Okaz newspaper LAST Wednesday, 380 passengers scheduled to fly at 2 P.M from Riyadh to Jeddah by Saudia Flight 1035 were kept waiting till 9 P.M. because the plane did not arrive. The passengers spent over seven hours waiting without any information on the fate of the flight. Perhaps Saudia aspires to put into practice the primary school proverb, “Silence is wisdom, but few implement it.” There was only one counter open and only two or three Saudia employees to serve the queries of 380 passengers. No one informed the passengers the reasons for delay or when the flight was expected to arrive. The passengers weren't asked if they would prefer to wait or change their reservations. I can't say that no one asked if the passengers wanted to fly in another airline, because Saudia is the only carrier and there is no escaping it. It is true that the flight delay could have been due to an emergency case or due to something beyond Saudia's control. For the sake of argument, let's say there were such reasons. But what about services that should follow such a delay? The passengers incur losses the same way an airline incurs when passengers do not board a flight on time. Besides there are elderly passengers, children who need special care, and passengers who have important appointments like an examination, business meeting, interview, medical appointment, a connecting flight and so on. When flights get delayed, the passenger loses big time. So what does Saudia do to compensate its passengers who waited for seven long and painful hours? Does it give them free tickets? Does it offer them a booking preference for the next flight? Does it refund a percentage of the ticket price? What does it provide them with after making them wait in the airport indefinitely? Saudia passengers continue to tolerate the behavior of not being informed about the fate of their flight. They keep waiting in the airport for the fear of missing the flight if it arrives unexpectedly. But if they happen to be late in arriving at the airport, they not only miss the flight, but also have to pay a hefty fine to Saudia as compensation for the loss the airline incurred. __
