IT'S HERE: Riyadh Air Business Class and Premium Economy

[00:00:00]In my previous video, we saw how Riad Air delivers an economy class, but how does that compare to the premium cabins?

[00:00:07]Right after our economy flight to Jedha, we flew back to Riad in premium economy and business. Can Riad Air actually compete against the giants in the region? And will the ME3 actually become an ME4?

[00:00:24]It is premium time. Premier economy and business class. How do those very important experiences stack up against the competition? What are our first impressions? Let's hop on board and find out.

[00:00:43]Seemingly, this flight is quite empty.

[00:00:45]It just went on sale a few days ago.

[00:00:47]There isn't really a big party here at the gate either, even though this is Riadera's first ever departure with passengers from Jedha.

[00:01:04]Yeah, the previous flight was cool, but this is what it's all about. This is the moment we have been waiting for because there are so many questions and so few answers right now about how Riad Air is going to deliver.

[00:01:20]Now, what is our premium seat map telling us about Riad Air on their 787-9?

[00:01:27]One interesting observation is that they have just 24 business class seats. There are an additional four business elite seats at the front of the cabin that come at an extra cost. This might be one of the best business class products out there, so stay tuned for a good look at that. In an era of premium travel though, 28 liflat seats is quite conservative. Meanwhile, we've got 39 premium economy seats in a 232 layout.

[00:01:55]What does the emphasis on premium economy over business class tell us about Riad Air? Well, don't forget, the premium economy is the most profitable use of onboard space. And as you'll soon see, this airline is truly built for profit. I'd normally say the first row is your best choice in premium economy, but here it's basically inside the galley, so you might want to opt for a seat further back. Back in business, or should I say forward in business, all seats are pretty much equal, which is great. Every window seat makes it easy to look out whether you're in an odd or even numbered row. In the center, you've got honeymoon seats that are great for traveling with a companion. I believe there are three lavatories for business, although I wasn't able to verify the one at the very front, and I counted two.

[00:02:40]So, I'll have to hold off on a lavatory ratio until I do a longhaul flight review of Riad Air. Even with just two lavatories, it would still be a ratio of 1 to4, which is pretty good. So, with that, let's hop on board.

[00:02:54]Greeting us at the door are two of Riadair's brand new crew members, who apparently, as we learned from speaking to them, are currently being assigned to work in any cabin. On any given day, they could be working in business, premium economy, or economy, at least now at the start, because there is no seniority at the airline. Interesting, huh?

[00:03:15]We'll give you a little sneak peek to the left here before we turn right and begin with premium economy.

[00:03:26]Just like the economy cabin in the previous video, there is no denying that the first impression of this cabin is stunning. The colors, the stitching, the mood lighting, the privacy shields. I've never seen better aesthetics than this ever on an aircraft.

[00:03:48]Well, Maraban Marabe Riad Air pre I almost said Emirates.

[00:03:56]It's the same seat. That's what fools you to Riad Air premium economy. Based on this, it is very clear the one thing Riad Air is a master of at least based on economy and premium economy. We'll we'll see in business is cabin design. I have never seen such a visually stunning premium economy before. And I also think economy was one of the most stunning cabins I've seen. The mood lighting is active throughout the flight. Even on a daytime flight like this, just the incorporation of this dark marble, the gold, the purple, it is just so so beautiful. But does the comfort live up to the design? Because ultimately design is fun and it's pleasing to the eye, but if it's not that comfortable, then what's the point? So, let's talk about that.

[00:04:54]You know, Tony Douglas, the CEO, has been very vocal about saying that our premium economy Oh, hi. our premium economy is like business class. It's better than some airlines business class. Yes, if you compare it to domestic or regional business class, that is definitely the case. If you compare it to international business, of course not a lot of the time. But I have to say, just as an example, I stole the sea while Oscar went to the bathroom.

[00:05:19]The lavatories are shared with economy, which any premium premium economy product has its own lavatories or shares lavatories with business. Here you walk back and share with economy. It's not the end of the world. But if you're paying a premium, you expect shorter lines to the toilet, cleaner toilets in general because fewer people are using them, additional amenities and things like that. Let's try the recline. So, we have a hypothesis that the recline is slightly less generous here in the last row. But of course, this is more than comfortable enough. You will definitely be able to sleep even though the headrest is actually not very adjustable. So, this is what I noticed earlier prior to takeoff that these don't really do anything. Like the actual headrest doesn't give you any support. You need to just lean against this. It's a bit far apart, maybe.

