ComplaintsforSaudi Airlines

• Initial Complaint

  04/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This is in regards to an issue with flight Number ***** departing from Cairo to Jed on 12 Mar 2023 My first experience is that I booked this flight from HBE to Jed which was cancelled from the airline so I had to switch to CAI which is 4 hours away. Unfortunately after that change, the flight was delayed for 5 hours, departed at 5 pm. And after all that, on flight SV300 on March 12, BOTH our seats 5L and 5J were not working, seats are not reclining and leg rest not lifting up. Seat is completely stuck which really defeats the purpose of booking a first class ticket. In addition to all this. Because of the delay I missed my HHR train booked from Jed airport to Mekkah. (Cost is 437 SAR) I urge you to correct this issue. 1- I’d like a refund on my HHR ticket as I missed it because of the airline delay 2- I’d like a compensation for the business seat on flight booked that I could not enjoy because of the functional issue. (This was confirmed by flight attendant) and a report was written

  Business response

  05/15/2023

   

   

  ****************** was contacted and a settlement has been offered and accepted as compensation for each passenger.

• Initial Complaint

  03/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I traveled on Saudia Airlines for the first time on Jan 14th, 2023 along with my wife from LAX to DEL via JED (Ticket numbers - ************* & *************). Although the flying experience was good, we had the worst experience with the baggage support. We lost a bag on Jan 16th as one of our three bags never reached DEL. We immediately reported to Saudia Airlines staff at the DEL airport. (Lost bag tracking number - **********) It’s been more than 2 months, I haven’t received the bag or the claim. I created a claim request at the end of Jan but the number that was generated was ********** and I never got a 6-digit claim number even though I filled out the entire form online. I got this claim number ****** when I was chatting with the *****App support team of Saudia Airlines and they said it was generated on 19th Feb 2023 although I had filled the form around the end of January. Even after that, it's been over a month and I haven't received my bag or the lost bag claim. Whenever I contact the Saudia Airlines guest care team on *****App they fail to provide me with the date by which my claim would be processed. I would like some help finding my lost bag or settling the lost bag claim.

• Initial Complaint

  03/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  On June 8, 2022, I booked a flight with Suadia Airlines for February 5, 2023, to fly to Lahore, Pakistan. I received the confirmation with my correct name, "*** ****," on it. Later, Saudia Airlines changed my return flight, so I called and got it fixed according to my requirements; somewhere in that process, a representative messed up my first name from *** **** to **. I called Saudia Airlines multiple times and mentioned it to representatives, and as per both representatives, my name was fixed in Saudia Airline's system. The day of the flight, while checking in with Saudia Airline's my name was still showing as **, and even at that point I mentioned that it could give me trouble, so please fix my name. I have already explained at the check-in counter that I have called Saudia Airlines regarding this. However, the check-in counter cleared me and said it shouldn’t be a problem and provided me with 2 boarding passes with my first name showing as ** instead of ***. Each boarding counter, from DC to Jeddah and Jeddah to Lahore, has stopped me to inquire, and I have had to explain the full story to each person before they clear me to fly. I have been continually telling each representative of Saudia Airlines to get it fixed because it can cause me inconveniences, but no help was provided, and I was able to fly. I gave it a try in Jeddah during my layover and in Lahore, Pakistan, by going to the Saudia Airlines office to somehow get it fixed, but sadly, each employee of Saudia Airlines fails to help and get it fixed. Anyhow, I was able to fly back from the Pakistan airport to Jeddah with an incorrect name. After a 3-day layover at the time of flying back to Washington, DC, and my last connecting flight, Saudia Airlines wouldn’t clear me to fly. At that point, they can see in the system that I have flown on this ticket three times with an incorrect name, but they won’t let me travel on my return flight because it has an incorrect name on it. Now at that point, full airport staff can see it in the system and have agreed that they can see records of me flying with an incorrect first name, but they refuse to help and get it fixed. Staff kept bouncing me back and forth between sales and the ticket office. If I go to the sales office, they tell me to talk to the ticket office, and if I try to talk to the ticket office, they keep telling me it is a sale issue. At that point, I had my full family with me: 2 elderly parents who needed wheelchair accommodations; 1 sister with a 1.5-year-old baby; and we had all been running around to get the issue fixed, but the entire staff of Saudia Airlines failed to help. At that point, I and my brother-in-law had to speak to the guest relations supervisor, *** ******, who took the printout from Saudia Airlines system, which showed that I flew to all three stops on a ticket purchased with an incorrect first name. At that point, he agrees to help but will only let me fly if I purchase a new ticket and claim a refund for my old ticket. I explained the negligence of Saudia Airlines to him over and over, but he kept on replying that it was not his or their fault. It's the customer care/reservation department’s fault. At that point, I had to pay $1979.58 just to fly back. Once my ticket was purchased, supervisor *** ******, took the paper print of my previous flights back from me. At first, he said this is your proof to file a complaint, and once he was done selling me a $1979.58 ticket, he took that printout from me with extreme rudeness. Keeping in mind I had to waste 2 hours in this with my complete family, not only did it cause me inconvenience, but I also had to face extreme rudeness from the entire staff of Saudi Airlines. Yelling at me for purchasing a new ticket disturbed my elderly parents in wheelchairs and my 1.5-year-old baby. At this point, I do not only demand a refund from my previous ticket; I would also like to claim a new $1979.58 ticket, which was due to the negligence of full Saudia Airline staff and all departments. Plus, I would like to request full compensation for all the inconvenience, extra charges, and trouble I and my entire family had to face for 2 hours.

