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ROYAL JORDANIAN AIRLINES

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Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Iain Williamson

26 August 2006

Bahrain-Amman-Geneva and back recently, and they offer fair service and unbeatable prices to Europe from the Middle East. Connections are not great, but they do offer overnight stay and breakfast (lunch & dinner for those with a long stay!) at Alia hotel near the airport. Hotel staff are not the most pleasant, and I agree with all comments about lack of information on the ground generally. Check-in staff polite and pleasant, and FAs were efficient. A321 aircraft were clean and modern. IFE very poor, in quality of programming and quality of viewing - small screens everything five or so seats. Royal Jordanian are the cheapest airline to Europe from the Middle East, so I would recommend this airline for budget-conscious travellers who would also like to see Jordan.

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Carol Burris

3 August 2006

Chicago to Amman for the direct flight. Haven't experienced their economy class once before, I paid extra for the business class. I checked in from Dallas 2 hours early, had a two hour layover in Chicago, and my luggage didn't make it. No offer of compensation. It didn't come in the next day, or the next, or the next - took 5 days to get my luggage! No apology, explanation, or offer of compensation.

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Giovanni Sacco

18 March 2006

Economy class LHR-AMM on an A310, then onwards to BKK on an A340-200. I used because they were cheap and I wanted to see the old Iraqi Airways planes that have been stored there since 1991. Check-in at LHR handled by Air Canada staff. I was first to check in, but AC staff could not give me the seat number I had been assigned nor could they confirm that my seat number would be honoured on the AMM-BKK sector, nor could they issue a boarding pass. It was not looking good. I did have a window seat on the LHR-AMM sector, but a short stop-over in AMM was not looking too good as I knew the flight to BKK was full, so I was resigned to what the seat gods would have in store for me on that sector. I did not feel as if the check in staff at LHR was pleased that I was there early to bother him. My first contact with RJ staff was at the departure gate, and I found them friendly. Onboard the A310 the only thing outdated was the movie screen, the rest of the interior was clean, and cabin crew were friendly and welcoming. The toilets at the rear at huge, and there is no need to carry a shoe horn on this plane! There were 3 choices of meals, I found my choice (beef) to be good, but I'm only used to economy, so probably don't know any better! Plenty of drinks to choose from and trays cleared quickly, and a push of the attendant button answered in less than 3 minutes. I found the transit signs at AMM easy to follow, but they could make the procedure easier by issuing the boarding cards in advance, especially when there is so little time between arr & dep flights. To my relief I was given my boarding pass quickly and with my confirmed seat number. Still puzzles me why the chap from AC could not assign my reserved seat! After receiving my boarding card it was a short walk up to the departure gate, and first had to go through security screening. This can take some time, and needs to be improved. On this sector my main gripe was with the time the security procedure takes, and how rude some of the guards are. A340 I flew was an older -200 version which came to RJA via AF and the interior had no signs of its Gallic past - clean and comfortable with drop down tv screens providing moving maps and IFE. The main difference on my return sector was that I stayed overnight in AMM at the Alia Hotel courtesy of RJA. This time on the ground at AMM the staff were not efficient or friendly and more of the I can`t be bothered variety. No information is given by ground staff about your luggage in transit, and you are not allowed to collect it, but they did allow me to get a change of clothes, etc out of my case (after arguing). There were a number of us stranded there looking for the bus sign. "Sir, just go right" then after all walking right "Sir, just go to the left" in the end decide to walk left again for half the distance and I saw a small dark sign with "alia hotel" on it. We all waited there, but then we were all ushered back into the terminal again! Eventually the bus came along, and we departed towards the hotel. There is a security check before you are allowed into the hotel. A sign of the times I suppose, but it was handled politely and efficiently. Reception staff could do with a refresher course in customer service. They offer no information about what is included, and good job I know how to ask questions! They did not seem happy to answer them. It was nice of RJA to put me up for the night while in transit, but more information is needed for the pax in transit. The flight back to LHR was also good. In general for the money I paid and for the service I received on board all my flights with RJ I would recommend them. Their FAs work hard and are pleasant, but they need to improve the quality of their customer services on the ground, which is severely poor and lacking of the standard it needs to attract the business class customer (and also economy ones). At the check-in stages, especially, I found the attitude of some of their ground personnel at AMM shocking, full of self importance, and lacking of any kind of customer care. For any of you that are interested to know, I did "spot" the Iraqi aircraft, but they have been moved to a remote part of the airport, past the maintenance and cargo hangars. There are 4x B727s, 2x B707s of IAW. 1x Rich Intnl L1011 & 1 Jordan Wings B727 all stored there. Sit on the left hand side for take off! Enjoy your flights with RJA, but try and avoid ground services at AMM!!

