Your story of the treatment given you by Royal Jordanian doesn't surprise me at all, but I do admit to envy at your good fortune! On my first trip to England in 1987, I chose Royal Jordanian simply because I wanted to visit Jordan en route to London from Melbourne and RJ was simply the best option, with a side trip to any European city ex London thrown in. Fares, dreary stopovers, and timetables were not the issue - I wanted to see Petra, Jerash, and a few other places. I also had learned a lot about the history of the country at school, and had a great admiration for the late King Hussein and the Hashemite traditions. I was an economy passenger, no frills, and no luxuries, but I can say that the courtesy, friendliness and service of the airline all those 25 years ago is entirely consistent with the kind of treatment you had. I am not at all surprised! But there's more! As a result of my experiences in Jordan on that visit, I returned 12 years later for a second look. It was not just the airline, but the incredible friendliness and kindness of the people my new wife and I came across. We used public transport and taxis to get around until we got into conversation with a Jordanian man in his mid 30s. He suggested we rent a car and that, for no charge, he would drive us around! We were dubious about the risk of such an offer but took the plunge. It was fabulous! He drove us to Madaba, the Dead Sea, the Golan Heights from the Jordanian side, Jerash (a must see), Crusader castles and out to an extraordinary desert fort hundreds of years old but last used by Lawrence of Arabia. We came upon a primary school graduation ceremony, we were led to Independence Day celebrations in a village well away from Amman and saw men participating in folk dancing to celebrate the rule of the Hashemites (music provided by bagpipes!) The extraodinary kindliness of the people was amazing. Salt -caked and dishevelled after a swim in the Dead Sea ("don't pay exorbitant sums at a resort, our guide said, "we'll swim where you don't have to pay!") we were led to the only arm chairs under the tent where the VIPs were seated. Astonishing!! What a bonus with a Jordanian companion speaking English and Arabic and showing us things we would never have seen otherwise. And then he negotiated all the costs and prices to our considerable advantage! mIf you think this is an over the top plug for Jordan and Royal Jordanian, then you'd be right. Jordan has a lot of problems to contend with as a nation but, golly, I would go there again and again and again if I had the time and the money. Petra, alone, is worth several visits... more than the two I have made. Amman ranks as one of my favourite cities, and I have seen a lot around the world. Still envious of your experiences though!!!
