Business Class Umrah Packages from the UK | From £1,779 per Person
Business class Umrah packages start at £1,779 per person, including the upgraded return flight, your Saudi visa, hotels in Makkah and Madinah, all transfers and guided Ziyarat.
We sell these and we are going to spend the first part of this page telling you when not to buy one.
The rule we use
Spend the money on the flight when the flight is the problem. Spend it on the hotel when the walk is the problem.
That sounds obvious and almost nobody applies it. A direct Heathrow to Jeddah service is about six and a half hours, which is short as long-haul goes. The upgrade costs somewhere around £1,150 per person. The same £1,150 moves two people from a hotel 1.2 km out to one at 300 metres for ten nights, and on that trip you will walk to the Haram sixty times and sit on the aircraft twice.
So for a fit forty year old flying direct, business class is usually the wrong place to put the money, and we will say so before we take the booking.
For several other people it is exactly the right place, and the rest of this page is about which is which.
Quick answer
Business class packages from £1,779pp at 4 star, £1,840 at 5 star, £2,029 with a Haram-facing hotel.
The upgrade adds around £1,150 per person over the equivalent economy package.
Premium economy adds around £420 and is the right answer more often than business is. Almost nobody offers it.
Genuinely worth it for elderly travellers, mobility or back problems, and long connecting routes from Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Hold with a £99 deposit.
Packages Umrah, 7 Huxley Avenue, Manchester M8 0SJ. WhatsApp or call +44 7737 144 335. |
Ask us whether the upgrade is worth it for your trip
When business class genuinely earns its money
Six situations. If one of these is you, the upgrade is not an indulgence and we would push you toward it.
1. Back, hip or knee problems
The clearest case. A flat bed or a properly reclining seat with real legroom is a medical arrangement rather than a comfort one.
Someone with a bad back who arrives in Makkah having spent seven hours upright in a 31-inch seat pitch will lose the first two days of the trip to recovery. On a seven night package that is a quarter of it.
2. Elderly parents
The flight is the hardest single part of an Umrah trip for anyone over about seventy-five, and it happens twice.
The gain is not the meal or the lounge. It is arriving able to walk to the Haram on day one instead of spending day one and day two flat out at the hotel. Families who upgrade a parent and fly economy themselves are making a sensible decision, and we arrange split-cabin bookings regularly.
3. Long connecting routes
From Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Stansted or Leeds Bradford you are connecting through a Gulf hub or Istanbul, and door to door you may be travelling sixteen to twenty hours.
That is a completely different proposition to six and a half hours direct from Heathrow. Business class on a long connecting itinerary is a much easier argument than on a short direct one, and it comes with lounge access during the layover, which is where the time actually goes.
4. Baggage, and this is quantifiable
Economy on the Saudi and Gulf carriers is typically 30 to 40 kg. Business is commonly two pieces at 32 kg each, so roughly double.
For an Umrah trip that is not abstract. You are taking gifts out and bringing dates, Zamzam and gifts back. A family of four in business is carrying something in the region of 256 kg of checked allowance against roughly 120 to 160 kg in economy.
If you were going to pay excess baggage anyway, put that figure into the comparison before you decide.
5. The return leg from Jeddah
This matters more than the outbound and almost nobody thinks about it in advance.
You leave Jeddah at the end of the trip tired, with more luggage than you arrived with, often with tired children, and with a 5 litre Zamzam bottle per person. Priority check-in, a lounge and getting off the aircraft first at the UK end is worth considerably more in that direction than it was on the way out.
6. You are going anyway and the money exists
We are not going to pretend this is not a reason. If the budget genuinely stretches to a close hotel and the upgrade, take both. The advice above is about what to do with a fixed amount of money, not about whether comfort is permissible.
When it is the wrong call
A short direct flight and a fixed budget
Six and a half hours, often overnight, and £1,150 per person that could move you 900 metres closer to the Haram. On a fit adult that is not a close decision.
When it comes out of the hotel budget
The trap we see most. Somebody upgrades the flight and takes a 3 star property a kilometre out to pay for it, then walks that kilometre sixty times in the heat.