[00:06:07]>> Well, well, it's also hard plastic, so it's not that comfortable. These are also supposed to give you privacy. And what they do do is block everyone's face. So, if I look to my right, I can't see anyone's face, but it's not exactly groundbreaking privacy. The bigger issue is if someone recines in front of you.

[00:06:25]That is the case in most premium economy products, but combined with the legroom actually being, I'm not going to lie, pretty limited here, as well as a very generous recline, we might encounter a problem. Listen, these seats are by no means uncomfortable. But the comfort level is nowhere near the level of the aesthetic. If you're traveling alone, you will definitely want to choose an aisle seat here since, as always in premium economy, it will be tough to get out if you're in that window traveling solo. As you can see from Oscar's facial expressions, getting out of the window seat when the people in front of you are reclined is not an easy task. Then again, you are spending most of your flight in your seat, not getting out of it. So, more recline is usually a better thing.

[00:07:15]These seats have a slightly bigger seat back pocket than economy and the storage compartment on the side. There's also a small compartment for a water bottle.

[00:07:23]But most impressively, there are a total of four USBC ports per passenger. Two in the seat and two under the entertainment screen. That is outrageous in the best way. Of course, make sure you bring a USBC cable because USBA and AC power are not available.

[00:07:48]So, we've noticed a very clear difference in the width of the aisles in each cabin, which is fascinating because the aisle in business is so tight, as you're going to see, you cannot pass anyone if they're in the aisle. In economy, it's sort of standard, but here, the aisle is massive. It is so, so spacious. Which makes me wonder, why didn't they choose to make the seats a little wider and the aisle narrower?

[00:08:14]Because not only is the leg room not fantastic by premium economy standards, but I also feel like the seat width is quite limited to be honest.

[00:08:29]Before we head up to business, let's just see what the pre-eparture service looks like in premium economy because this is where things get impressive.

[00:08:40]Oscar is welcomed with a choice of water or orange juice, and the orange juice is actually quite nice. No minute made around here. He then receives a hot towel before departure, something very few airlines offer in premium economy.

[00:08:55]Finally, he is also served Saudi coffee and dates.

[00:09:00]>> Hello. Would you care for Saudi coffee?

[00:09:02]>> We'd love some. Yeah, thank you.

[00:09:03]>> Excellent choice. We love it.

[00:09:05]>> Can never turn it down. Yeah. Right.

[00:09:07]>> Thank you.

[00:09:08]>> Thank you.

[00:09:09]>> Offer you also some sukuri dice.

[00:09:11]>> That would be lovely. Yeah. Thank you.

[00:09:13]>> Thanks.

[00:09:14]>> This is the best premium economy pre-eparture soft product I have ever seen.

[00:09:23]>> We will get back to the meal service and premium economy later. But for now, let's head up to business class and see what Riad Era's flagship premium cabin is like.

[00:09:35]Welcome to Riad Aaron business class.

[00:09:50]>> Hi, how are you?

[00:09:55]It's a hectic flight today. We have less than an hour and a half and so much to show you. So, let's begin by showing you around the cabin and each type of seat, including the first row of business elite seats. Then we'll do the pre-eparture service and then into the rest after takeoff. Here are the even numbered rows. This is six alpha.

[00:10:16]Looking very, very cozy, I must say, with the seat closer to the window and this closer to the aisle. Then we have the honeymoon seats right here in the middle. This wall goes down to create not a double bed but a double suite.

[00:10:32]Then we have the rows with seats closer to the aisle. As you see here, this seat has been used on one flight and there are already scratches.

[00:10:41]Oh no.

[00:10:48]And here we have business elite which I must say seeing it now on the aircraft.

[00:10:56]This is a first class suite. There's no doubt about it. This is not business class plus. This is very much a first class product especially by the windows.

[00:11:05]It feels a little tighter here in the middle. So the one product we don't get to experience today is the business elite seat. But I am genuinely blown away by this. I saw this as one of the first people in the world to see it when it was revealed at their event in Jedha.

[00:11:21]But being on board, this is genuinely astronomically better than British Airways first class, Starlock's first class. I can think of a few more. It feels so spacious. It is funny they chose to call it one Charlie. So there is no one alpha on Riad Air.

