If your family is on different flights into Saudi Arabia and staying at the same hotel, you do not have to force everyone into one airport pickup. The right choice depends on three things you can check before you book: how far apart the flights land, whether they arrive at the same terminal, and how long each group can reasonably wait. As a rule of thumb, one shared vehicle suits arrivals that land close together at the same terminal. Two separate transfers usually suit arrivals that are hours apart, at different terminals, or involve travellers who should not be kept waiting after a long journey.
This guide is for the person organising the trip, often from home, for parents, siblings or a small group travelling on their own. It explains what a single Pilgrim Taxi booking can cover, how to compare the two options honestly, and ends with a worksheet to fill in before you search.
Why the same hotel does not make one journey
Everyone is going to the same address, so one vehicle seems obvious. But a transfer is defined by where and when it starts, not only where it ends.
Each Pilgrim Taxi journey has one pickup place, one destination, a pickup date and time in Saudi local time (UTC+3), and a passenger and luggage count. Two flights landing at 13:10 and 16:40 are two different pickup times, even if both groups end up in the same lobby. If the flights also arrive at different terminals, they are two different pickup places as well.
So the real question is not “can one car take everyone to the hotel?” It is “what happens between the first landing and the second?” Someone has to wait: either the first group, the vehicle, or neither if you book two transfers. Each of those choices has a cost, and only one of them is measured in money.
The three things to check first
Before comparing prices, collect these facts for every traveller. Take them from the airline itinerary, not from memory or a forwarded screenshot.
1. The scheduled landing time of the final flight into Saudi Arabia
If someone is connecting through another airport, the flight that matters is the last segment, the one that actually lands in Jeddah or Madinah. The first flight printed on the ticket is often a connection somewhere else. Our guide to finding the final arrival in a connecting itinerary walks through how to read a multi-segment booking.
Write each landing time in Saudi local time. Many itineraries show local time at each airport, but if you have converted anything yourself, check it twice. A one-hour error at this stage becomes a driver arriving an hour early or late.
2. The arrival airport and terminal
King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah does not operate as a single building. The airport’s own passenger information lists more than one passenger terminal, including Terminal 1, the North Terminal and the Hajj and Umrah Terminal. Which one a flight uses depends on the airline and the type of flight, and it can change. Check the terminal for each flight on your airline’s booking or on the official airport website close to departure.
If your relatives land at the same airport but different terminals, treat them as two separate pickup points until you have confirmed otherwise. A driver cannot meet two groups in two terminals at the same moment.
Madinah’s Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport is smaller, but the principle is the same: the pickup is where the travellers actually come out, at the time they actually land.
3. Each group’s people and luggage
Count adults, children and infants separately for each flight, then count large suitcases and cabin bags. Include anything bulky: a folding wheelchair, a pushchair, a box of gifts. The vehicle options Pilgrim Taxi shows are filtered by a capacity check, so a group of five adults with five large suitcases will not see the same choices as a couple with two bags. That matters later, because combining two groups can push you into a larger vehicle class, while splitting them can let each group use a smaller one.
How waiting works in a Pilgrim Taxi booking
Waiting is where most combined-pickup plans succeed or fail, so it helps to understand how it is handled.
Every airport transfer quote is priced with an included waiting allowance. This is time the driver will wait after the scheduled pickup without extra charge, which is there because immigration, baggage reclaim and the walk out of the terminal all take time. Beyond the allowance, the controlling booking terms, maintained by Saudi Cab Co for the whole network, allow fair, disclosed additional waiting charges. You can read the booking terms and conditions in full; Pilgrim Taxi bookings are made under that policy. The allowance is not currently shown on the search results, so if waiting matters to your plan, ask the booking team to confirm it for your journey in writing.
The allowance is not the same for every vehicle. When we checked live quotes for Jeddah Airport to a central Makkah hotel on 24 September 2026, the included waiting and the per-minute rate beyond it varied by vehicle class:
| Vehicle class (example model, “or similar”) | Seats | Large bags | Included waiting | Beyond the allowance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy (Hyundai Sonata) | 4 | 2 | 15 minutes | SAR 1.50 per minute |
| Business & Executive (Toyota Avalon) | 4 | 3 | 30 minutes | SAR 2.00 per minute |
| VIP Van (Hyundai Staria) | 6 | 2 | 30 minutes | SAR 2.00 per minute |
| Premium SUV (Chevrolet Tahoe) | 6 | 4 | 45 minutes | SAR 2.50 per minute |
| Family van (Hyundai H1 / Starex) | 7 | 6 | 30 minutes | SAR 2.00 per minute |
| Family van (Toyota Hiace) | 11 | 10 | 30 minutes | SAR 2.00 per minute |
| Luxury (Mercedes-Benz S-Class) | 3 | 3 | 60 minutes | SAR 4.00 per minute |
Treat this table as an illustration of how the terms work, not a promise for your date. Rates can change, and what the booking team confirms for your journey is what counts. The point is the scale: an allowance measured in tens of minutes is designed to absorb normal arrival delays. It is not designed to hold a vehicle for three hours while a second flight is in the air.