You spent the money on the two hours you were asleep and saved it on the sixty walks you were awake for.
On a long trip, proportionally
On a fourteen night package the flight is roughly two per cent of your time and the hotel is the other ninety-eight. The longer the trip, the weaker the flight argument gets.
If you are travelling in Ihram and expecting the full experience
There is a section on this below, because it catches people out.
What we do about it
When you enquire, we quote you the business class package and the economy package with a better hotel side by side, with the distance in metres on both. Then you decide with the actual numbers in front of you rather than a brochure.
Ask for both options priced side by side
The Ihram advantage nobody mentions
This is the one genuinely Umrah-specific argument for business class and we have never seen another agency make it.
The problem
If you are flying into Jeddah, you enter Ihram before the Miqat, which is crossed roughly half an hour before landing. Plenty of people change on the aircraft.
In economy on a full flight that means a queue for a cubicle the size of a phone box, with two hundred other people doing the same thing in the same twenty minutes, while the crew are trying to prepare the cabin for landing.
What changes up front
Larger lavatories, a fraction of the passengers per cubicle, and no real queue. You can change unhurried at a time of your choosing rather than joining a scrum somewhere over the Red Sea.
Some aircraft in the premium cabins have noticeably more space to do this than others, and we will tell you what you are booked on.
The alternative that costs nothing
Change at your UK airport after security, before boarding. Then the aircraft cabin is irrelevant.
Or fly into Madinah first, where you do not enter Ihram on the plane at all. You enter it on the ground at Dhul Hulayfah, about 9 km outside Madinah on the road to Makkah, where there are proper facilities and no clock running.
We mention this because it is the honest version. The Ihram argument is real, and there are two free ways around it, and you should know both before you spend £1,150 on solving it.
What you cannot use, and it is more than you think
Nobody writes this and it changes the value calculation for the outbound leg.
The amenity kit
Business class amenity kits are built around scented toiletries. Cologne, scented moisturiser, scented lip balm, aftershave.
In the state of Ihram, applying perfume or scented products is not permitted. So on the outbound leg, once you have entered Ihram, most of the kit sits in the seat pocket unopened.
The pyjamas and the bedding
Some carriers provide sleepwear on longer routes. In Ihram you are wearing two unstitched white cloths and you are not changing into anything else.
The dining
Perfectly usable, and worth knowing that if your flight is overnight and short you may be choosing between a meal and sleep. Most people who have done it say sleep.
What you can still use
The seat, which is the whole point. The space to pray comfortably. The lavatory access. The lounge before you board, before Ihram. Priority boarding and disembarkation. The baggage allowance, which is the same in both directions.
So where does the value sit?
Overwhelmingly in the seat, the space and the baggage. Everything else on the brochure is either unusable in Ihram on the way out, or nice rather than decisive.
That is not an argument against booking it. It is an argument for booking it for the right reasons.
Premium economy, which almost nobody offers you
The option that is right more often than business class is, and which most Umrah agencies do not mention because it is less profitable to sell.
What it costs
Around £420 per person over the economy package, against roughly £1,150 for business.
What you get
Meaningfully more legroom and seat width, a deeper recline, a separate smaller cabin, and usually an increased baggage allowance. Not a flat bed.
Who it suits
Almost everyone who was considering business for comfort rather than for a medical reason. Anyone tall. Anyone who wants to arrive able to function without spending four figures. Families upgrading one or two members rather than everybody.
Who it does not suit
Someone with a genuine back or hip problem who needs to lie flat. Premium economy does not solve that and it is not worth paying for a half measure if the flat bed is the actual requirement.
The comparison, honestly
| | Economy | Premium Economy | Business |
|---|
Uplift per person | Included | About £420 | About £1,150 |
Seat | Standard | Wider, more recline | Flat or near flat |
Baggage | Typically 30 to 40 kg | Usually increased | Commonly 2 x 32 kg |
Lounge | No | Sometimes | Yes |
Worth it for a bad back | No | Partly | Yes |
Worth it on a 6.5 hr direct | Fine | Good value | Only for a reason |
Worth it on a 16 hr connection | Hard | Genuinely helps | Strong case |
Not every route has it
Premium economy is not offered by every carrier on every Jeddah or Madinah routing. We check availability for your dates rather than promising it in advance.
