Do you want to add an extra adventure to your trip without the cost of another flight? It’s possible! Stopovers allow travelers to discover a city for 24 hours or more.
A stopover can also make your plane ticket cheaper since a direct flight is usually more expensive than a connecting flight. Be careful though: a stopover, in this sense, is not a short break between flights. This is an extra step in your trip, whether to or from your final destination.
You also have to know that not all airlines allow them. Here is a convenient but non-exhaustive list of airlines offering free stops on most international routes and fares.
Airlines that Give You FREE Stopovers
Air Canada: Thanks to the Air Canada stopover, you can spend a night at the hotel to relax and enjoy a great Canadian city. No additional air carrier charges are required. This option is available for any itinerary that includes a connecting time of more than six hours between two consecutive flights.
Air China allows a stopover without a visa (limited time) during flights via Beijing or Shanghai. It’s a free stop and you also save on visa fees!
Emirates allows you to make free stops in Dubai or Milan. Imagine that you are booking a trip from New York to Bangkok. Why not add a free stopover to Milan on the way to Thailand, and another to Dubai back home?
Etihad allows a free stopover in Abu Dhabi. The Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Ferrari World, and the Emirates Palace are three of Abu Dhabi’s iconic landmarks not to miss.
Finnair allows up to two free stops, which means you can stay in Helsinki in both directions for up to 5 days. If you are tired to visit the capital, you can go to Tallinn or go on a short trip to see the Aurora Borealis in Lapland.
Hawaiian Airlines allow free stops in Honolulu when traveling on international routes to or from North America, Asia and the South Pacific. There is no limit on the number of days allowed for a stopover.
Icelandair offers free stops when traveling between the United States / Canada, and 26 European destinations. You can stop in beautiful Iceland for 7 days, you will have enough time to visit Reykjavik, the geothermal baths of the famous Blue Lagoon, and even see the spectacular Aurora Borealis if you’re lucky.
Japan Airline allows up to two stops on your trip to Tokyo or Osaka.
Qatar Airways allows you a free stopover (up to 96 hours) when traveling through Doha.
Royal Air Maroc: one of the world’s leading 4-star airlines allows you to have unlimited stops in Casablanca when traveling from New York (JFK) to many European destinations.
Singapore Airlines allow stopovers in both directions. Singapore is compact and easy to access with its state-of-the-art metro system, making it an ideal stopover destination. It’s also a multicultural gastronomic paradise, so stop!
TAP Air Portugal: you can do it on a long-haul flight or if the final destination of your trip is the Azores, Madeira or the Algarve. As a stopover customer, you can stop for 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 nights in Lisbon or Porto and enjoy every minute of your trip!
Turkish Airlines will not only offer you free stops but will host you for free in a hotel room if it does not have a connecting flight to your destination within 10 hours of your arrival in Istanbul. For business class trips, even 7-hour stops will be eligible for a free hotel and transfer.
Have you ever experienced free stopovers?
Do you know any other airlines that allow free stopovers?
Please comment below 🙂