  Business response

  03/29/2023

  Customer Relation investigated case and transpired the following: We thank ************ for giving the opportunity to assist him.  Refund will be for the value of the new ticket that ************ had to buy, the remaining unused sector from the original ticket will be close with no refund as he travelled on the same flight on the original booking with no changes.  ************ was asked to provide documentation to process his refund.

  We thank ************ for his understanding and look forward to have him on board SV Flights

  Customer response

  03/30/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: their response is very unsettling and unaccepted. They do not care what customer care they providing to their customers. I will not accept only one ticket refund. I need my both tickets refunded plus extra compensation as their apology for miss treating and messing up my ticket. The treatment I had at the airport was very humiliated. They are the ones who messed up my flight info and I was the one ended up paying off their price. Staff was very rude and unhelpful. I was not only person flying that day, I had my family with me, we all faced the embracement and hate at airport. 

  Below is what I am expecting:

  New Ticket 065 **********: $2038.96  ($1979.58 plus international transaction fee that was charged on my card $59.38)

  Old Ticket 065**********: $667.29

  Compensation charges: $2,293.75

  Total: $5000

  If they do not match with my demand, I will contact Office of Aviation Consumer Protection or take it to court. I do not allow them to disrespect a traveler how ever they want and just refunding a small value as a charity. I am not here asking for a charity, I am demanding the compensation of their deeds.

  Regards,
  
  ***************
  

  Customer response

  04/27/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: ***** **** <***************@*****.com>
  Date: Thu, Apr 27, 2023 at 10:12 AM
  Subject: Complaint ID # ********- Saudi Airlines
  To: <[email protected]>
  Cc: <**************@*******.com>
  

  
  Hello,

  
  

  I have reached back to Saudi Airlines that I am willing to get the refund for my new ticket at-least since I am in need of money. They have still not responded to me.

  
  

  Can we please have this case reactivated and get the resolution if possible?

  
  

  Regards,

  *** ****
  Regards,
  
  *** ****
  

  Business response

  04/27/2023

  A response from Customer Relations Head office was sent to *** **** advising that Saudia will refund the value of the new ticket purchased.  Original ticket number ending in *** remaining unused sector from JED to IAD will be closed and no refund can be offered as *** **** travelled on the same flight in his original booking with no change. 

