Travel || Flight Review: Royal Jordanian

This was the first time I'd flown Royal Jordanian and I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I was flying KL-Istanbul and it was a 12 hour flight with a four hour stopover in Jordan. 

I have to admit being a little annoyed when the online check in system was acting up and I was unable to check in prior to my flight as I normally do. Their agent at the KL call centre apologized but breezily informed me that they couldn't really do much as the website problems were from their base in Jordan. Not the greatest introduction really. 

We were on an Airbus 320 on the first leg from KL to Istanbul; an older airline and the seats were a little bit cramped. Definitely not as much leg room as the newer airlines, but it wasn't too bad. Their blankets were strangely small, not really big enough to comfortably wrap around yourself. Thankfully the seat next to mine was empty and I happily nicked the other blanket. The staff were more mature and seemed rather strict - I would probably put down their attitude to the late hour of the flight, but they were polite and fairly efficient. 

Food on the first leg was decent, but I was too tired to eat the 1am meal. The spiced beef smelt good but I was just too tired to appreciate it. Their western breakfast was good, as was the lunch that was served on the Amman-Istanbul leg. I do like the fact that there was cheese served during every meal (we had two different Cheddars and a cream cheese on the different meals), although I do think they could take a leaf from other airlines and provide more water with the meal on their long haul flight. 

Just slightly before sunrise

Arrival in Queen Alia International Airport 

The last time I was in Jordan was when I was 8, and I can only vaguely remember majestic Petra. Our stopover unfortunately was only 5 hours and much too short to nip out for a quick trip. 

The airport itself is newly renovated and not too busy, with plenty of seating. It was mostly glass, with a focus on natural light which was beautiful when we first landed because of the sunrise - but it is desert land, so by 7am the sun was blinding at certain angles. 

 They have a standard amount of food options for a quick bite (most vendors take Jordanian Dinars or USD, but beware the atrocious rates at the airport money changers)! We had breakfast at Starbucks because we wanted to use our credit card. 

There is free wifi with decent speed and they have a charging station at both terminals, which was incredibly convenient (complete with cables)! There's also the Petra Lounge and the Crown Lounge which you can opt to pay for should you want a shower and a bit more comfort. 

That said there wasn't really too much else to do around asides from browsing their duty free shops. 

I'm not entirely sure I would fly Royal Jordanian again - I had taken it the other day because it was RM300 cheaper than the next airline option. The planes are probably a bit dated and could probably benefit from refurbishment, but the stopover airport is decent and the staff is rather efficient. 

It would probably come down to a cost effective exercise at the end of the day.