Quick summary
Our fare scan on October 10, 2026 found round-trip economy tickets from the United States to Jeddah from $440, departing January 13 and returning January 23 with one stop. The same scan ran as high as $2,073, and the cheapest departures clustered in mid-January and mid-February.
A European split ticket now has to beat $440 all-in, after checked bags and a self-transfer no airline protects. Here is what US–Saudi flights cost now, Delta’s new Atlanta–Riyadh nonstop, the SkyMiles award sale and the visa rules.
Delta’s first flight to Saudi Arabia leaves Atlanta on October 23, 2026, an Airbus A350-900 bound for Riyadh on a route the airline has never flown, according to Simple Flying. It is the clearest signal yet that the US–Saudi market has changed shape.
The fares have changed, too. The October 10, 2026 ATC fare scan found one-stop round-trip economy tickets from the United States to Jeddah starting at $440. That sets the benchmark for the European split-ticket strategy.
The old case was a $400–600 saving over a single ticket. Travelers booked a transatlantic ticket to Rome, Vienna or Budapest, then a separate low-cost hop to Saudi Arabia. Now the saving has to survive checked-bag fees and seat fees. It also comes with a self-transfer that carries no rebooking protection.
What US–Saudi flights actually cost now
The scan priced 18 round-trip itineraries. The cheapest departed January 13, 2027 and returned January 23. The next lowest were February 10 at $526 and December 6 at $529, both one-stop.
Late November was much more expensive. Five itineraries sharing a November 21 departure and a November 28 return priced between $1,303 and $2,073. The dearest needed two stops. The gap between the January fare and that ticket was $1,633 per seat, more than the saving the split-ticket playbook used to promise.
The European leg is sold separately by carriers such as Wizz Air, so the two tickets never form one contract. The trade-off matches split ticketing to Bahrain via Abu Dhabi: if the first flight lands late, the second carrier owes you nothing.
| Departure | Return | Lowest fare found | Stops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 13, 2027 | Jan 23, 2027 | $440 | 1 |
| Feb 10, 2027 | Feb 20, 2027 | $526 | 1 |
| Dec 6, 2026 | Dec 14, 2026 | $529 | 1 |
| Nov 11, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | $596 | 2 |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 28, 2026 | $1,303–$2,073 | 2–3 |
| Source: ATC fare scan, October 10, 2026. | |||
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The new nonstop: Delta’s Atlanta–Riyadh launch
The route runs daily for one week, then drops to three-times-weekly from late October. Outbound flights leave on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The sector covers about 6,318 nautical miles, or 11,701 kilometres. DL318 leaves Atlanta at 10:30 PM and lands in Riyadh at 7:35 PM the next day. DL317 leaves Riyadh at 11:30 PM and reaches Atlanta at 7:05 AM the following morning.
The route is tied to Delta’s partnership with Riyadh Air, which makes Delta its exclusive North American partner, Simple Flying reports. Delta also flagged softer-than-anticipated bookings before launch, with chief executive Peter Carter expecting demand to improve only temporarily.
For a Jeddah-bound traveler, the new nonstop changes little.
It serves Riyadh, not the destination priced in the fare scan. It gives a second US gateway a nonstop option to the Saudi capital, alongside the connecting itineraries in the scan.
Using miles instead of cash
Delta is running a SkyMiles award sale on the new Atlanta–Riyadh route. Round-trip economy awards start at 30,000 SkyMiles in basic and 47,500 in main cabin, with taxes and fees of about $77. Cardholders eligible for TakeOff 15 can bring the total to roughly 25,500 SkyMiles.
Award bookings are open for travel between October 23, 2026 and April 15, 2027.
The gap between the two cabins is 17,500 miles, or 58% more for main cabin. TakeOff 15 trims 4,500 miles off the basic award, the difference between the headline number and what an eligible cardholder actually pays.
Business-class redemptions on Saudi routes are a separate question, and Flying Blue from North America covers the transfer-partner route in detail. The award sale saves cash in economy; it is not the cheapest way to fly the front of the plane.
Visa and entry rules before you book
Saudi Arabia’s tourist e-visa costs about $160 (SAR 535), including insurance, as of October 2026. It is valid for one year with multiple entries. Standard processing takes 24 to 48 hours, but can stretch to 5 to 10 business days during peak periods.
The kingdom issued 27.4 million tourist visas in 2023, up from near-zero before the e-visa programme launched in 2019. That change in scale stands behind the new routes and lower fares.
A split ticket adds a second authorisation. US citizens entering the Schengen Area will need the EU’s ETIAS pre-travel authorisation, which costs €7 and is valid for three years. Processing takes about 72 hours. This applies to the European transit stop, not Saudi Arabia, and adds a fixed cost to the split-ticket maths.
If Saudi e-visa processing stretches into peak-season delays, separate tickets leave you with no recourse.
How the new benchmark changes the booking
Apply for the Saudi e-visa before you commit to non-refundable tickets. Compare single-ticket options on the airlines’ own sites first: Saudia’s US flight deals and American Airlines’ US–Saudi page both list current schedules and fares. If you are weighing carriers, Saudia’s stopover offer is worth checking before you book the cheapest ticket.
Travelers with fixed dates. If your dates are locked, the January window is irrelevant. A missed connection on separate tickets means buying a new seat at walk-up prices. Check single-ticket fares on Google Flights first, then compare any split option against that number. Less suited: anyone who can shift a trip by a fortnight, since mid-January and mid-February are the cheapest windows.
Travelers checking bags. A split ticket means the bag is checked twice, once per ticket, with a fee on the low-cost leg and no through-handling between the two contracts. A single ticket keeps the bag on one contract from origin to Saudi Arabia. Less suited: carry-on-only travelers, who remove the bag fee and most of the transfer hassle.
Points collectors. The SkyMiles economy award is a single ticket, so it carries no self-transfer risk. Less suited: travelers who need business class, since the sale prices only economy.
For the Atlanta–Riyadh award option, the booking window closes on April 15, 2027.
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Questions? Answers.
Can an American fly to Saudi Arabia?
Yes. US citizens are eligible for Saudi Arabia’s tourist e-visa, which is issued for one year with multiple entries, so a second trip inside 12 months needs no new application. Apply before you commit to non-refundable tickets, because peak-period processing can stretch to 5–10 business days.
Will the EU’s ETIAS system affect a split-ticket routing?
Yes, it applies to the European transit stop rather than to Saudi Arabia. US citizens will need the EU’s pre-travel authorisation, which costs €7, is valid for three years and processes in about 72 hours. It is a small fixed cost next to the fare gap, but it is one more step before you can book the transatlantic leg.
Is travel insurance worth buying for separate tickets?
Only if the policy explicitly covers missed connections on separately booked tickets. Some standard policies exclude self-transfer scenarios, so read the wording before paying. A single ticket keeps the whole journey on one contract.
What happens to my frequent flyer miles on separate tickets?
Each ticket credits to its own programme, so the transatlantic leg earns alliance miles while the low-cost European leg credits to that carrier’s own scheme, if at all. The Delta award sale, by contrast, is a single ticket booked with miles.
How far ahead was the cheapest fare in the scan?
The $440 round-trip was for a mid-January 2027 departure, roughly three months after our October 10 scan. The next cheapest window was mid-February at $526, about four months out.