Why we do not sell business class with a 3 star hotel
A short section because it is a short point, and because we get asked.
It is an incoherent product
Paying £1,150 for seven hours of comfort and then walking 1.2 km to the Haram five times a day for ten days is not a considered decision. It is two decisions that have not been introduced to each other.
Where the money should go first
If your budget reaches business class, it reaches a 4 or 5 star hotel with a shorter walk. Take the hotel first, then upgrade the flight with whatever is left.
Our business class packages therefore start at 4 star. If you specifically want a business class flight with 3 star accommodation we will book it, and we will ask you once whether you are sure.
The one exception
A land-only booking where you already hold business class flights on points. That is a different situation entirely and we quote it happily.
Prices
Hotel tier | 7 nights | 10 nights | 14 nights |
|---|
4 Star | From £1,779 | From £1,829 | From £1,919 |
5 Star | From £1,840 | From £1,895 | From £1,975 |
Haram Facing, under 200 m | From £2,029 | From £2,125 | From £2,279 |
Per person, twin or double occupancy, off-peak departures. Includes the business class return flight, Saudi Umrah visa, hotels in Makkah and Madinah, all three transfers and guided Ziyarat in both cities. Ramadan, Christmas and school holidays price higher.
How that breaks down
The business class element adds around £1,150 per person over the equivalent economy package. So a 4 star 10 night economy package at £679 becomes £1,829 with the upgrade.
We show the uplift as a separate figure rather than burying it, because you should be able to see exactly what you are paying for the seat and decide whether that money is better spent elsewhere.
Premium economy pricing
Around £420 per person over the economy package. So the same 4 star 10 night trip is about £1,099 in premium economy against £1,829 in business.
Occupancy
Business class packages are quoted on twin or double occupancy rather than quad sharing, because in practice nobody upgrading the flight wants four to a room. Quad is available if you want it and it brings the figure down.
How the price is set
Same rule as everything else we sell. We check comparable UK packages every month and sit £20 under the lowest we can find for the same nights, the same cabin and the same hotel tier.
Tier detail: 4 star, 5 star, and the luxury range for the Haram-facing and Kaaba view options.
Routes and carriers
Direct from the UK
Direct services to Jeddah operate from Heathrow, Manchester and Birmingham, and business class is available on those routes. This is the shortest and simplest option and the one where the upgrade is hardest to justify on value alone.
Connecting through the Gulf
Emirates through Dubai, Qatar Airways through Doha, Etihad through Abu Dhabi and Turkish through Istanbul all serve Jeddah and Madinah with business cabins.
This is where business class does its best work, because you get the lounge during a layover that might run two to five hours, and two flights rather than one.
From Scotland, Northern Ireland and the regions
Every routing connects. Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stansted, Luton and Leeds Bradford have no direct Saudi service, so if you are flying from there and considering business, the case is stronger than it would be from Heathrow.
Airport guides: Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Gatwick, Glasgow, Stansted.
Aircraft type matters
Business class is not one product. A flat bed on a wide-body A380 or 787 is a genuinely different thing to a recliner on a narrow-body on a shorter sector.
We tell you the aircraft type and the seat configuration before you pay, because on some routings the premium cabin is much better value than on others, and you deserve to know which one you are buying.
First class
Available on a small number of routings. Honestly, we book very few of these, and where somebody wants that level of spend we would usually point them at the luxury packages page and a Kaaba view room instead. Ask if you want it and we will price it.
Split-cabin and family bookings
One of the more common things we arrange and something a lot of agencies will not do.
Upgrading one person
An elderly parent in business, the rest of the family in economy on the same flight. Entirely possible and frequently the most sensible use of a family budget.
Upgrading one direction
Economy out, business home. Given how much heavier the return leg is with luggage, Zamzam and fatigue, this is often better value than upgrading both ways.
It also costs meaningfully less than a full return upgrade, and hardly anybody thinks to ask.
