Running a public utility such as an international airport is much more than just the number of check-in counters, the variety on offer at the duty-free shops or the process at the baggage reclaim area. Effective management of such an important entry and exit point to and from a country also depends upon how the authorities entrusted with the running of the airport manage the tiniest details. This is precisely why Dubai Airport ranks among the leaders of the world.
Recently, I read a report that the airport in Jeddah would be completed by the end of this year. ‘Finally’, I told myself, but holding back some reservations on such announcements that in the past had proven to be no more than public relations stunts aimed at mollifying an increasingly irritated army of passengers and patrons.
It was back in 2009 when I watched on Saudi TV the director of the airport boldly claiming to the late King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz that the project would be completed by 2012. King Abdullah was being shown a variety of models and slides when he bluntly asked about the date of completion and 2012 was the answer.
In January 2014, Prince Fahd Bin Abdullah, President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, boldly stated that the “new King Abdulaziz International Airport with world-class facilities” will be ready by the end of the year. Well, if my calendar is not erroneous, we are sliding into 2018!
What makes Jeddah airport more noteworthy than other airports in Saudi Arabia is that it is the primary gateway to visitors to the holy shrines flying in from abroad. And this airport has been severely criticised in the past for the lax manner of airline staff members and the personnel at the customs and immigration desks in dealing with arriving passengers. Tired and haggard from long trips, passengers have complained of long delays at immigration counters staffed by indifferent personnel. Once done with passport control and baggage claim, visitors have to face yet another ordeal.
Jussi, a Finnish expatriate, captured the scene very well, based on personal experience. He said: “I wish to bring attention to a gross and sad practice that all expats and visitors face upon arrival at Jeddah airport. Once we cross the last gate to the public area, where usually family and friends meet, we are faced with countless men, saying: ‘Taxi, you need Taxi?’ Some ask quietly and discretely, while others simply swarm the traveller and make loud demands ... After being subjected to so many offers, I ask how much and they say: ‘Two hundred’ [Dh196], which we ignore and continue walking out to the taxi queue outside the terminal buildings. But these people follow us persistently, bringing the price down to 150 Saudi riyals.
“I reject their offer since I do not live too far away from the airport and offer to 50 riyals. The men, who act kind of officious and try to maintain order at the queue, try to get the taxis to accept our offer. But there are dozens of taxis, all waiting to accept customers 150 riyals. This is shameful and very intimidating. No taxi driver or tout should be allowed to be present in the arrival hall. Taxis should be controlled at the airport, as they are in Riyadh city and in most other international airports.”
The maximum that a taxi can charge for a trip from the airport to anywhere in Jeddah city is 80 riyals.
This first ‘Welcome to Jeddah’ for foreigners is the worst possible, because it shows what kind of attitude some people have in this otherwise fantastic city. It is the worst welcome, because it takes place in an area that can be totally and easily controlled and organised.
“So I accept an offer for 70 riyals from a private limousine driver, who is also fed up with the taxi drivers, and he drives us just three blocks from the airport to our destination,” Jussi said.
Here’s someone telling it like it is. His words reflect the feelings of many who are daily confronted with this chaotic atmosphere as they leave the arrival halls at
Jeddah is the entry point for most international pilgrims, a gateway to Islam’s two holiest shrines in Makkah and Madinah. For Jeddah to greet first-time visitors and ensure their comfort and well-being on arrival, it is essential that even the smallest annoyances are addressed immediately.
And so a word of advice to the airport authorities. While the airport structure is waiting to be completed perhaps this year or next, why not take care of the little things that can be done now, such as eliminating the menace of unauthorised drivers soliciting exhausted passengers.
Tariq A. Al Maeena is a Saudi socio-political commentator. He lives in Jeddah. You can follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@talmaeena.