Option A: one shared pickup
A single journey collects everyone together. There are two ways to set it up, and they are very different in practice.
A1. Time the pickup to the later flight
You book one transfer for the second group’s landing time. The first group lands earlier and waits in the terminal until the others come through.
This is often the cheapest arrangement, because the vehicle does not wait beyond the normal allowance. The first group pays in time instead. After a long flight, a two- or three-hour wait in an arrivals hall is a real burden, especially for older relatives.
It works best when:
- the flights land within about an hour of each other;
- both arrive at the same terminal;
- the first group is comfortable waiting and has a working phone and some local currency or a card;
- the combined party and luggage fit a vehicle class you are happy with.
A2. Time the pickup to the earlier flight and ask the vehicle to wait
Here the transfer is booked for the first landing, and the vehicle waits for the second group. Unless the gap is shorter than the included allowance, you are buying waiting time. At the example rates above, a two-hour gap in a family van would mean roughly an hour and a half beyond a 30-minute allowance: around 90 extra minutes at SAR 2.00, or about SAR 180, on top of the fare, before considering whether the driver and vehicle can be committed for that long at all.
This option needs agreement in writing before you rely on it. A waiting vehicle is an operational commitment, not a checkbox, and a combined arrangement with long waiting should be requested so the booking team can confirm or decline it. If the second flight is delayed, the waiting grows.
What goes into a combined request
If you choose A1 or A2, the request should say so plainly. Enter the total passengers and luggage for both groups together, because the vehicle has to carry everyone. Use the flight details for the flight the pickup is timed to, and add the other flight in your notes so the arrangement is clear. Name one lead traveller who will be at the meeting point with a working phone. Our note on keeping an organiser and a travelling contact separate explains why that person should be someone in Saudi Arabia, not you at home.
Option B: two separate transfers
Two bookings, each timed to its own flight, each with its own lead traveller, passenger count and luggage.
This is the arrangement that most closely matches what is actually happening, and for arrivals several hours apart it is usually the most comfortable. Nobody waits for anyone. Each group has its own confirmed journey. If one flight is delayed, only one booking needs attention.
It often costs more than a single fare, though not always by as much as people expect. A couple with two cases and a group of three with three cases can each fit a smaller vehicle, whereas all five people with five large cases would, on the capacity check, need a seven-seat van or larger. Run both searches for your real dates and compare.
Separate transfers also make sense when:
- the groups land at different terminals;
- the gap is long enough that waiting would be tiring or unfair for the first group;
- one group includes older travellers, children or anyone who needs to rest soon after arriving;
- the second flight has a history of delays or a tight connection;
- the groups are not actually going to the same place first, for example one checks in immediately while the other goes straight to the Haram.
In the Pilgrim Taxi basket, you can add more than one journey before checkout. Traveller details are collected for each journey, so each group’s lead contact and flight number sit with the right booking.
A worked example
Here is how an organiser in Birmingham might think it through. The details are illustrative; use your own.
Her parents fly via Istanbul and their final flight lands at Jeddah at 13:10. Her brother, his wife and their teenage son fly direct and land at 16:40. Everyone is staying at the same hotel near the Haram for the first four nights.
Step 1: facts. Parents: 2 adults, 2 large cases, 2 cabin bags, arriving at the North Terminal according to their airline. Brother’s family: 3 adults, 3 large cases, 3 cabin bags, arriving at Terminal 1.
Step 2: gap and place. Three and a half hours apart, in two terminals. That rules out a simple shared meeting.
Step 3: options.
- A1, one pickup at 16:40: her parents, both in their seventies, would wait more than three hours after a long journey and then need to reach Terminal 1. She rules it out.
- A2, one pickup at 13:10 with waiting: the vehicle would wait three and a half hours, well beyond any included allowance, and would also need to move between terminals. It is expensive and fragile if the second flight is late.
- B, two transfers: parents collected at 13:10 in a car sized for two people and two large cases; brother’s family collected at 16:40 in a vehicle that passes the capacity check for three adults and three large cases.
Step 4: compare. She runs both searches in the ride finder for the same date, adds both journeys to the basket and checks the total against a single seven-seat journey. Two journeys cost somewhat more, but her parents reach the hotel mid-afternoon and rest before her brother arrives. She books option B.
Step 5: contacts. Her father is the lead contact for the 13:10 journey, with his phone roaming enabled. Her brother is the lead for 16:40. She keeps both confirmations and forwards each one only to the group it concerns.
