Saudia, the national carrier of Saudi Arabia, operates a fleet of 37 Boeing 777-300ERs, with 2 in a VIP configuration and 2 leased from Air Atlanta Europe with a staggering 492 seats. On the opposite end of the passenger spectrum is the 290-seat 77Z in a 12F/36J/242Y configuration for a total of 290 seats, and it is this configuration that isnused on the world’s longest 777-300ER flight* from Jeddah to Los Angeles.
*Occasionally, flight times between JFK and Taipei, Hong Kong, and Manila are longer, but this is both the longest 77W route by distance and the longest one exclusively operated by the Triple 7 300ER.
Server: Solo
Airline: Saudia
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Origin: King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (JED)
Destination: Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California (LAX)
Flight Number: SV41
Route: OEJN-KLAX
Seat: 22L (Business)
Time En Route: 16 Hours 37 Minutes
Standing in line to board at Saudi Arabia’s busiest airport. The 777-300ER remains the backbone of Saudia’s long-haul operations, flying to destinations in Asia, Europe, and North America. For the latter, SV flies to Los Angeles, New York City, Toronto, and Washington D.C. from JED, with New York and D.C. also seeing service from Riyadh (RUH/OERK).
Entering Runway 34C for departure
Lifting off for the 16.5-hour trip to L.A.
Climbout over the Red Sea along the coast of the Hejaz
West of Cyprus
Morning over Greenland as we race west against the Sun
Descending into Los Angeles over the popular ski destination of Big Bear Lake following a 6-hour or so nap since we were over Greenland. Despite being overshadowed by other Middle East carriers such as Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, and Emirates, it’s still a decent business class, even though it lacks the qualities to make it truly outstanding.
Landing at LAX
Taxiing to the Midfield Concourse
Looking at the jet before the long trek to the main Tom Bradley International Terminal and the baggage claim