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Chaudhry
Joined: 22 Aug 2009
Posts: 59
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 Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 11:39 am Post subject: Rudness of poeple in the Magic Kingdom(Now I understand Why) |
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After spending less tham 24 awake hours in the magic kindgom, having to face Saudi Airlines staff and Riyadh airport, taking note of the University transportation department members, and chaotic processes everywhere where students can just pop in into the converstaion and afterwords laughing about their unability to converse in English withsome ... I have just found rudeness in the air. BESIDES I have met a lot of extremely nice and helping people in the UoH.
What a roller coaster of emotions.
Cheers to all those who have been through this. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 11:47 am Post subject: |
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Riyadh airport is horrid. Every time I arrive in KSA and land in that airport, I want to get back on the plane and return to whence I came.
BTW though it may not be much consolation to you, interrupting conversations is not really considered rude in KSA. So while it's certainly infuriating, in your more culturally sensitive moments perhaps you can console yourself by the fact that they don't 'mean' to be rude. No matter how often I've told my students that it's rude to interrupt, they keep on doing it. And, since these are students who tend to be polite and pleasant in every other way, I have to assume that they just don't consider interruption to be impolite. I do, though.
More generally, in my experience, there are certain situations in which Saudis are extremely rude, and certain situations in which they are exceedingly polite. Doubtless they think much the same about us. |
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Kalima Shahada
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Posts: 198
Location: I live in a house, but my home is in the stable.
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| Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 12:00 pm Post subject: |
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They really do need to do something about that airport. It's a madhouse, way too small and quite an eye sore. It's probably the worst airport I've ever seen and I've been in and out of about 30 different countries, not to mention all the airports I've been in in the United States.
Riyadh should look at what Doha is doing. I wonder when they will open that new one? Should be soon.
Footnote: I didn't have any problems with anyone being rude to me at the Riyadh airport though. But don't get me started on China or South Korea...  |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 12:28 pm Post subject: |
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Well, I guess in Riyadh airport, unlike Heathrow, they do not take your shoes off to be scanned for explosives! 
BTW, kalima, do the airports of Uncle Sam ask for your shoes to be scanned for possible smoking....? |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 12:35 pm Post subject: |
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Well, I guess in Riyadh airport, unlike Heathrow, they do not take your shoes off to be scanned for explosives! |
yes they do (sometimes).
But one thing I will say for Riyadh Airport: Awful though it is, you never have to walk far at all. Unlike Deathrow, where merely getting from one terminal to the next can take 15 minutes. Then you have to go through the unending levels of security. Then you have to join another queue. Then you have to walk another hike to your gate.....
Oh wait, one more good thing about Riyadh airport. They do not enforce the pointless and moronic 'no liquids' rule. I'm certain that airport security staff's time can be put to better use than making some housewife from Scunthorpe feel like a criminal because her tube of handcream is 120 ml rather than 100ml. |
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trapezius
Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 1670
Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction
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| Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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Those of you who have to use Riyadh airport are lucky... compared to those of us who have to use Jeddah's.
Jeddah's airport is by far the worst international airport of any developed or developing nation, and I am sure worse than many of those in poor underdeveloped nations.
It is just straight up nasty. |
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cmp45
Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 1475
Location: KSA
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| Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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| I agree! Jeddah's airport is far worse than Riyadh's |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 1:26 pm Post subject: |
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| trapezius wrote: |
Those of you who have to use Riyadh airport are lucky... compared to those of us who have to use Jeddah's.
Jeddah's airport is by far the worst international airport of any developed or developing nation, and I am sure worse than many of those in poor underdeveloped nations.
It is just straight up nasty. |
Which one? The Saudi airlines only airport, or the other one for other international airlines?
I used the Saudi airlines only airport in Jeddah, and it seems is ok! Each time I have a connection to Abha, they offer me a room including full board in the Airport hotel, what a hospitality!