If the flights had landed at 13:10 and 13:55 at the same terminal, the answer would probably have been A1: one vehicle at 13:55, her parents waiting 45 minutes indoors, one lead contact.
A quick decision guide
Use this as a starting point, then check it against your actual quotes and your travellers’ needs.
| Situation | Usually the better choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Same terminal, landings under about an hour apart | One pickup timed to the later flight | Short wait indoors, one vehicle, one confirmation |
| Same terminal, gap about one to two hours | Compare both; lean towards two if older travellers or children are in the first group | A1 asks people to wait; A2 can mean paid waiting beyond the allowance |
| Same terminal, gap over two hours | Two separate transfers | Waiting is long for people and costly for vehicles |
| Different terminals, any gap | Two separate transfers, unless a single meeting point is confirmed in writing | One driver cannot meet two terminals at once |
| One flight on a tight connection | Two separate transfers | A missed connection affects only one booking |
| Groups going to different first stops | Two separate transfers | Destinations differ even if the hotel is shared later |
What to send when you book
Whichever option you choose, the request needs the same core details. Missing information is the most common reason a combined arrangement goes wrong.
For each journey:
- the pickup airport and, if known, the terminal;
- the final arriving flight number, its date, and its scheduled landing time in Saudi local time;
- the hotel’s exact name and address as it appears on the reservation (our guide to hotel names and map pins that disagree covers why this matters);
- adults, children and infants, and any child seat or wheelchair requirement;
- large suitcases and cabin bags;
- a lead traveller who will be at the airport, with a number that works in Saudi Arabia.
For a combined journey, also state:
- which flight the pickup is timed to;
- the other flight’s number and landing time;
- whether you expect the vehicle to wait, and for how long;
- where the two groups will meet each other, if they are coming from different parts of the terminal.
When the flight number is entered at checkout, keep it exactly as it appears on the airline booking, including the airline code. If you are not sure whether a code refers to the flight or the reservation, our note on flight numbers and booking references explains the difference.
After you pay: provisional until confirmed
Paying for a Pilgrim Taxi journey secures a provisional request. It is not yet a confirmed vehicle. The booking team checks the journey and driver availability and aims to update you within 1 to 12 hours; the journey is confirmed when its status changes to Confirmed. For a two-transfer plan, check that both journeys reach that status. For a combined plan with waiting, check that the confirmation reflects the waiting arrangement you asked for.
When a flight changes
A ground booking does not update itself when an airline changes a schedule.
- If you booked two transfers, only the affected journey needs updating. Send the new flight number, date and landing time through your booking, and wait for the change to be accepted. Under the network terms, a requested change is not effective until it is accepted in the booking record, and a different time or route can change the price.
- If you booked one combined pickup, look again at the whole arrangement. A new landing time can turn a 40-minute gap into a two-hour one. It may now be better to split into two journeys than to extend the waiting.
- If a relative now arrives on a different day, that is a separate journey, not a change to the first. See what to do when a relative joins a day later.
It also helps to know the cancellation terms before you commit. A booking you cancel yourself is subject to our cancellation terms (free cancellation with a full refund up to 48 hours before pickup; inside 48 hours the deposit element of the price is kept); you are refunded in full if we or the transport partner cancel. The checkout states this before you pay, and the cancellation and refund policy sets out the full terms. A plan with two bookings gives you more flexibility here, because asking for a new time on one leaves the other untouched.
Avoiding duplicate or conflicting requests
With several relatives involved, two people can easily book the same journey. Agree who submits and who reviews before anyone opens the basket. If it has already happened, see two relatives submitting the same journey.
Keep one short family summary: “Parents: 13:10, North Terminal, car booked, Dad is contact. Brother’s family: 16:40, Terminal 1, van booked, Ahmed is contact.” Passport scans and payment details do not belong in a group chat.
The organiser’s worksheet
Copy this into a note and fill it in for each group before you search.
- Traveller names and lead contact (with a number that works in Saudi Arabia):
- Final arriving flight number and airline:
- Arrival airport and terminal:
- Scheduled landing, Saudi local time (UTC+3):
- Adults / children / infants:
- Large cases / cabin bags / special items:
- Hotel name and address as on the reservation:
- Anyone who should not wait long after landing?
- Gap between this landing and the other group’s:
- Decision (one pickup timed to which flight, or separate transfers) and why:
Once the sheet is complete, the choice usually makes itself. If the gap is short and the terminal is shared, one pickup is simple and economical. If the gap is long, the terminals differ, or anyone in the first group needs to rest, book each flight its own transfer.
When you are ready, open the Pilgrim Taxi ride finder, search once for each group’s flight and once for the combined party, and compare the complete options side by side before you choose.