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Hannah Crossley

5 March 2006

Economy class LHR-AMM, AMM-BKK return. Based on my experiences with Royal Jordanian on these four flights I will definitely not be using them again. The meal, which was poor in quality was EXACTLY the same on all four flights, as was the in-flight "entertainment". The planes are very old, (they still have ashtrays in the toilets) extremely uncomfortable and you will be very lucky if your headphones work (provided you don't mind watching the same episodes of Top Gear and Creature Comforts over and over again). The FA's were fine on the outbound LHW to AMM flight and on the return BKK to AMM, however, AMM to BKK outbound and return they seemed to totally lose the plot - I sat there waiting for them to clear away my empty dinner tray for nearly an hour, when I rang the bell mid-flight to ask for a glass of water she looked at me as though I had said something highly offensive about her mother. I was so enraged by one of them that I named her in the comments card given out at the end of the flight. BKK to AMM was an hour earlier than scheduled and lots of people missed the flight. Putting the flight forward an hour did not affect check in time however, we were waiting for them to open the check in gates for well over an hour, we could see them milling about having a chat and generally not worrying at all that there were queues of customers waiting for them. The return stop over in Amman was pretty hellish, it was a 7 hour wait so they provided hotel accomodation - absolutely no information of this was provided at immigration and the wrong information was given on the flight so we were wandering around getting stared at for some time. If you are a young female then be prepared to be unashamedly gawped at and have comments made to you by the male airport staff, not pleasant at all. The security checks we had to go through seemed rather excessive, I had to empty my bags out 5 times, get felt up and remove my shoes etc, not really what you want when you've already been through this twice in Bangkok and spent 9 and a half hours on a seriously uncomfortable flight and have a 7 hour wait in Amman and another 5 hour flight to look forward to. If you're travelling for more than 3 hours then do not fly with Royal Jordanian, they are miles behind airlines like Emirates, it really is worth paying the extra money.

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Ronnie Shahar

19 February 2006

RJ Crown class AMM to BKK. The only good thing about RJ crown class on the airbus A340 were the lie flat seats. However the Inflight entertainment is of a poor standard as the system is over 10 years old.! They offer you a portable Sony 8mm video Walkman which is also about 10 years old with poor quality headphones and small screen of less than 6inches! Food is not of a business class standard with few options. Wine list a joke with only 2 choices! RJ still ignores Customer complaints, and does not have a service mentality. AMM airport is a joke with slow immigration clearance. Furthermore the check in counters are poorly organized.

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by John Charlesworth

10 February 2006

If they were to upgrade the cabins, the food, the entertainment, you could think you were flying on a Gulf country or European airline. I found cabin staff friendly and helpful, aircraft clean and flights punctual - a cost-effective alternative to other carriers. If you are using them for a longer flight, try to arrange a stopover - Jordan had a lot to offer.