[00:11:54]Thank you. Saudi coffee time.

[00:11:58]>> Beautiful shukran and some cakes. Yes, please.

[00:12:03]Well, let me welcome you to Riad Air Business, guys. We have the holy trinity for me. A lemon mint. Although this is a lemonade, Earl Gray and mint mix. Why?

[00:12:15]Why was that hard to say? So, this is quite an interesting take on the classic lemon mints we get in the region. I'm so curious. M. That is gorgeous. It tastes like normal lemon mint, though. We have a hot towel served by the crew on a tray. It meets those criteria as well.

[00:12:31]And then we also get some Saudi coffee with dates. Gorgeous cup. It has like a sort of sandune pattern on it. If you don't know the difference, Saudi coffee is basically Arabic coffee with a bit more saffron is my experience. It's hard to beat this.

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[00:14:47]We just took off. It is time to get down to business. There is so much for me to show you. First, a comment on the shoulder harness. All seats that have a shoulder harness generally use them because you are seated so close to the seat in front of you that if you were to suddenly break, you would hit your head if you didn't have this. That's why some seats have this. Some seats also have airbags, but some seats don't need either. So my main concern when I saw this seat in Jedha in 2025 that is was how close you are to the seat in front of you. This is based on the Saffron Unity which is an upcoming popular seat you'll find on Japan Airlines A350. A bunch more airlines have ordered it and it's unique in that it is extremely private. One of the most private seats out there with these really high walls.

[00:15:36]Riad Air has built-in mood lighting which is stunning. But I must say that my knees hit the seat in front of me, which usually isn't the case in business. And this is extremely close.

[00:15:48]So, we need to recline into bed mode to see if that starts getting quite claustrophobic. Oh, let me make sure this stays open. Since this is a first flight, we receive some gifts. Just like on the previous flight, we get a luggage tag, but this time, of course, Jedha to Riad, not Riad to Jedha. And then I also saw they had this in their little bag, a Riad Air puzzle. This is actually for kids. But I said, "Can I have one?" And they said, "Yes." So, what a cute little thing to give to kids.

[00:16:22]Now, let's close our door and we can talk. So, what about business? This is without a doubt one of the most stunning business class seats I've ever flown in.

[00:16:34]It is a feast for the eyes. truly the way that the design emulates sand dunes and the Saudi desert. The dark colors combined with light choices. But even here, it's not just white. The attention to detail on the design is phenomenal.

[00:16:49]When it comes to comfort, this seat is really well padded, which is a nice improvement from premium economy. Once again, our tray table actually extends from under here. So, it folds out like this, meaning that if we're using it, you can sort of push it to the side and exit to go to the bathroom, but it's going to be tight. It's not designed to really do that. You can pull it forward as far as you want, which is great, and it feels very sturdy. If you're putting a lot of things on here, your laptop, you won't struggle with that. I also wonder about the storage in this seat.

[00:17:25]I'm in one of the oddnumbered seats closer to the aisle. We can put some stuff on the floor here. We have a little closet back here and a surface to our side. But beside that, there aren't any compartments for shoes down here, for example. Maybe this could be designed to accommodate a laptop or something or a book, which it also doesn't. The entertainment screen doesn't seem to swivel, so some new seats allow you to tilt it down for when you're in bed, for example.

[00:18:00]In economy, I complained about the lack of individual air vents or so-called gaspers. But here in business, I am truly disappointed that they did not choose to invest in these vents that we honestly expect on any premium airline outside of East and Southeast Asia these days where they are absolutely not the norm. But everywhere else, being able to control your temperature and air flow is an expectation.

[00:18:28]Whoa. Welcome to the lavatory which is so bright and spacious. I love this material. They had it in economy as well, but the fact that this lavatory is actually spacious with this wall, the same soap. The main difference is you have a foot pedal here. That's what you pay extra for.

[00:19:03]Let's try the bed and the comfort.

[00:19:05]Obviously, we don't have the longhaul bedding here with a mattress pad and that kind of stuff. The comfort will go up quite a bit, but let's just slide it on in here. Oo. I always like my seatback being a little bit upright because otherwise you're actually facing down since the nose of the plane is tilted up. Okay. Actually, the seat is surprisingly roomy. Even though your legs start going underneath the seat in front of you already way above your knees, at least when you're 6'2, the area is quite big and I can lay on my back without my feet touching the bottom. I can lay on the side, especially on my right in this seat, and feel like I'm not touching anything, which is pretty comfortable and not all that common, especially on a Dreamliner.

