Saudia goes extra long haul from LAX to Riyadh for the first time

The first direct flight from the West coast of the USA to Riyadh landed successfully today.
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The first direct flight from the West coast of the USA to Riyadh landed successfully today.
The Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) B777 aircraft, flight number SV 44, took off from Los Angeles International Airport on its 16-hour journey to the Saudi capital.
To commemorate the occasion, Saudia’s Los Angeles staff decorated the check-in counter with flowers, blue and gold balloons and handed out red roses and chocolates to the passengers. Special gifts were also given to the first passengers who checked in in First Class, Business Class and Guest Class.
The Saudi flag carrier launched its Los Angeles to Jeddah nonstop service last year, starting with 3 flights a week and currently at 5 flights weekly during the summer peak season.
While the nonstop LAX-RUH flights will only be limited to the month of August to accommodate market demand during the airline’s peak period, the service is expected to be restored in the future to fulfil the needs of Saudi students, the diplomatic community as well as business travellers who prefer to fly nonstop to the Saudi capital.

The first LAX-RUH nonstop flight had a total of 268 passengers on board, 88% of total seat capacity with 222 Guest Class, 36 Business Class and 10 First Class passengers. The flight was operated by Captain Hassan Abushanab, Captain Vladimir Blavjev, First Officer Mahmoud Firdous and First Officer Mohammed Alganas. Cabin Crew Supervisor was Nabee Bahareth.