Trump to visit Saudi Arabia in mid-May: Report    Worshippers in Makkah and Madinah perform Eid Al-Fitr prayer    Saudi authorities shut down food factories and branches over suspected poisoning cases    Saudi Arabia welcomes formation of new Syrian government, expresses hope for stronger ties    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Defense, interior, and national guard ministers extend Eid greetings, praise efforts of military and security personnel    Syria forms new government with 22 ministers including one woman President Sharaa vows reform and transparency    Israeli army fires warning shots at UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon    Denmark rebukes US Vice President Vance over Greenland remarks    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Makkah and Madinah mobile data usage exceeds global average during Ramadan: CST    Elon Musk's xAI acquires X in all-stock deal    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    NewJeans announces hiatus after setback in court battle    George Foreman, heavyweight champion and cultural icon, dies at 76    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Saudi Arabian Airlines soars to new heights
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 16 - 12 - 2015

I had been a long-term critic of the state of affairs at the national carrier we have all come to know as Saudia. My extensive association with them provided me with an insight very few other writers had access to. And watching how the airline floundered and stumbled from a position of strength was indeed painful, not just to me and not just to the many dedicated employees of the organization, but to the hundreds of thousands of passengers dissatisfied with their experience with this airline.
One of the most perplexing questions was how this airline with practically a guaranteed market failed to make any significant impact in the region. In previous decades, and with very little competition around, Saudia was indeed the big kid on the block. There was a very lucrative market to tap into. The decades of the late 70s, 80s and 90s witnessed a massive flow of passenger migration called the "teacher movement", whereby hundreds of thousands of school and university teachers from Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Jordan and elsewhere were transported back to their homeland during annual vacations.
There was also the annual flow of Saudi and expatriate tourists leaving the country during the hot summer months for cooler places. With the generous surplus provided by increasing oil prices, many Saudis and their families began venturing outside their borders using Saudia as a vehicle to get them to their destinations.
The rising standard of living also led to the recruitment by Saudi households of hundreds of thousands of domestic workers from Third World countries, all of whom were initially required to fly on Saudia.
Then there were the Umrah passengers who would fly from different corners of the world to perform their religious rites. Added to this were the millions who flocked to this country to perform the annual Haj pilgrimage. Saudia, the primary beneficiary of this vast abundance of passengers from so many different sectors and at different intervals during the year, was indeed very fortunate and the envy of many regional carriers. At that time, there was no Emirates Airlines or Qatar Airways or Etihad. It was all Saudia.
The government too was very generous to the national airline, allocating a sizable portion of its annual budget to bolster the operating costs of this growing company. But in spite of all that the company was gifted with, organizational rot began to set in. By the mid 90s, complaints were rising against the carrier from frustrated passengers who targeted everything from poor customer services to the shabby appearance of the aircraft and technical delays. But all such complaints fell on deaf ears. Operating costs kept rising, new CEOs were appointed but there was no significant change.
The privatization scheme announced in the 90s by the late Prince Sultan, who was the country's minister of defense at the time, failed to move forward for many years as many of the airline's executives continued to drag their feet against such a move. They feared that it would end their tenure as recipients of the cash cow that came to be known as Saudia. The airline was literally treated as a country club by some executives, where promotions to higher grades were determined not on the basis of qualifications but by who knew and buttered whom.
The apparent lack of accountability led to unprecedented levels of nepotism. This blatant abuse of ethics led to diminishing corporate ethics and poor worker morale which translated to poor service and a poor product. It also signaled the end of service of many qualified individuals who left the airline disillusioned with the "backroom" politics. While other upstart regional airlines garnered awards on the global stage, Saudia was confined to looking at the festivities from behind the curtains.
But recently, things have begun to change. A new CEO took over. Saleh N. Al-Jasser was appointed as the director general of Saudi Arabian Airlines in 2014. He brought with him a "can do" spirit of change. He has introduced corporate discipline. Unlike his predecessors, he began by getting rid of senior deadwood executives who had been hanging on tenaciously to their positions for decades and had contributed nothing of significance to the airline's growth. On the contrary, they were the reason the airline fell backwards. That process of cleaning up still continues as some more executives were removed from their posts recently.
Al-Jasser stated at the time of his appointment: "We will encourage a spirit of initiative and innovation to improve the level of performance and customer services. We will give top priority to customers in order to maximize satisfaction." He also demanded that expenditures had to be rationalized and operational efficiency boosted. The privatization drive has been given new impetus. His pursuit of organizational agility and accountability has begun to translate itself as is evident by increased customer satisfaction and load factors. Morale is on the upswing, service has improved, passenger complaints have dropped, and the airline is finally getting on the right track. Saudia is becoming the first choice for many travelers.
Granted there is more work to be done and the competition is stiff, but with an individual like Saleh Al-Jasser piloting the organization, I have no doubt that Saudi Arabian Airlines will indeed be taken to new horizons.
— The author can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena


Clic here to read the story from its source.