[00:19:50]We have to remember that this is a 787, and as nice and modern as the 787 is, it is also a pretty tight aircraft. The most popular seat on the 787 in business right now seems to be the Aadiant Ascent. You'll find this on everything from Katar Airways 787-9s to American, United, and Alaska's newest 787-9s as well. The Saffron Unity is far preferable to the Aian Ascent in my opinion, even though it feels a bit cramped compared to other products on other aircraft from other airlines.

[00:20:24]So, what's with all the fabric? The entire wall around the seat here is fabric. The wall in front of us is fabric. the aircraft seat designers and you airline employees will know, but this is a great I don't know if we can call it an innovation, but it's a great trend. We've seen increasingly often on aircraft the past few years. Fin was really one of the first to coat their whole air lounge in fabric. And why is that good? Because you very clearly notice as soon as you get into your seat, the noise level goes down. When you're standing up, I'd say it sounds like 25% louder versus when you're in here because the fabric all around us is absorbing the noise, making a more quiet and calming environment, which is of course exactly what you want, especially for sleep. So, that is great. One thing that's very rare, only a few airlines have this so far, is speakers built in to the headrest. So, on each side here, we have a speaker. And I think what we're supposed to do if we want to use those instead of the Bluetooth audio or the headphone, we haven't received any headphones, but it's a short flight. We push them like this. And I'm going to start playing an amazing song. Is it over now? By Taylor Swift. And we're going to hear how it sounds. This is so interesting.

[00:21:41]Oh, wow. The headrest also leans up. So, you definitely can't hear anything, but I do this.

[00:21:53]Oh, >> it's actually giving me a headache. I do not like that. The built-in headphones are one of those cool innovations that I'm sure 1% of passengers talks will actually end up using because the nice thing about putting on headphones and the amazing thing about now having Bluetooth functionality is that you can bring your preferred noiseancelling headphones or earbuds on board and drown all the noise out. drown the engine noise out, drown the cabin noises, but now you're just adding noise. You're adding a movie or a song to an already sort of stressful sound environment without removing any of the stuff you want to remove. So, I don't really see the point of it. It's a cool little feature, but the Bluetooth headphone feature is where it's at, of course.

[00:22:49]So, in my previous video, I said I would have a lot of sympathy with the airlines since even airlines that have been around for 80 years get a lot of things wrong. So, when you're brand new, of course, a lot of things are going to go wrong. And that considered, this is such a smooth experience. What I will say is that the crew are mostly coming from other Middle Eastern airlines seemingly.

[00:23:10]We have Emirates. We have Akatar Airways, Etihad. Probably the smaller ones as well. Oman Air, Gulf Air. So, they've done this before. They have the training, right?

[00:23:23]>> Mushrooms are steady.

[00:23:24]>> Thank you.

[00:23:27]Are you joking? On a domestic 1 and 1/2 hour flight, this is good. What do you mean? The water glasses have this subtle purple tint. the most subtle tint ever, but it's there. That is the level of attention to detail that you want. The looks and the aesthetics are 100% there, and it's a complete home run on that front.

[00:23:57]I think if I'm not forgetting any flights, this must be the best meal I've ever been served on a 1 and 1/2 hour flight. The problem is that Riad Air doesn't let you order special meals on a lot of flights, including domestic flights, which if they're going to have such an elaborate meal service, I don't see a reason not to do that. So, I cannot eat any of this cuz it all has milk in it. But it smells amazing and it looks amazing and I can try the mocktail. I ordered the Desert Rose. And yes, Riad Air is a dry airline. There is no alcohol on board. And it seems quite unlikely they'll have alcohol anytime soon.

[00:24:38]So, how does this meal service compared to the one in premium economy? Well, ironically for me and Oscar, this meal is actually better. There's a falafel wrap and a small mezible with hummus tabula and pickles. And the dessert is some sort of cheesecake. While I end up not being able to eat anything from my meal, Oscar actually feels quite full after his before landing. We're served another round of beautiful inaugural flight cupcakes. And just like that, it's time to touch down and make up our minds about Riad Air. What do we think now after trying all three cabins?

