Airline passengers confused over Saudia’s allowed weight allowance

August 5, 2013

Jeddah, Aug 5: Saudi Arabian Airlines’s recent joining with SkyTeam, a group partnership of 19 airlines world-wide, has left passengers traveling on the Kingdom’s carrier confused over baggage allowances.

Saudia had previously allocated a baggage allowance of 32kg per bag for guest class passengers and two 32kg bags for first and business class passengers on international flights.

The baggage allowance was also restricted to 25kg per bag in the domestic sector.

Since then, travel agencies have advised their passengers to carry only one piece of luggage weighing 23 kg, leading to confusion among passengers.

“I am a frequent flyer of Saudia. When I last traveled with them about four months ago, I was allowed to take only one 23-kg bag according to new rules,” said Ahmed Malik.

He pointed out that when his friend traveled just a month ago, he was allowed to carry two pieces of luggage each weighing 25 kg with Zamzam water. “When I booked my seat for travel to the UK, the travel agent told me that I can’t carry more than one 23 kg bag. Confused by that, I visited their website, where I found that guest class passengers can take one bag of 32 kg on international flights to the EU, UK, Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Arabian Gulf.

“Still confused, I approached the Saudia office, where the receptionist told me I can carry 23 kg per bag, even though a poster in the office had 32 kg written on it. For my satisfaction, I went to another officer and he said I could carry 32 kg,” said Malik, who went to a third official and was told that he can carry only up to 27 kg and that he would have to pay extra for anything higher than that.

Another passenger, Tazeen Ishrat, told Arab News that it is unclear how much baggage weight passengers can carry and that many employees at Saudia offices were unaware of the new baggage allowance themselves.

Arab News checked the poster at the Saudia Airlines office, which listed baggage allowance of 32 kg. Arab News also checked the website of the Airline and found that it was 25 kg for domestic passengers and 32 kg on international flights. The website also states that if any piece of luggage weighs in excess of the stated amounts, an excess baggage charge of $100 will have to be paid.

Passenger traveling from Jeddah to London must pay $150 or equivalent for every extra bag they carry, with a maximum of 23 kg per piece that measures 205 centimere in dimension.

Yet an officer from Saudi Arabian Airline’s booking office insists that the airline changed the baggage weight from 32 kg to a maximum of 27 kg per bag per passenger for guest class, adding that first and business class are allowed two pieces and that silver and golden Alfursan members and SkyTeam (Elite Plus/Elite) members would be allowed to carry one extra piece on international flights.

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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