   

   

  Customer response

  05/01/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *** ****  
  

  Customer response

  06/11/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: ***** **** <***************@*****.com>
  Date: Fri, Jun 9, 2023 at 4:13 PM
  Subject: Re: Complaint ID # ********- Saudi Airlines
  To: Dispute Resolution Team <[email protected]>
  

  
  

  Hello,

  
  

  I have not heard anything from Saudi Airlines yet. Can you please reopen my ticket?

  
  

  Regards,

  *** ****
  

  
  

  On Mon, Jun 5, 2023 at 10:53 AM ***** **** <***************@*****.com> wrote:
  

  Hello,

  
  

  i do apology but Saudia Airlines has not yet resolved the issue. I have submitted all the required documents to them but they haven't responded to me neither they refunded me anything.

  
  Regards,
  
  *** ****  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Under the new ruler ***, Saudi is becoming a different country. It welcomes everyone and become a hot spot for tourism. February of 2021, I booked a round trip ticket Detroit Cairo Detroit to visit my sister in Egypt. I was contacted by my in-laws to visit them in Saudi Arabia, and I was told that it changed a lot, and I can enjoy tourism and sightseeing. I booked another round-trip ticket to visit Saudi from Cairo. On April 10, I went to Jeddah Airport to catch my flight. I held the line at 4 p.m. I had six luggage for my two kids and me. By the time I got to the agent, he was flirting with the female check-in agent. By the time he looked at my ticket, he told me that I had six luggage, and his shift is over and asked me to go to another agent. When I went to another agent, they told me that my flight is about to fly in one hour and there was no time for me and recommend taking the second flight that was supposed to depart at 7:30. I was told by the previous agent that since I was on time in-line, and it was the check-in male's fault who was wasting time flirting with the female next to him and decided to leave his shift that I should not pay any change booking fees. I spent two hours going back and forth from check-in agents to the Saudi Airlines to the Airport security and each one referred me to another section. By the time the head of Airport security checked the camera and saw that I was on time holding the line and Saudi office at the airport admitted that it was their fault and agreed to waive the change of booking fees, the second flight had left. The third flight for the night was leaving around 9:30 and my flight from Cairo to Detroit was leaving around 12:30 and I should be in line in Cairo by at most 9:30 or 10 p.m. I realized that if I flew, I would not catch my ***** flight and it was too late to contact the ***** office to reschedule my flight while at the airport. Bottom line my Saudi and ***** tickets were canceled. I was charged overstay fees.

  Business response

  03/20/2023

  ******************** was sent an email by customer relations expressing our sincere regret that her experience with SAUDIA has not met her expectations.  ******************** was advised that the concerned staff was not able to accept her onboard the flight due to her late arrival at the check in counter.  

  With regards to ************************ request to refund her tickets, tickets were issued through a travel agency, we regret to inform ******************** that her tickets were expired and cannot be refunded.

• Initial Complaint

  01/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am writing to you to express my great dissatisfaction with my recent experience with Saudi Airlines. January 3rd flew Saudi Airlines from Washington DC to Jeddah via Lahore City and encountered terrible service. I lost my Hand-carry which they took away at time of getting into the plane. The service I received from the airline staff was unprofessional, rude, and overly slow. My flight was delayed for 19 hours at Juddah airport, and when I asked the staff for an explanation, they were unable to provide one. The scariest part was that some people were stuck at the airport for four days, waiting for the connecting flight. I also found the staff attitude towards customers to be unhelpful and dismissive. Worse yet, when my flight finally arrived, my hand-carry was nowhere to be found. The baggage that was lost contained items of great value to me, and due to the loss, I suffered a serious inconvenience. I had to purchase new clothes, toiletries, and other items in order to make it through the rest of my trip. I had to pay for these items out of my own pocket. I was also disappointed in the customer service I received when I reported the lost baggage. The staff I spoke to was unhelpful and unsympathetic, and it was clear that they did not take my complaint seriously. They refused to give me a claim number by saying that it was not needed. I have tried to contact the airline both by phone and email, but I have not yet been able to speak to any customer service representatives who can provide me with information regarding my hand-carry. They hung-up the phone on me when I asked for some help. I am extremely frustrated by the fact that Saudia airline I expect to be compensated for the inconvenience and emotional distress this incident has caused. I have now been without my luggage for over three weeks and have yet to receive any response from the airline. I am writing to you in the hopes that you can help me get my luggage back *************

