Trip Report: Royal Jordanian B787 Chicago to Amman + Crown Lounge

I have to return to the U.S. to try out something new. The Royal Jordanian has a good connection from Chicago to Amman. One of the oldest airlines to connect the Middle East and the U.S. is Royal Jordanian, and they have L1011 flights.

Royal Jordanian tends to release a good amount of award seats ahead. One can redeem American Airlines miles from the U.S. to the Middle East in Business Class.

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Chicago to Amman

There are 5 flights a week between Amman and Chicago by Royal Jordanian. New York JFK and Detroit are also served by them. The airline uses Terminal 5. I arrived at the airport 90 minutes before the flight.

The Air France lounge at Chicago O&Hare is closed for maintenance.

Most international departures take place in the evening at O'Hare Int.l terminal.

The large crowd turned out at the gate. Before departure time, boarding begins at 1 hour. I can't see the plane because there is no window.

The boarding was slow as there were elderly on wheelchairs. The February season is low so the load on the flight was surprisingly high.

A cabin crew dressed in traditional costumes welcomed me. I thought about when traditional and modernity meet.

There are 24 business class seats and 246 economy class seats in Royal Jordanian B787-8. The seats in the Business Class are the same as those on United and KLM. The seat is comfortable in the lounge position, but window seats do not have aisle access.

I can see the view even though Row 4A/K does not have a window.

Arabic coffee and juices are offered before departure.

I want to take a photo with the crew dressed in traditional costumes. It shows the culture of the destination and represents the airline well.

Departed just before the winter storm

We departed from Chicago O&Hare runway 28R at 7pm. It took 10 hours 30 minutes to fly over Ireland, the UK, Europe and descend over Cyprus and Isreal into Amman, Jordan.

The winter storm brought some snow to Chicago.

Hot towels, printed menu and wine list are included in in-flight service. Most service seems to have been restored.

Chicken noodles or fish with rice are available in the economy class. Both seem Asian meals. Maybe Chicago has limited options.

In Business Class there is a cold chicken with hommus in a tomato cup.

The main courses are presented as a buffet. People can mix and match their choices.

I tried out a few things. The steak was well cooked, but it lacked flavor.

Wine was offered during dinner. The airline is not dry.

The dessert cart was rolled out after the main course.

The bed is too narrow for me. It rests into a flat position. There is nothing on top. The good thing is that there is no restriction in the footwell.

Most of the passengers on Royal Jordanian are going to Jordan and other countries in the Middle East, according to a flight attendant.

I looked up an old ALIA image online. I found a beautiful car in ALIA livery.

1.5 hours before arrival, breakfast was served. There was a choice of breakfast. I chose the latter.

Tel Aviv Airport is only 20 minutes away from Amman, Jordan.

Crown Lounge, Amman

I spent 2 hours at the Crown Lounge. The lounge is on the second floor. Most of the airlines use this lounge and it accepts priority pass and lounge key for entrance.

Individual portioned hommus, moutabal, and salad are offered. Chicken kabseh or asian noodles were the main dish.

There is a live pasta station.

The Kabseh is really good.

My next flight was operated by the A321. ALIA was the name of the airline. The airport and airline were named after Queen Alia of Jordan.

There are 20 Business Class seats in the Royal Jordanian A321. The seat pitch is better than most U.S. First Class on narrowbody.

I enjoyed dinner on the 2.5 hours flight despite feeling jetlagged. There was no buffet cart used to serve dinner.

Conclusion

The best way to describe Royal Jordanian is when tradition and modernity meet. I found some great cultural elements that are reflective of the country Jordan. Most airlines don't put their culture into their products.

There are pros and cons to flying.

There are pros.

• Dinner Buffet was fantastic in both presentation and choice. Most service were restored.
• One World member which makes it easy for award redemption
• Good scheduling and connection out of Amman between Middle East and the U.S.

There are pros and cons.

• Lack of individual seating in Business Class
• No Wi-Fi onboard
• The short haul fleet need to refresh

There is a lot of history and culture in Royal Jordanian. The airline relies heavily on international traffic. If the airline can continue to upgrade its fleet and product, it will have its finest day yet.

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