Different hotels for different family members
Occasionally sensible. Grandparents in a Haram-facing property while the rest of the family takes something a few hundred metres further out. We build these and they work.
Sitting together
If some of you are in business and some in economy, you are in different cabins for the flight. Obvious when written down and worth thinking about with young children, who may prefer being with their parents to having a better seat.
What else is included
- Business class return flight, one ticket, bags checked through
- Hotel in Makkah, named in writing with the distance in metres and the nearest gate
- Hotel in Madinah, same detail
- Saudi Umrah visa, submitted through Nusuk and tracked to approval
- Private vehicle airport transfers rather than the shared coach
- Makkah to Madinah transfer, private vehicle on request
- Guided Ziyarat in both cities
- A named agent on WhatsApp throughout, at Saudi hours
What is not included
Travel insurance. Your meningococcal ACWY vaccine, which is a visa requirement regardless of which cabin you fly in. Meals beyond breakfast where breakfast applies. UK airport parking. Anything you buy out there.
Things the upgrade does not change
Worth saying plainly. Business class does not affect your visa, your Nusuk permits, your Rawdah slot, or your access to the Haram. There is no premium queue at the Kaaba.
Your Umrah permit and Rawdah permit are free through the Nusuk app and are booked the same way by everybody. Details on the visa page.
How to book
- WhatsApp +44 7737 144 335 or call. Tell us who is travelling, their ages, and whether anybody has a back, hip, knee or mobility issue. That last question decides more than the budget does.
- We quote you three ways: economy with a better hotel, premium economy, and business class, all with the hotel distance in metres so you can see the trade properly.
- Tell us if you want to upgrade one person, or one direction, rather than everybody both ways.
- Pay a £99 deposit per person. Interest-free instalments on the balance when you book four or more months ahead.
- Book your ACWY vaccine. Visa requirement, at least ten days before you arrive.
- Send us passports, photos and ACWY certificates by WhatsApp.
- We submit the visa through Nusuk and track it to approval.
- The day your visa lands, book your Umrah and Rawdah permits in the Nusuk app yourself. The cabin makes no difference to this.
- You travel. Your named agent is on WhatsApp throughout.
Balance due eight weeks before departure. Business class inventory is thinner than economy, so book earlier than you would otherwise, particularly for December and Ramadan.
Comparing quotes? Check the aircraft type and whether it is a flat bed or a recliner before you compare prices. Beat My Quote.
Business class Umrah: 74 questions answered
Grouped by topic. Direct answer first, detail underneath where it earns its place.
Is it worth it
Is business class worth it for Umrah?
It depends entirely on who is flying. For an elderly traveller, someone with back or hip trouble, or a long connecting route, yes. For a fit adult on a six and a half hour direct flight with a fixed budget, usually not.
What is the rule you use?
Spend on the flight when the flight is the problem. Spend on the hotel when the walk is the problem.
How much does the upgrade cost?
Around £1,150 per person over the equivalent economy package.
What would that money buy in a hotel instead?
It moves two people from a hotel 1.2 km out to one at around 300 metres for ten nights. On that trip you walk to the Haram sixty times and sit on the aircraft twice.
How long is the flight?
About six and a half hours direct to Jeddah. Considerably longer with a connection.
Is it better value on a connecting route?
Much better. From Glasgow or Stansted you might be travelling sixteen to twenty hours door to door, and you get lounge access during the layover.
Will you tell me if it is not worth it?
Yes. We quote you the business package and the economy package with a better hotel side by side, with distances in metres, and let you decide.
What is the most common mistake?
Upgrading the flight and taking a cheaper hotel further out to pay for it. You spend on the hours you were asleep and save on the walks you were awake for.
When it genuinely helps
I have a bad back. Is it worth it?
Yes, and this is the clearest case. Seven hours upright in a standard seat can cost you the first two days of the trip.
Should I upgrade my elderly parents?
Often the best use of a family budget. The gain is arriving able to walk to the Haram on day one rather than spending two days recovering.
Can I upgrade one person and not the whole family?