  Business response

  02/24/2023

  We have contacted **************** and advised that our records show that she was approved for baggage compensation with the maximum liability according to Montreal Convention.  We will contact **************** once compensation check is ready

• Initial Complaint

  06/24/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had a flight from RUH to LAX with a transit stop at JED. When I arrived to RUH, the agent provided me with both of my boarding passes that would put me on my flight to LAX. When I arrived to JED, I went to the counter to check in ny baggage and the agent retracted my boarding pass and denied me boarding stating I didn’t have a PCR test. He told me to go to and get one done at the airport and after I cooperated and paid 1,500 SAR for myself and two children to get tested, I presented the negative results and he continued to deny me to board. He had assured me that once I had the negative results I could check in my baggage and board but didn’t keep his word. There was still time but he was uncooperative and cost me a lot of money. I had to rebook for the next flight which was 2 days later. I had to cover expenses of staying in JED for that time as well as miss out my work that I was scheduled to come back for. I also had a domestic flight in the USA and My children and I missed that flight and we had to buy brand new tickets. I contacted them via email but they did not respond. I am very dissatisfied and ended up having to pay a hefty amount to correct their mistake. The supervisor is Poe to at JED, Abdulrahman B******* tried to make things right by letting us stay at a hotel paid by the airline and promised to upgrade us and compensate us. He gave me his cell phone number to reach him at and asked me to message him on ******** after I attempted to reach him just one time, he blocked my number! The number he gave me was+************. He was extremely rude and unprofessional. Just for the international tickets I paid about $3,140 and almost $1,000 for domestic tickets for me and my two kids. That doesn’t include the costs of having a layover for two and a half days in JED while we waited for the next flight to LAX.

  Business response

  07/13/2022

  **************** could not be accepted on original flight due to incomplete travel documents.  

   JED station provided an alternative flight without fees on June 13, 2022
  JED station provided accommodation 

   *************** travelled June 13, with no penalty charges or any additional fees.

  We apologize for any inconvenience 

  Customer response

  07/18/2022

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The information provided by the business is only partially correct. My travel documents were complete. The agent failed to mention that my stop in JED was a transit stop. My trip started from RUH and when I checked in at RUH, not only did the supervisor check my documents and told me I was good to fly home, but I was also issued my boarding pass from JED to LAX. All 3 of us flew from RUH to JED.  

  The agent also failed to mention that the flight I was rebooked on with my 2 children was 2 full days later. I had to stay in Jeddah for two days and I didn’t know anyone there and didn’t have anything to do. Had I stayed in Riyadh, I could have gone back to my family’s home and stayed with them.
  
  I had commitments and a job to return to and my daughter had to return to private school, which I pay for her to attend. My job was jeopardized. We were 2 days late and the consequences were very costly.
  
  The reason the airline rebooked us without charging us is because they were at fault and the supervisor told me so. They are refusing to provide the 3 of us compensation we are entitled to.
  
  Furthermore, the supervisor in JED lacked the least basic customer service skill. He gave me a cell phone number so that I could verify our new flight but instead of responding to my messages, he blocked my number! Why would you provide a number when you were NOT intending on being of assistance?
  His name was Abdurahman B****** and the number he gave me was ****************   
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  06/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased 5 airline tickets on 04/27/2022 on the Saudi Arabia Airlines website for a total amount of $6536.6 the travel was to include a 4 day transit for which i made hotel reservations in different cities, paid for tour and made transportation arrangements. During the last 7 weeks i called the airlines in their US offices and overseas multiple times with no response, in the last week i have been calling them repeatedly in their Saudi Arabia offices as i have been trying to secure the visa for transit and when i finally got through to an agent he informed me that it would be easier to get the Visa at the airport on landing but on inquiry i was advised it was better to secure the visa before departure. Today we have been calling all day and when we finally got through we were informed that there has been a new regulation prohibiting entry into Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah and that we will not be allowed to board the plane, and will not be allowed in our destination airport and that there were no alternative flights and that we have to cancel /postpone our flights for several weeks . We were advised not to go to the airport by the agent as we will not be allowed to board. the agent gave us an email address that he said was the complaint address for the refund however the email i sent came back undeliverable even though i verified the email with online sources At the same time i am receiving texts from the airline that if i pay extra I would be able to get a business upgrade