Unless of course your eyes are not blue and you look like an Indian/Banghali/Pakistani/Egyptian/etc/etc, then expect the unexpected from the immigration staff and other officials of the airport! |
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Sheikh N Bake
Joined: 26 Apr 2007
Posts: 1307
Location: Dis ting of ours
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| Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 1:45 pm Post subject: |
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| The worst part of the Riyadh airport is the mile-long (or is it longer?) departure/arrivals terminal--especially for arrivals. If you need anything special, such as a currency exchange before you find a taxi, enjoy the walk. I don't. |
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Middle East Beast
Joined: 05 Mar 2008
Posts: 836
Location: Up a tree
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| Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 2:07 pm Post subject: |
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Riyadh airport is far worse than Jeddah's. I've used both on several occasions.
At Riyadh airport they will change the gate for your departing flight and make no announcement. You have to hope that you spot the change yourself or overhear other English speakers conversing about the change.
Otherwise, you're out of luck.
All Saudi airports suck, but Riyadh is the worst. Near the end of my years in that hell on earth, I started using Bahrain airport--literally day vs night. |
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sharter
Joined: 25 Jun 2008
Posts: 878
Location: All over the place
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| Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 2:37 pm Post subject: erm |
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Never ending levels of security at Heathrow? Thank god someone's got some sense otherwise there might have been more events like 9/11 carried out by men from the magic kingdom of tolerance and peace.
Terminal 5 is excellent, have been through it many times now. |
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Middle East Beast
Joined: 05 Mar 2008
Posts: 836
Location: Up a tree
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| Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 2:41 pm Post subject: Re: erm |
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| sharter wrote: |
| Never ending levels of security at Heathrow? Thank god someone's got some sense otherwise there might have been more events like 9/11 carried out by men from the magic kingdom of tolerance and peace. |
Ditto.
Though security procedures at airports are a hassle, I could never bring myself to congratulate an airport for lax security.
I'm glad to read that some have not forgotten that 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudis. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 2:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Never ending levels of security at Heathrow? Thank god someone's got some sense otherwise there might have been more events like 9/11 carried out by men from the magic kingdom of tolerance and peace. |
I've nothing against airport security, and I don't' think any reasonable person would. I just refuse to accept that having a tube of toothpaste containing 110ml is a 'security threat', whereas one containing 100ml is not. Besides, as I've said, paying airport staff to stand around shouting 'Any gels, liquids or pastes?" and hand out resealable plastic bags is a waste of resources which might be put to better use detecting genuine security threats.
BTW though I've had far more experience with Riyadh airport than with Jeddah, I reckon the former is far worse. Jeddah airport at least has semi-comfortable seats in the waiting room, and there are actually signs over the check-in gates telling you where to check in, rather than the guesswork which is hte norm in Riyadh.
Last edited by Cleopatra on Sat Oct 10, 2009 3:14 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Middle East Beast
Joined: 05 Mar 2008
Posts: 836
Location: Up a tree
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| Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 2:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Cleopatra wrote: |
I've nothing against airport security, and I don't' think any reasonable person would. I just refuse to accept that having a tube of toothpaste containing 110ml is a 'security threat', whereas one containing 100ml is. Besides, as I've said, paying airport staff to stand around shouting 'Any gels, liquids or pastes?" and hand out resealable plastic bags is a waste of resources which might be put to better use detecting genuine security threats.
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They had to set a limit. What should it be? 101ml, 102 ml, 136 ml, 181ml? No matter what limit they set, someone will complain that it's too low.
People always push limits and try to get away with anything they can. Just look at the number and volume of carry-ons people try to stuff into overhead bins. The flying public doesn't use it's collective common sense. So, we have to have others do it for us. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 3:13 pm Post subject: |
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They had to set a limit. What should it be? 101ml, 102 ml, 136 ml, 181ml? No matter what limit they set, someone will complain that it's too low.
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I don't think there should be any limit on liquids at all, provided they fit into the allowed size and weight for overall cabin luggage.
I could understand the ban on liquids in the immediate aftermath of the 'liquid bomb' scare in 2006, but I assumed it was just a panic measure which would be dropped within weeks. Now, however, it seems to be part and parcel of airport 'security'. This is despite the fact that, according to experts in chemical explosives, rigging up a 'liquid bomb' requires very precise circumstances and equipment, which are extremely unlikely to be found aboard an airplane. So, rather than waste time and resources checking the exact volume of someone's roll-on deodorant, it would be much better to focus on genuine threats to security. |
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