Saudia Airbus A321XLR – The Game-Changer We Didn’t See Coming!

• Airline: Saudia Airlines
• Class: Business
• Route: Jeddah (JED) to Vienna (VIE)
• Aircraft: Airbus A321XLR

This plane is going to change the way we travel in the future. Small, luxurious, versatile, and capable of staying in the air for up to 11 hours, the Airbus A321XLR is narrow-body aviation at its absolute finest.

After my recent, super disappointing experience on Riyadh Air, I booked myself on Saudia’s brand-new A321XLR. Six years ago, Saudia was a rigid government carrier that couldn’t care less whether you had a good time or not. Today, it’s easily one of the world’s most improved airlines. To see how this turnaround happened so fast, I asked the chief architect of the experience—Saudia’s Chief Guest Experience Officer, Rossen Dimitrov—to join me in the air to pick his brain.

Most airlines cram up to 230 seats on an A321. Saudia configured this bird with just 120 seats in Economy and 22 lie-flat seats in Business Class—plus two extra special suites up in Row 1.

If you are booking this aircraft, Seat 1A is the absolute suite to target:

• First Class Feel: Some airlines (like Etihad) sell these front-row bulkhead suites as a completely separate First Class product, but Saudia lists them as standard Business Class seats.
• Companion Dining: The footwell area is so massive it features a second seat/ottoman, meaning you can actually dine face-to-face with a travel partner.
• Design & Finishes: Zero cheap plastics. Everything is soft-touch leather and custom textiles inspired by Saudi Arabia’s natural landscape—the AlUla desert tones, sea waves, and sand dunes.

Cruising at 35,000 feet, Rossen joined me inside Suite 1A to talk shop about how Saudia overhauled its entire identity:

• Unscripted Hospitality: Rossen emphasized that while you can train crew on service steps, Saudia actively avoids taking away their natural personality. The result? Warm, authentic hospitality rather than robotically scripted service.
• Holding Airlines Accountable: He noted that public feedback and brutal honesty from flyers are vital. Instead of denying issues, the best airlines use criticism as an audit to fix problems and raise expectations.

Saudia’s long-haul dining was a absolute masterpiece:

• Catering: Local caviar service, a brilliant tomato soup, a steak cooked to a true medium-rare (almost impossible on a plane!), and one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever tasted in the sky.
• The Bed: When turned into lie-flat mode, the side ottoman raises to merge into the bed, creating a massive, lounge-like sleeping area.

Narrow-body long-haul flights can be daunting, but Saudia has knocked it out of the park. It doesn’t feel like a single-aisle plane. Between the premium hardware, low operating costs passed down through competitive pricing, and genuine hospitality, Saudia is giving passengers way more value for their money. I honestly hate that I couldn’t find a single thing to complain about – it was just that good.

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This is it guys, wherever you’re off to, have a safe trip!