Yes, we arrange split-cabin bookings regularly.
Does it help with baggage?
Substantially. Economy is typically 30 to 40 kg. Business is commonly two pieces at 32 kg each.
Why does baggage matter on Umrah specifically?
Because you take gifts out and bring dates, Zamzam and gifts back. A family of four in business carries roughly double the allowance.
Is the return leg more important than the outbound?
Usually yes. You leave Jeddah tired, with more luggage, often with tired children and a 5 litre Zamzam bottle each.
Can I upgrade only the return?
Yes, and it is often better value than upgrading both ways. Hardly anybody thinks to ask.
Does priority boarding actually matter?
At Jeddah on a full wide-body it can be a meaningful difference at immigration.
What you cannot use in Ihram
Can I use the amenity kit?
Mostly not on the outbound. Business kits are built around scented products and applying perfume is not permitted in Ihram.
What about the pyjamas?
In Ihram you are in two unstitched white cloths and you are not changing into anything else.
Can I eat the meal?
Yes. Though on a short overnight flight you may be choosing between the meal and sleep, and most people say sleep.
So what is actually usable?
The seat, the space, the lavatory access, the lounge before you enter Ihram, priority boarding, and the baggage allowance both ways.
Does that change whether I should book it?
It changes the reasons. Book it for the seat and the baggage rather than the brochure.
Is the return leg different?
Yes. You are out of Ihram by then, so everything is usable on the way home.
Ihram and the aircraft
Where do I change into Ihram?
At your UK airport after security, or on the aircraft before the Miqat is crossed.
Is changing on the plane easier in business?
Considerably. Larger lavatories, a fraction of the passengers per cubicle, and no queue.
What is it like in economy?
A queue for a very small cubicle while two hundred people do the same thing in the same twenty minutes.
Is there a free way around this?
Two. Change at your UK airport before boarding, or fly into Madinah first and enter Ihram on the ground at Dhul Hulayfah.
When is the Miqat crossed?
Flying into Jeddah, roughly half an hour before landing. The crew announce it.
What if I fly into Madinah?
You do not enter Ihram on the plane at all. You enter it at Dhul Hulayfah, about 9 km outside Madinah, where there are proper facilities.
Premium economy
Do you offer premium economy?
Yes, and it is right more often than business is. Around £420 per person over the economy package.
Why does nobody else mention it?
Because it is less profitable to sell than business class.
What do I get?
Meaningfully more legroom and seat width, deeper recline, a separate smaller cabin and usually a better baggage allowance. Not a flat bed.
Who should choose it?
Almost anyone considering business for comfort rather than for a medical reason. Anyone tall. Families upgrading one or two members.
Who should not?
Anyone who genuinely needs to lie flat. A half measure is not worth paying for if the flat bed is the actual requirement.
How much cheaper is it?
A 4 star 10 night trip is about £1,099 in premium economy against £1,829 in business.
Is it available on every route?
No. We check availability for your dates rather than promising it in advance.
Prices
How much is a business class Umrah package?
From £1,779 per person at 4 star, £1,840 at 5 star, and £2,029 with a Haram-facing hotel under 200 metres.
What is included at that price?
The business class return flight, the Saudi visa, both hotels, all three transfers, private airport transfers and guided Ziyarat in both cities.
How much for 14 nights?
From £1,919 at 4 star, £1,975 at 5 star, and £2,279 Haram facing.
Is that quad sharing?
No, twin or double, because in practice nobody upgrading the flight wants four to a room. Quad is available and brings the figure down.
Why do you show the uplift separately?
So you can see exactly what you are paying for the seat and judge whether that money is better spent elsewhere.
What is the deposit?
£99 per person, same as every other package.
Can I pay monthly?
Yes, interest free, when you book four or more months ahead.
When is the balance due?
Eight weeks before departure.
Do you price match on business class?
Yes. Check the aircraft type and whether it is a flat bed or a recliner before comparing, because the same words cover very different products.
Hotels and the 3 star question
Can I book business class with a 3 star hotel?
We will do it if you insist, and we will ask once whether you are sure. It is two decisions that have not been introduced to each other.