[00:25:31]So, first of all, what am I wearing? I am wearing Riad Air's pajamas, which I managed to get them to give me, which was incredibly kind of them. I also have a few amenity kits. So, let's start out by having a look at these. I personally don't think I would wear this outside of the aircraft. It is very comfortable. It feels like wearing air, but I'm also not a huge fan of sleeping in a polyester type material. I think this would be quite hot. There's also no pockets on the pajama pajama pants. These are minor complaints, just things I'm noticing.

[00:26:06]What about the amenity kit? It is a gorgeous pretty large kit. It contains the essentials and not much more, but it's nice that everything is Riad Air branded. The eye mask is pretty nice.

[00:26:17]So, it does the job, but it's nothing mind-blowing. So, here comes the fun part, analyzing everything a little bit because when Riad Air was announced, the entire airline industry, especially the Middle Eastern airline industry, was quite nervous. If you look at Catcher Airways social media feeds from 2024 and 2025, you will see quite a few digs, some subtle and some not, toward Riad Air. because Katar Airway's biggest market is Saudi Arabia. So, of course, this made them nervous. The thing I find so fascinating about Riad Air is how in just a few years their plans have seemingly changed quite drastically.

[00:26:57]When they launched, everyone assumed they would serve alcohol, which they don't, and puts them, frankly, in a league below the other Middle Eastern airlines that they cannot really get out of without serving alcohol. in the eyes of most at least western travelers.

[00:27:13]They've also changed their business model to very clearly be about bringing people to and from Riad. And perhaps most interestingly, and this is my biggest takeaway from today is that Riad Air is all about making money.

[00:27:30]>> It's got 290 seats in it. So, it's been laid out to be a money maker. A money maker. I was thinking this without even hearing it directly from the CEO's mouth. These aircrafts are tightly configured and you can tell in every cabin. The design is one of the most stunning you will find on any airline in the world. Every single cabin, but especially business, is absolutely breathtaking. But that doesn't take away from the fact that these aircraft are densely configured in order to be money makers, to be profitable. And that might seem obvious, but that isn't always so obvious in the Middle East because especially Emirates and Qatar Airways for many years were doing a lot of lifting. Besides just flying passengers, it wasn't always about making the most money flying passengers. Because if you think about what Emirates has done for Dubai, the airline has been a huge part of creating the most thriving and bustling city in the entire Middle East.

[00:28:34]They played a huge role in putting Dubai on the map. Same for Katar Airways. They really spread the name of Qar. And the economics don't really work the same in the Middle East as in other countries when it comes to airlines. A tourist who comes into, let's use Qar as an example, on a government-owned airline, even if that ticket isn't necessarily profitable, when they're spending time in Qar, paying for hotels, paying for food, the overall financial picture, is that the state of Qar, which is funding the airline, ends up making money. Riyad Air, I thought, was all about putting Riyad on the map, about making people curious about Riyad, making money for Riyad and Saudi Arabia. But if the intention from the start is for these planes to be money makers, the airline loses out on some of the things that have really put Emirates and Qar on these almost holy pedestals. For Emirates, their first class has done so much lifting for the brand as a whole with the shower suites, the bar on the E380, the unlimited caviar pan. It is just such a glamorous image that it portrays the whole airline and Dubai in a positive light. If you think about Katar Airways when they introduced Q Suite that was so groundbreaking that it really changed the whole airline industry. It changed the trajectory of business class and it definitely put Ketar Airways into your average person's consciousness. Once again, although Riio's cabins are stunning, they do not quite accomplish that goal, at least with the 787 we've seen so far. Then there's the question of what function does Riad Air serve? Because we already have Saudia, and I thought the point of Riad Air was to have a new modern airline to open up the world to Saudi Arabia, but in fact, it's just Saudia with new branding, new sexier branding.

[00:30:32]Basically, since you've stayed this long, as a thank you, I want to give you the chance to be one of two people to win a Riad Air amenity kit and be one of the first people in the entire world to have one of these amenity kits. All you need to do is hit like on the video and comment anything below and in a week, I'm going to choose two people to ship these kits to entirely for free. So, once again, thank you so much for tuning in. I hope you found this as fascinating and fun as I did. And until I see you in the next video, as always, fly