Delta Air Lines has launched a limited-time SkyMiles award sale on its upcoming Atlanta–Riyadh service just weeks after its president acknowledged that ticket sales have been “softer than anticipated.” The nonstop flight — which will be the carrier’s first-ever route to Saudi Arabia — is confirmed to launch on October 23 using Delta’s Airbus A350-900 fleet with a daily flight through October 30 before reducing to a three-times-weekly service.

The promotional offering for round-trip economy seats between Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Riyadh Airport (RUH) starts from 30,000 SkyMiles, plus around $77 in taxes and fees.

Credit: Delta Air Lines

Award seats are on sale for bookings flown between October 23 and April 15, 2027, and are also available from ten additional US airports that connect via Atlanta, including Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Chicago Midway (MDW), Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), Detroit (DTW), Houston Hobby (HOU), Miami (MIA), New York JFK (JFK), Orlando (MCO), Reagan National (DCA) and Washington (IAD).

Two economy fare options are on offer — basic economy starts from 30,000 SkyMiles for a round-trip, while the main cabin starts from around 47,500 SkyMiles, both with approximately $77 in taxes and fees. Passengers with an eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express card can combine this with the airline’s TakeOff 15 perk for a further 15% reduction, bringing the cheapest round-trip down to around 25,500 SkyMiles. Peter Carter, President of Delta, commented,

“Delta’s new nonstop service to Riyadh is a meaningful step in connecting our customers to one of the world’s most important and fast-growing regions.”

Disappointing Demand, But A Significant First For Delta

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As Simple Flying reported a few weeks ago, Carter acknowledged that initial demand for seats on this route was “softer” than expected, adding that he expected the situation to prove temporary. For example, seat maps on a November 4 departure from Atlanta showed just five seats had been sold by late-July, despite long-haul international flights typically reaching at least 50% loads by this stage. Nonetheless, Delta is pressing ahead with the route, which is tied to its strategic partnership with Riyadh Air as the Saudi airline’s exclusive North American partner.

Riyadh Air finally began operations on June 10 with an inaugural flight to London Heathrow, subsequently adding Jeddah, Dubai, Cairo, Madrid, Manchester, Málaga and Kuala Lumpur to its fast-growing network. Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas has said the airline plans to serve 22 destinations by March 2027 and more than 100 by 2030, giving Delta another valuable partner in the Middle East market alongside fellow SkyTeam member Saudia.

Several international carriers have suspended or canceled services to Riyadh in recent months due to the conflict between the US and Iran. For example, Cathay Pacific has grounded its Riyadh service until October 25, while British Airways is reducing its services to Riyadh from two daily flights to one from August 8.

A Daily Flight Reducing To Three Weekly Services

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At launch on October 23, Delta will fly a daily service between Atlanta and Riyadh. However, this will last for just one week, with the route dropping to three weekly flights (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays on the outbound) from the end of October onwards.

Flight DL318 departs Atlanta at 10:30 PM, arriving in Riyadh at 7:35 PM, while DL317 leaves Riyadh at 11:30 PM, landing in Atlanta at 7:05 AM+1. The 6,318 nautical mile (11,701 km) flight is blocked at over 15 hours on the return leg, becoming one of the longest flights in Delta’s entire network.

The Airbus A350-900 is Delta’s flagship long-haul aircraft, and the airline will be using its premium-heavy A350 variant for this flight — this model can seat up to 275 passengers, featuring 40 Delta One suites in a 1-2-1 configuration, 40 Delta Premium Select seats in a 2-4-2 layout, and 195 economy seats, of which 36 are extra-legroom Delta Comfort+ and 159 as standard Main Cabin.