  Business response

  07/05/2022

  We have reviewed complaint submitted by ************ and our records indicate that ************** travelled on the scheduled flight without any additional charges. Flight ** ** June 22nd IAD to JED

  Flight ** *** June 28.

  We did not find any records of complaints by ************ submitted to Saudia prior to complaining to BBB.

   We thank ************ for his comments and for allowing us to assist him.

   

   
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I lost my baggage Representative did not give me the baggage identification Tag *************************** Ticket : *************** PNR:****** Travel JED to DXB saudia SV *** DXB to Mia ******** ******** Ek ***

  Business response

  05/19/2022

  Contacted **************** for claim number and follow up on baggage claim. According to our records bags were delivered by Saudia to DXB per below

  2022-04-21T17:19:57+03:00 User:******* Office:
  *********
  Transaction: Baggage Acceptance */***/*/*/***/***

  **************** advised bags were delivered by ******** to Miami.

• Initial Complaint

  03/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a ticket from the airlines. About a month prior to the travel date I changed my plans, and requested a refund, which was supposed to have been issued within 45 business days of when I submitted the request. It is now 3 months later and I have not received a refund. Their customer service numbers never pick up. They have a Whatsapp account as their main customer service channel. I tried to get through there but they never respond in a timely fashion, or give me a chance to respondthey'll respond 8+ hours after my initial message then immediately close the chat if I don't respond within minutes. They ask for the same information over and over again, including private information such as a copy of my passport just to check on the refund status. As of now, I have yet to be able to get any more information on the status of the refund.

  Business response

  03/31/2022

  We extend our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience experienced.  Our records indicate that refund was completed March 27, 2022

  Hope this resolves issue.  Thank you for giving us the chance to assist

• Initial Complaint

  03/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My son and I traveled from JFK to ISB on 02/02/2020 with return flight tickets booked through ARK Travel and ******* agency (******************** and ********************) We had return flights for 03/19/20, flight number ** **** for ISB to RUH, and ****** for RUH to JFK. Saudi Airlines cancelled them and rescheduled our flights to 03/22/20 (ISB to JFK). These new return tickets were issued to me in paper form from the Islamabad Saudi Airline office, ticket numbers *******************:ETKT 065 *************************************** 065 **********. Saudi airlines cancelled these flights on 03/15 and did not reschedule them. We returned to JFK through a separate airline. Both I and the travel agent (**** from *** travel) have requested a refund multiple times to Saudi Airlines. I called the airline offices in USA, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia (I bought international calls specifically for this) over 30 times since 2020; they always redirect me to their ******** business chat or their website refund request portal. The website does not accept my ticket information and tells me to call the airline office. I have tried contacting their ******** business chat over 20 times, and once (in late 2021 )the agent said they submitted my request. I have been unable to confirm or replicate this since. I submitted a complaint through the Saudi Airlines website in 12/2021 but have not received any reply or confirmation of receipt. I contacted the travel agency that I booked my original flight through (*** ****** and ***** agency,, ********************** and ********************) The travel agent ***********************) submitted a refund request in December 2021 for our 2 return flights. They submitted a refund request for the rescheduled and cancelled return flight tickets for 03/22/2020: *******************: ETKT 065 ********** *********************: ETKT 065 ********** They have received no response or refund either. I have spent countless hours with Saudi Airlines trying to get a refund for these 2 flights.

  Business response

  04/01/2022

  We apologize for the inconvenience guest experienced.  We followed up with the travel agency and they advised that they have completed the refund.  Kindly check and follow up on status of refund with travel agency.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