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by David Higgs

10 February 2006

LHR-BKK via Amman return. Fairly ancient A310 LHR to AMM. Seats fairly worn, plane rattly and screens a joke! FA's fine, food OK, drinks okay Plane about half-empty so this was a bonus. Change at AMM was fairly quick, to newer A340 to BKK - which was full. Better aircraft, food and service OK. Staff at AMM not very friendly or helpful. No major complaints and fare was the lowest I could find LHR-BKK. BKK-AMM also A340 (older), left on time, about two thirds full. Offered transit hotel in AMM although wait was only 6hrs. Beware taxi drivers hassling you while you wait for the transit bus to the hotel Alia: bus-stop is clearly marked (but unlit on this dark morning) as is the bus. Got to hotel at 05.50hrs and was woken at 08.30hrs to return to airport for 11am flight - far too early! Hotel basic, a bottle of drinking water in the room would be good and would cost very little. Be warned that your boarding pass is retained and you must collect this at the RJ transit desk (which no-one tells you about), many of my fellow-passengers were trying to board the flight with their overnight visas and were sent back to find their passes. First experience of RJ - planes are oldish, but one cannot complain for the price. The 6-hr stop-over on the return flight is tedious, and is the main thing that puts me off. I would use RJ again on this route (LHR-BKK) if their fare was significantly below the direct flight fare.

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Richard Simmon

12 January 2006

BKK to GVA. RJA gets the job done and nothing else. Good side, the food portions were good, and edible - and they were very generous drinks wise. Bad side, the concept of customer service is not there - some FA`s had a I'm too good for you attitude. Their hub at Amman airport is a joke. The only amusement there was seeing the constant parade of rather shady types on their way to Iraq. It got me there from A to B at a low price.

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Tom Barclay

7 November 2005

After my unsuccessful visit on Oct 25th I tried again on Oct. 26th. I arrived at exactly 2:30 and the sales person was closing the door. I stuck my foot into the crack and refused to remove it, despite repeated attempts by the employee to force the door closed. After three painful attempts, she opened the door and allowed me in. Now let me remind you, they don't officially close until 3:00 but she wants to walk out the door at 3, hence slamming the door on my foot repeatedly at 2:30! I was able to make the changes to my ticket but my request to add my passport information and to get assigned seats went undone so now I am headed back over to the office for round three. I wish RJA could read this. Customer service is non-existant in Amman Jordan and I have the marks on my foot to prove that statement is true. They only care about themselves and their time tables, not the customers! If you have a choice don't chose RJA!

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Jane Fletcher

7 November 2005

LHR Amman Colombo and back with Royal Jordanian. Check in at LHR was excellent and flight to Amman very good - we had 16 hrs to wait in Amman and were put up in the Alia Hotel by RJ. Transfer was quick and efficient - hotel was very basic, but clean. We were given an upgrade from Amman to CMB which was wonderful. Cabin crew were friendly and the food excellent. Return from CMB to Amman was good, we had 45 mins to get the connection AMM to LHR and this went smoothly and when we arrived at LHR so did our luggage. It was a very good experience, given the very cheap price of the tickets - maybe we were just very lucky!

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Robert Matahen

6 November 2005

What is going on with RJ, are all these complaints falling on deaf ears?! I’m a frequent flyer with RJ (NEW YORK- AMMAN), and despite all the mishaps take place in each flight, I believed in RJs respond to these problems, and capability in addressing them accordingly, Disappointingly RJ has let me and hundreds of other passengers down. The headache starts form the moment of reservation; no matter what time of the year you always hear the same answer it’s a heavy season and the ticket cost more due to the high demand, and the flight is full, while the reality is completely the opposite. Once you get to the airport, you have to deal with the ground crew, who lack professionalism and basic communication skills, not to mention the complete chaos as if this is their first time dealing with passengers. Boarding procedure is very disorganized. Although I reserve a particular seat with confirmed seat number provided by the travel agency, RJ NEVER respected any seat reservation, you get seated any where, while listening to the same rude respond accompanied with attitude (RJ doesn’t reserve seats). The seats are so worn out and lack any real padding; you might as well set on the floor. The audio/video system is a joke, nothing is working properly. Quite honestly words can’t convey the true picture, one has to go through it in order to get better grasp of the most annoying, uncomfortable and horrible experience. 10 years and I have yet to experience a comfortable flight with RJ, therefore I strongly recommend using different airlines, until RJ rethink and restructure their customer service policies and procedures - if they have any ?

