Opened in 1982, it's not enough at all for the load of passengers passing by every year including Hajj and Umra season. I had bad experiences all my life with Jeddah Airport... but it looks even worse now, since I have visited other airports in the world (Heathrow, Kuala Lampur, Dubai and Abu Dhahbi). Even Istanbul and Karachi Airports are better a thousand times. I am eagerly waiting for the new airport terminal to be operative that is due to completed by 2014.

Miserable is the only word that can be said to describe the situation in this airport.

this has to be the worst airport ever.

As someone mentioned, for an airport in Saudi Arabia, one of the world richest countries, this is a pretty depressing airport. The duty-free is unspectacular, and the prices don't really let you save. The quality of dining is also unspectacular; the food is depressing and not all that tasty. The issue with the busses is annoying, as is lack of any information as to which flight is boarding at which gate. Still, there is hope for the future, as the airport itself is under-going many renovations, so hopefully, there will be improvement in the overall quality of the airport. Compared to many of its local (Dammam) and regional (Dubai, Kuwait) neighbors, Jeddah airport is very lacking.

For an oil-rich country, Jeddah airport certainly doesn't feel like it's in one. First after paying the porter 10 riyals, he walked us up to the check-in counter line and bailed on us, explaining that one of these desks will take your luggage. In Abu Dhabi this would not happen as the porter would extend further courtesy to get you ahead.

So then you have no clue which desk exactly you have to check-in at as the screens above the counters don't function. There's no proper queue.

An airport security guy comes by and asks where we are going and directs us to cut into a line at a different counter. Couldn't get a word in to ask him any other questions as he disappeared pointing to people to jump into different queues.

Finally we find out the check-in attendant where we stood at the previous queue was indeed taking in passengers from our flights. We were fortunate to jump back in.

The weight machines are like a blast from the past.

Afterwards at another point, 15 minutes standing in line to get past a security officer for the immigration counter inside, we finally reach the front only to be told we need to fill out immigration cards. Great. We do, and return to him, only to find he's not there and they're letting everyone to the immigration counter (though they still had to fill out the cards at the counter)!

We finally reach the boarding lounge. We decide to buy some food from the cafe'. We wanted only a simple meal, but the employees kept adding fruit salads, cake deserts and croissants onto our trays even though we asked them not to, they replied back saying it was standard. We had to pay 108 riyals for what we thought would have been some simple meal with complimentary snacks. Can't help but feel we got purposely ripped.

No screen monitor in the main lounge gives the gate number for any of the flights. After a few uncourteous officials we find a guy who simply tells us to wait for an announcement for the gate number.

There was a private lounge, and we had a Priority Pass card. It was rejected by a meek smile and a flimsy excuse 'this is a special club, sir'. Later I found out the Priority Pass card was suppose to be accepted there.

They might have a fancy cafe' and chairs and a quite room and relative cleanliness, but they don't hide the efficiency of the airport (especially for an airport that is the main point for Hajj and an international airport for one of the richest countries in the world). I'm glad I'm out of there. They are clearly lagging behind the times.