Royal Jordanian (RJ), Jordan’s national carrier and a oneworld alliance member since 2007, is a relatively small airline compared to its Middle Eastern neighbours. The route network spans the Middle East, Europe, Asia and North America from its Amman hub, serving more than 45 direct destinations across four continents. But here’s the thing: what RJ can’t offer in breadth, it makes up for with boutique charm and generally quite good service that’s worth a second look.
What to expect flying with Royal Jordanian
When flying with Royal Jordanian expect service quality and seating that’s decidedly average to just-above-average, but it all tends to work with minimal hassle. RJ flies somewhat under the radar, often overshadowed by much larger Gulf region carriers, but for certain underserved Middle Eastern destinations it’s a nice choice for convenience and ease.
If you have elite status with oneworld, all the better. You’ll receive all the usual perks whilst enroute with RJ, making the whole experience that much more pleasant.
RJ’s reasonably sized hub at Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport is a welcome relief when compared to behemoths such as Dubai. It’s not a perfect airport but with some interesting architecture and never overly long walks from one point to another, it is very much acceptable.
Destinations
RJ’s network spans the Middle East, Europe, Asia and North America. For US travellers, the airline serves Detroit direct from Amman twice weekly, plus Chicago service five times per week. This is rather unique and for otherwise difficult-to-find one-stop itineraries between Middle America and the Middle East, RJ offers real time savings.
Regionally, RJ offers good coverage around its neighbourhood with service to North Africa (including Cairo), around the Persian Gulf (Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait), Istanbul and a number of cities in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. In Asia, RJ serves Bangkok, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.
For Europe, it offers the usual suspects such as Rome, Frankfurt and Paris. Apart from its service to Heathrow it also flies to Stansted, which could make for a very convenient flight if you’re on that side of London. However, the 787 wide-body service to Heathrow’s the clear winner for me, especially when you compare that to BA’s cramped A320 service.
The fleet
Royal Jordanian uses three main types of aircraft with quite a standard offer onboard each, so you’ll always be fairly sure what you’re getting. On long-haul (and on some European and even regional flights) RJ uses the 787 Dreamliner. These are comfortable, modern aircraft with lower cabin altitude and higher humidity onboard, ideal for beating jetlag. London receives a daily 787 and it’s quite a nice way to reach the Middle East.
The A320/A321 family fleet (including neo variants) is the backbone of medium-haul flying, especially to Europe but also within the Middle East.
Finally there’s the Embraer E-Jet family (including newer, quieter E2s) which are smaller but offer a comfortable 2×2 configuration (and a properly appealing 1×2 in business class). These mostly fly shorter regional routes but can be found on longer sectors up to a couple of hours as well. Personally if I can get on an E2 instead of the larger A320 I’ll take the opportunity every time.
Loyalty programme
Royal Jordanian’s Royal Club’s mostly used by people who frequent RJ itself and isn’t generally recommendable for those based elsewhere. Because of RJ’s oneworld alliance membership, you can credit your flights to partner programmes like BA or Finnair, earning miles and receiving your usual elite perks without joining Royal Club.
The one exception: if you’re seeking elite status with a oneworld airline, RJ offers a programme called Elite Miles where members can purchase tier miles to help maintain or upgrade their status level. It could be worth looking into for some people, but I’m giving it a miss.
Onboard experience
You shouldn’t go into a Royal Jordanian flight expecting Emirates or Qatar Airways. Things are decidedly less lavish, the service is mostly good but not extraordinary, and the premium cabins quite average. Yet that doesn’t mean it’s bad at all, especially when it’s priced accordingly (as it often is).
Important to note: the 2x2x2 business class on the 787 flights means direct aisle access isn’t guaranteed. However if travelling with a friend or partner, I might even prefer this setup for chatting.
Long-haul economy class
Economy class on Royal Jordanian’s long-haul aircraft’s comfortable, as much as economy class can be. The 787 Dreamliner economy cabin configured as standard with a 3x3x3 layout does mean a relatively narrow seat, but RJ makes up for this with enough legroom that you don’t feel overly squeezed.
Two tasty hot meals, pillows, blankets and a sleep mask all make for a comfortable experience on longer flights. And of course you can count on a personal entertainment screen with hundreds of movies and TV shows, plus a good moving map for keeping track of your progress.
Long-haul business class
RJ’s 787 business class uses a 2x2x2 configuration, so if you’re travelling alone you’re likely to have a seat-mate. That’s really the only serious negative. Seats are comfortable, they fully recline into a flat bed, and the amenities offered (duvet, mattress, blankets, amenity kits) compete well with rival airlines. Food also tends to be quite good, with two gourmet hot meals and a tuck shop service offering snacks between meals. Menus are extensive enough that you’re unlikely to go hungry.
European & regional economy class
RJ’s economy class offering on its European and regional flights may be its strongest selling point, especially when compared to what most European airlines would offer on similar flights of around four hours or less.
Seats are a bit outdated, but mostly in a good way. They’re well-padded and comfortable (unlike more modern seats which are often slim and stiff), with good headrests and legroom. You can expect a hot meal on medium-haul flights (or a light meal or snack on shorter hops) along with drinks service. I enjoy it as it feels like a bit of a throwback to an era when economy service was a more dignified experience.
Tip: For inflight entertainment, Boeing 787s and neo aircraft have seatback screens, while E2 aircraft use the SkyConnect portal and other Airbus aircraft use the SkyConnect app on your personal device. As always, it’s worth having your own backup entertainment along if that’s important to you.
European & regional business class
Again this is a bit of a throwback experience, but compared to European airlines the medium- and short-haul business class is stupendous. Forget economy seats dressed up as ‘club’, on RJ you’ll find comfortable recliners with plenty of extra space. On A320s these sit 2×2, and on older Embraer jets it’s 1×2 (that solo seat’s a fantastic spot indeed), though the newer E2s feature a 2×2 configuration.
As you’ll have come to expect on RJ the food service’s also very nice, with a meticulously prepared hot meal from a menu featuring Western, Oriental and Asian dishes. On flights of around four hours on average this’s a standout product.
The Amman hub
Amman’s Queen Alia International offers a generally very smooth experience whether arriving and departing or transiting. The limited number of flights that Royal Jordanian operates at its hub simply means less in the way of queues at every step along the way, and walking distances are manageable. Shops and restaurants operate around the clock to cater to a number of middle-of-the-night departures. As a transit point with minimal hassle, I can recommend it.
Wi-Fi
RJ has had no inflight Wi-Fi until recently, increasingly a major strike against them for those of us who want to remain productive in the air. The good news is that fast Viasat Wi-Fi is now available on the majority of the fleet, with installation continuing on new Embraer E2s, A320s, A321s and 787-9s, plus a plan to retrofit the older 787-8 aircraft as well.
Amman stopover programme
RJ offers a Transit Accommodation programme for passengers with longer stopovers in Amman. If you have a minimum transit time of eight hours (six hours for Crown Class) and not more than 24 hours, it can be a fantastic way to see some of Jordan’s incredible sights such as Petra or the Dead Sea while enroute to your destination.
For eligible passengers, this may include complimentary hotel accommodation, meals and ground transportation to and from the airport hotel. Definitely worth looking into if you have a longer connection, and this might even be worth adding an overnight stop for.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up to date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