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Tom Barclay

25 October 2005

RJA is typical of the additude I have experienced here in Jordan. There is no sense of urgency and no customer service. Today I was told by the telephone reservation center that the ticket office was open until 3 PM. I arrived at 2:45 to find the door locked. The women inside would not open the door or explain why they closed early. Finally after repeated knocking, a manager came to explain that yes, they close at 3 PM but that means they walk out the door at 3 so they close the doors whenever they want to to ensure that they leave at 3 PM. No one cared that I had driven for almost an hour to get to the office. No one cared that I had to leave work early to drive for an hour to get to the office. That's the key, no one cared. I hope the mechanics don't have the same poor work ethic or this plane will never stay in the air.

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by A Atkinson

7 October 2005

Heathrow to Amman, Amman to Delhi, Delhi to Amman and Amman to Heathrow. We found ground and aircrew staff to be polite and helpful. We were travelling economy class and did not expect any luxuries. The food on all flights was similar to that of other economy class flights that we have had on previous medium/long haul flights.

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Ghaleb Safadi

2 October 2005

I flew Crown Class (Business class) on Royal Jordanian from Detroit, MI to Amman return. For the price of the ticket, I think it was an excellent value. The food was excellent and the service was professional and friendly.

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Josef Fischer

28 July 2005

I have flown RJ roundtrip from Bangkok to Amman half a dozen times in the past 2 years so my comments are drawn my various experiences: The aircraft are ancient, the seats are worn out (use 3 or 4 pillows next time), the video systems are useless, and the food is marginally acceptable. I have had good experience with the flight crews, but I am an easy-going passenger by nature. The airport in Amman is indeed a joke - coming or going. Flight information is difficult to find, the route from check in to the gates is bizarre (and not due to multiple rounds of remodelling). I have no choice but to fly RJAir because I work for the Royal Court, but for those of you who do have a choice, I suggest shopping around or preparing yourself psychologically for discomfort on the trip.

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Yasar Uckun

5 July 2005

IST to BKK via AMM return.It was first experience for us with RJ and we really enjoyed the flight. We flew to AMM with A320 and to BKK with A340. Check-in was simple, quick and well organized. Boarding was orderly and speedy. Flights took of on time. Offered accomodation in AMM every transit leg by RJ. Pillow and blanket service for all pax. Enough space between seats even in economy, cabin interior appearance was clean and gave a good impression. Cabin crew appeared well groomed. The announcements made during the entire flight were adequate. Order of beverages and meals served met my expectations. Variety of drinks was satisfactory and the meals offered tasted good and quantity was sufficient. On each leg flight attendants were very kindly. Pursers were very helpful and polite. I have special thanks to purser, french flight attendant and turkish flight attendant from BKK to AMM - they displayed a pleasant and kind attentive attitude throughout the flight.

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by P Garay

7 June 2005

Booked Royal Jordanian from Amman to Beirut...8 hour delay as some of the aircraft had been chartered for Hajj flights, and some were delivering humanitarian aid to Kosovo - I do not have a problem with either, but there was almost zero communication with passengers about what was really happening, and we were simply given sandwiches to appease us. One loud American who raised a raucus was given admittance to Royal Jordanian's posh Club room or whatever they call their exclusive lounge at Queen Alia Airport, and I should have probably been loud and obnoxious too, that way I would have gotten more than just a sandwich. The flight was not non stop either, made a stop in Damascus. I would have been in Beirut earlier travelling by land.

