The first sign you're not in a typical aeroplane comes right before taxiing for takeoff. A recorded message informs you that you are about to hear a prayer which Prophet Muhammad recited before embarking on a journey, and immediately a deep, stern voice blares through the speakers: "Allah o akbar. Allah o akbar. Allah o akbar". After having established that Allah is indeed great, the prayer goes on for about a minute or so, with most of the passengers mouthing along in unison. Only after having obtained God's protection can the plane leave the ground safely.
During the flight movies are projected on the screen and, by plugging your headset into the armrest and tuning into the correct channel, you can watch whatever is showing. Nothing unusual about that. Of course, the airline isn't permitted to show anything even remotely haram, ruling out romance, unveiled women and probably pork-eating as well. This leaves a pretty limited range of movies. They always show a mini-documentary about Mecca, which I've already seen 3 times, and I've also caught a short animation film with some weird, blobby creatures that wear veils a couple of times. Not my first choice of films, but they help pass the time. What's really remarkable though, is what happens when one of the five prayer times rolls around. Yesterday, for example, I was watching the lame documentary about the Loch Ness Monster they were showing, when all of a sudden the buttons on my armrest started flashing red. Instantly, the hazy images of Nessie gave way to a compass indicating the direction of Mecca, and the mullah's call to evening prayer blasted through my earphones. When I tried to save myself from the cacophony by changing to a different channel, I found it was stuck on this specific one and I had to wait for the prayer to be over in order to listen to anything else. And that is why you should never, ever travel with a half-charged iPod, especially on SAUDIA flights.
Besides that, there's an announcement a half hour before the plane reaches a certain zone around Mecca (no aircrafts are permitted to fly directly above the holy city), so the passengers who wish to pray may prepare to do so. Some of the larger aeroplanes even have special prayer areas for this purpose.
While we're on the subject of passengers, I think it's worth mentioning the type of people I usually travel towards Jeddah with, regardless of the airline. Because Jeddah is the gateway to Mecca, all Hajj* and Umrah** pilgrimes pass through the city, however fleetingly. These people come from all over the world, even from the most remote places you never even knew existed, to fulfill the journey of a lifetime. It's really an experience traveling alongside African women draped in endless folds of colourful fabric and wizened old men with henna-dyed orange beards, wearing nothing but the two towel-like sheets (ihram) required for the pilgrimage. Many of these people have never flown before, judging by their disoriented behavior, and I've been on flights that have been delayed up to an hour due to the time it took to persuade them to get out of the seats they have chosen for themselves and strapped into their assigned ones. Even so, their determination to step out of their comfort zone and reach Mecca is quite admirable.
Despite these small oddities, which really don't affect the passenger much, SAUDIA flights are generally enjoyable, and the great quality of Middle-Eastern hospitality is evident throughout the whole thing. From the Arabic tea you are offered right after take-off to the multiple course meals with a choice of three different types of meat and the thick, wooly blankets. On longer filghts you even get a kit containing a toothbrush and toothpaste, a sleeping mask and an extra pair of socks. And all this is just in economy class. So, all in all, it's a very luxurious affair. Saudis may have many faults, but when it come to pampering themselves they do it best!
* Hajj: it is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is currently the largest
annual pilgrimage in the world, and is a religious duty that must be carried
out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford
to do so.
**Umrah:
Pilgrims can also go to Mecca to perform the rituals at other times of the
year. This is sometimes called the "lesser pilgrimage", or Umrah.
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