Payment Issue with Saudi Airlines (page 6 of 7)

Hi everyone, Like many of you here, I had my booking with Saudia Airlines canceled just 3 weeks before departure, with no alternative solution offered. I had to buy another ticket from a different airline (Qatar Airways), where PayPal payment worked fine, but at a much higher price: 1600 € instead of the initial 790 €. As a student on top of that, this situation is particularly tough financially, so I filed a complaint requesting compensation from Saudia Airlines—whether as a refund for the difference, a credit, or another equivalent solution. I’m basing this on these articles:

Consumer Code Article L221-15: In case of non-performance of a distance sales contract, the consumer can demand execution or cancellation with compensation for the damage suffered.

Civil Code Article 1231-1: Any contractual breach entitles the injured party to damages to compensate for the loss suffered.

I also threatened to escalate to the Tourism and Travel Mediator if no gesture is made. I strongly encourage you to do the same. The more of us who demand compensation, the stronger our case will be against the airline. Good luck to all,

Which email address? I’ll do the same!!!

Hi, same here—I’m up for doing the same thing.

PS: Today I went directly to the airport counter with my reservation, and the agent checked on his computer, telling me it was canceled. He said that’s how it is for everyone who used PayPal in recent months. To this day, Saudia still hasn’t sent me anything notifying me of the cancellation of my tickets.

I don’t think consumer protection laws apply to flight ticket purchases—for example, the 14-day cooling-off period for online purchases doesn’t cover flights. What’s more, it states in Article L221-15: "However, the seller may be exempted from all or part of its liability by proving that the non-performance or poor performance of the contract is attributable either to the consumer, to the unforeseeable and unavoidable act of a third party to the contract, or to force majeure."

If an airline cancels a flight ticket more than 14 days before departure, it doesn’t owe passengers compensation—just a refund for the flight.

And after that, how do you enforce a judgment in Saudi Arabia?

I couldn’t find a working email address—everything I sent bounced back to my inbox. I had to go through the website and file a complaint using their forms. I don’t even know if they actually read them, but hey, it doesn’t hurt to try. It’s the same story for me: this morning, they told me over the phone that the reservation was canceled, but it’s still active on the Saudia Airlines app. And just two weeks ago, they were still assuring me that my ticket would remain valid, not canceled, and at the original price. I don’t know what laws apply in Saudi Arabia, but honestly, we don’t have much choice given their customer service.

Hi everyone, I’m bumping this thread: did any of you receive an official cancellation for your booking outside of the customer service emails? For me, still nothing, and my booking is still active on their website...

No, I don’t have any written proof of the cancellation for my tickets—just a guy on the phone. On the app, my booking is still confirmed... I’m so confused.

It just makes sense—like customer service said, unpaid tickets = canceled tickets

Hello, I never received an official cancellation, but two days ago I logged into the Saudia website using my booking number on a friend’s computer, and at that moment I could see that my reservation had been canceled. End of the story for me, and I didn’t buy new tickets because the prices have gone up way too much.

Hi, As mentioned above, no payment was made, tickets were automatically canceled, even if it appears as confirmed on the airline’s website. There’s really no question about it.

Thank goodness you're here—you've been a huge help. 😊

As mentioned earlier by many people, the tickets were confirmed on Saudia's website, but that wasn't all! The airline assured everyone who called that the tickets were valid and there wouldn’t be any issues. It’s the customer service and this airline that are incompetent—not the people who thought their ticket would work.

A little empathy goes a long way! Promise, it doesn’t hurt 😊

Hello,

I don’t see what empathy has to do with this—we’re talking about commerce. You pay, you get your purchase; you don’t pay, you get nothing. It’s just about being realistic. Even if customer service is terrible, it happened to me with ANA: ticket confirmed, account not debited. I called them, and they couldn’t give me a concrete answer. To them, it was confirmed even though I told them my account hadn’t been charged. Just to be safe, I bought another ticket with a Chinese airline. A month before departure, I called them again, and the answer was that my file had been canceled due to non-payment. Lol, and the lady told me, "Sir, it’s normal that we cancel since there was no payment. Have a good day, sir." End of story.

Lol, and the lady told me, sir, it's normal that we cancel since there's no payment, upon receipt sir, end of story.

And she didn’t even say “have a good trip anyway”?

Just one question: why pay for a flight ticket with PayPal?

Hi there,

This time, it was about the free payment in 4 installments, which is convenient and flexible but limited to 2000 €. Another time, I bought several tickets for Asia and intra-Asia flights. It was just before COVID, and I’m glad I did—PayPal refunded me quickly for all the tickets due to the airlines’ cancellations. Many people struggled to get refunds, and some are still waiting, but I think PayPal’s refund policy for flight tickets has changed since then. To be confirmed.

Were you able to take your flight? Or were your tickets also canceled?

Hello, Just a quick big update: we finally managed to resolve the payment issue. By calling the airline directly this time, they unexpectedly offered us the option to pay by credit card over the phone. We accepted, made the payment, and our tickets were validated within 24 hours. We were able to board without any problems and are finally enjoying our vacation! 😊 For those still waiting, try calling the call center: it seems they’re offering this solution to everyone who initially paid via PayPal. Moral of the story: never underestimate "the joys" of traveling with Air Saudia or the power of a desperate phone call. Good luck!

This is great news—sounds like you’re the only one who actually got someone competent on the phone!

As for me, I’ve sent tons of messages on social media, emails, calls, and tickets—all left unanswered...

Hi there, on my end Saudi Airlines provided a payment link in the app to settle the flight ticket amount, but it’s not working. I’ve tried several different credit cards, but the link still doesn’t work. I contacted them online to explain that I wanted to pay—this link is valid until September 19th—but they told me it’s the only way and that I just have to keep trying until it works. It’s 2025, and you can’t even sort this out over the phone—unbelievable! Anyway, I think this link will never work.

Hi there, just wanted to let you know that I finally managed to pay for my trip to Mauritius for Christmas with a credit card. I’m so glad I got that sorted out.