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Yousuf Kadril

29 May 2005

JFK-AMM-CAI-AMM-JFK. I was aware that my connection in AMM was 7 hours. But RJ was the cheapest at that time. What a mistake I made by booking with them!! I arrive at JFK 4 hours before departure only to find that the inbound RJ flight from AMM was cancelled and therefore we had to wait until tomorrow evening. Which was odd because when I called the Royal Jordanian office in Manhattan to re-confirm my reservation I asked if the flight would depart ontime and they said it would. Anyhow, annoyed and frustrated, I left my bags with the RJ ground staff as they said "We will hold it for you for tomorrows flight." Next evening, I arrive 4 hours before the said departure time. The flight from Amman did in fact arrive and we were issued boarding passes. The boarding procedure of RJ flights are VERY disorganized!! The aircraft was an A340, there were no PTV's and the plane didnt seem too clean. The FAs were surly and unhelpful. We did leave at our scheduled departure time HOWEVER we arrived 3 hours late into Amman, it wasnt a problem for me because that only shortened my connection time making it now only 4 hours. Queen Alia Airport is a disaster. The Amman-Cairo flight was on an A320 aircraft. This aircraft was slightly cleaner than their A340. The FAs were much more hospitable for the 2 hour hop from Amman to Cairo. However, upon arrival in Cairo when I went to claim my bags I found that they didnt come out on the carosel! I went to the RJ counter in the departures buildng only to find my bags were left at JFK!!! This was an extremely big messy situation now. But they said that it will be sent on Thursday's flight which meant it would reach Cairo Friday evening. And it was only Sunday! No conpensation of any sort was given by the airline at all!

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Michelle McTiernan

23 February 2005

London to Bangkok via Amman on 4th February returning on 19th February. Overall, the experience was very good - all flights were on time, food was good, staff were helpful and in most cases very friendly. Transit in both directions was very well organised. The airport in Amman was not a modern international airport - but it wasn't that bad, it had a very good duty free shop and toilets and facilities were fine and in general the people working there were very helpful - as a woman travelling on my own I did not experience any harrassment. The Queen Alia Hotel where I stayed for a few hours on the way home was functional and satisfactory - it was clean and gave me the opportunity to catch up with some sleep, I found the staff there efficient in getting us to our rooms. Overall, I thought the RJ flight was excellent value and would fly with them again. I fly most weeks on business and I felt that the RJ flight was comparable with business flights I have taken on supposedly more reputable airlines!

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Tracy Kellett

13 January 2005

I travelled to Colombo from London via Amman and on the way there it wasn't too bad - had to stay a night in the Alia Gateway Hotel which wasn't ideal but I think we were lucky to get one of the slightly better rooms. Coming back however was a completely different story. We had about an hour in transit and even though the flight from Colombo took off late we were told that they would hold the London plane for us. Not so - we got to Amman only to be told by the extremely rude transit manager that that flight had already gone "London departed. Next flight tomorrow. You stay in Alia Hotel". Not bloody likely mate! There were about 10 of us who had to get on it and we were furious. However the worst part was the rudeness of the transit manager and the rest of the staff who were unhelpful and acted like it was our fault that we missed the flight. We demanded that we speak to someone in charge and he got the station manager who, although patronising, was at least a bit more polite. They were quite inflexible to begin with and said that we would have to stay at the Alia Hotel but we eventually pressured them into putting us up at the Meridien, which was nice but ultimately we would have liked to be back in London at the original time. The excuse given for the plane's departures without us was that it always had to take off precisely on time to meet a certain slot in London. Needless to say this was a lie as it took off half an hour late the following day. I can without a doubt say that Royal Jordanian is the worst airline I've travelled on - rude ground staff, hatchet-faced cabin crew and poor food and entertainment (how can you call your fleet modern if you don't have seat-back TV screens?). I guess the old adage is true - when you pay peanuts you get monkeys!

Royal Jordanian Airlines - by Alan Barton

28 November 2004

JED-AMM-LHR-AMM, AMM-BKK-AMM-JED. The flight from Jeddah to Amman left on time and we were served a hot breakfast. Queen Allia Airport is a dump, there is only one toilet open in the whole airport and its guarded by an attendant who distributes toilet paper for a payment. The flight to London was on time, Lunch was served soon after take off , 3 choices of food plenty to drink and good cabin crew. London to Bangkok via Amman again no complaints transit in Amman was well organized and the flights left exactly on time. Bangkok to Amman a hot meal was served shortly after take off, again 3 choices and plenty to drink. Just before we arrived in Amman we were served a hot breakfast. I had a wait of 3 hours for the connection to Jeddah so wandered around the duty free which is the only glamorous part of the airport. 

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