Why do your business packages start at 4 star?
Because if the budget reaches business class it reaches a shorter walk, and the walk happens sixty times.
What about a land only booking?
Different situation entirely. If you already hold business class flights on points, we quote land only happily at any tier.
How far is a 4 star hotel?
Typically 300 to 700 metres from the Haram.
How far is 5 star?
200 to 500 metres, or under 200 on the Haram-facing tier.
Can I get a Kaaba view room too?
Yes. Pricing is on the luxury packages page.
Will you name the hotel before I pay?
Both of them, in writing, with the distance in metres and the nearest gate.
Routes and aircraft
Which airlines fly business class to Jeddah from the UK?
Direct services from Heathrow, Manchester and Birmingham, plus connecting options through Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul.
Does the aircraft type matter?
A great deal. A flat bed on a wide-body is a genuinely different product to a recliner on a narrow-body.
Will you tell me the aircraft?
Yes, and the seat configuration, before you pay.
Is business class better on a connection or a direct?
On a connection, because you also get the lounge during a layover that might run several hours.
Do you offer first class?
On a small number of routings. We book very few, and would usually suggest putting that money into a Kaaba view room instead. Ask and we will price it.
Can I fly business one way and economy the other?
Yes, and given how much heavier the return leg is, business home and economy out is often the better half to upgrade.
Is business class inventory limited?
Thinner than economy, so book earlier than you otherwise would, especially for December and Ramadan.
Which UK airports have direct business class to Jeddah?
Heathrow, Manchester and Birmingham. Everywhere else connects.
Family and group
Can different family members fly different cabins?
Yes, on the same flight. It is one of the more common things we arrange.
Will we sit together?
Not if you are in different cabins. Worth thinking about with young children, who often prefer being with their parents to having a better seat.
Can family members stay in different hotels?
Occasionally sensible, for instance grandparents in a Haram-facing property and everyone else a few hundred metres out. We build these.
Do you do business class group bookings?
Yes, though inventory limits group size in the premium cabin more than in economy. Ask early.
Do children pay less in business?
Child discounts in premium cabins are much smaller than in economy. Often the sensible answer is adults in premium economy and everyone together.
Practical
Does business class affect my visa?
Not at all. The cabin makes no difference to the visa, the process or the timeline.
Does it get me a better Rawdah slot?
No. Permits are free through the Nusuk app and booked the same way by everybody.
Is there a priority queue at the Haram?
No. There is no premium anything at the Kaaba.
Do I still need the vaccine?
Yes. Meningococcal ACWY is a visa requirement regardless of cabin, dated at least ten days before you arrive.
Are transfers different?
Yes, business class packages include private vehicle airport transfers rather than the shared coach, and a private Makkah to Madinah vehicle on request.
Is Ziyarat included?
Yes, guided Ziyarat in both cities, as with every package. More on the Ziyarat page.
Can I bring more Zamzam because of the allowance?
The official 5 litre bottle is one per passenger regardless of cabin. The bigger allowance helps with everything else you are carrying.
What is the best month to book business class?
January, September and November on price. December and Ramadan are when premium inventory disappears first.
How far ahead should I book?
Four to six months for normal dates. Longer than you would for economy, because there are fewer seats.
Where can I read more?
Our blog covers the practical side, and the packages hub has every tier, month, city and airport.
Related pages
Book a business class Umrah
From £1,779 per person. Business class return flight, both hotels named with the distance in metres, the Saudi visa, private transfers and guided Ziyarat in both cities. Held with a £99 deposit.
Packages Umrah
WhatsApp or call: +44 7737 144 335
Office: 7 Huxley Avenue, Manchester, M8 0SJ
English and Urdu. Same-day quotes.
Trading name of Uraan Travel Ltd. |
Tell us who is travelling and whether anybody has a back, hip, knee or mobility problem. That question decides this more than the budget does, and it is the one nobody asks you.
We will send you three prices. Economy with a better hotel, premium economy, and business class, with the hotel distance in metres on all three. Then you can see the trade properly and choose.
Get all three options priced
