savings you will make is worth an 11 hour transit in the Jeddah airport, particularly with a 6 month old!
exactly, thats the wisdom i need lol… its a dec flight and im not sure to book now or wait (wait for what exactly, prices are high in dec)
prob savings of £400-500I have found that best airfares are offered about 3 months before departure. Use something like skyscanner to see what fares are being offered on different airlines for your dates. When you see something you are happy with, just go ahead and book it and stop checking prices. No point in waiting in the hope it will reduce further if you are happy with what it is.
Seems the most useful thread to add this to – currently in the Hayyak in Terminal 3 at Riyadh – a perfectly comfortable and some reasonable food options to spend a couple of hours. Available through Priority Pass. Can be accessed if flying from Terminal 4 (like me) – but with a 5-10 min walk.
As suggested on the earlier thread – no transit visa required is stopover is less than 12hrs.
My family and I stopped over in Jeddah Airport for about 3 hours in July 2019, and I swore never again.
Departure area resembled a massive square, Amazon Warehouse packed with humanity. Toilets were rank, especially for my wife and daughter. I had to purchase food from take-away stalls along one wall because there was no formal queuing system and men just pushed past my wife to the extent that, without me, she never got to be served at the counter.
Staff were not exactly hostile to us Western infidel, but weren’t overly helpful either.
There were posters everywhere advertising the “new, improved terminal” which I believe is now operational as Terminal 1, so facilities may be much better than we experienced – seems like we were unlucky enough to be among the last cohort of foreign travellers passing through an unfit-for-purpose old terminal which is no longer used for international carriers when I consult Google, so perhaps our poor experience is no longer completely relevant.
Post August 2019 Tripadvisor reviews may be your best bet here.
I’d also check if I were you to ensure the 11 hour stopover avoids the Muslim Sabbath as well as Ramadan, if not it would be a non-starter for me, new terminal or not.
Good luck.
Sounds polar opposite to this review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=826vvjEGiz8
Perhaps you should try to travel again now they have a 2030 strategySounds polar opposite to this review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=826vvjEGiz8
Perhaps you should try to travel again now they have a 2030 strategyGood for them if they’ve upped their game since my July 2019 experience, which I was careful to caveat accordingly, as it was sorely needed in the opinion of this generally pretty stoic traveller.
Personally, I would want to know how Covid affected their aspirations, marketed so slickly from a visibly under-utilised passenger terminal around December 2019 to a YouTube vlogger whose reputation as an epicurean exceeds that of his willingness to ask tough, probing questions of his canny sponsors.
Interesting as the piece was, before committing to an 11 hour layover at any airport that I hadn’t experienced before, I would probably prefer to ensure that I researched some current, independent reviews alongside it, especially with a 6 month old in tow which necessitates a significant increase in focus and mindfulness all of its own to mitigate stress.
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