I am an Indian citizen and will be traveling to USA on a B2 (tourist visa). Will I face additional scrutiny if I fly with Saudi Arabian airlines? The tickets are like $300 cheaper so. There is a 3 hour halt at Jeddah Intl airport, Saudi Arabia. Will I face problems at the port of entry in USA?
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I guess the scrutiny might more come from the places where you have traveled (ie spent few days with a stamp on your passport) rather than the places where you have transited...– OlieloCommented Feb 1, 2016 at 7:55
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3Short answer: no. Flying Saudia is just like flying any other airline, from the perspective of a US immigration official.– UrbanaCommented Feb 1, 2016 at 8:15
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2Saudi Arabia is one of the staunchest allies of the USA, not sure why you'd face any problem.– user4188Commented Feb 1, 2016 at 8:44
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3Also, Saudi Arabia is a Mecca for Muslims. Literally.– Golden CuyCommented Feb 1, 2016 at 12:19
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1@AndrewGrimm +1 for the pun :)– Somaiah KumberaCommented Feb 1, 2016 at 14:37
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2 Answers
No; you will not.
You may face extra scrutiny based on your travel profile, but definitely not the airline - you also cannot "fix" your travel profile by flying on Emirates, Gulf, Etihad, Kuwait Airways or Qatar Airways in lieu of Saudi Arabian Airlines.
You will be scrutinized just as anyone else would based on your unique profile; the details of which are only privy to the authorities.
answered Feb 1, 2016 at 12:22
As long as you don't enter the country where your layover takes place, it doesn't matter how you travel from A to B. So just make sure to stay airside at the layover airport. What Border Patrol cares about is what countries you actually spent time in.
For example, recently many travelers originating in Istanbul were flagged for SSSS and had to endure extra screening once in the USA.
