See More for Less: Maximize Your Next Trip With These Airline Stopover Programs

Stopovers let you experience another city on the way to your final destination. While we usually talk about stopovers in the context of award travel, you can add them to many paid itineraries, too. In some cases, you may also be eligible for perks during your stop, like free or discounted hotels.

Some international airlines offer stopover programs, including favorites Emirates, Etihad, Singapore Airlines, and Qatar Airways. Today, I’ll explain which airlines offer stopovers, what perks are included, and how to book them.

Stopover Overview by Airline

Copa Airlines Stopover in Panama

Copa Airlines is based in Panama City, Panama, and has extensive routes to North America, Central America, and South America from its Panama City (PTY) hub. You can add a stopover between 1 and 7 days at no cost, and the airline offers discounts at hotels, local restaurants, and activities.

You can add a stopover when you book airfare on Copa Airlines’ website. Click the “Stopover” button at the top right of the page, follow the on-screen prompts to book your tickets, and claim discounts.

Finnair Helsinki Layover

Finnair doesn’t offer stopovers outright, but you might be able to book a flight from the U.S. to Europe with a long enough layover in Helsinki (HEL) to see the city. If this is the case for your route, Finnair’s website has ideas for planning a quick trip to Helsinki for 6-, 12-, and 24-hour layovers. Suggestions include museums, restaurants, and other important cultural sites.

Emirates Dubai Connect

Emirates offers the Dubai Connect program, which provides hotel accommodations for passengers with long connections in Dubai (DXB). If you’re booked on the shortest route between 2 cities and have a long layover, the airline provides a hotel stay, coach transfer to the hotel, and a complimentary UAE visa.

You can’t pick where you stay, but you may receive accommodation at the Copthorne Hotel Dubai, Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre, JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, or another hotel Emirates chooses.

All classes of service can use this perk, and award tickets are eligible. However, eligibility depends on how long your layover is, and only Emirates- and Qantas-operated flights qualify, excluding EK5000 and QF8000. Emirates-marketed flights operated by flyDubai qualify if arriving and departing from Terminal 3. All your flights must be on the same itinerary and ticketed by Emirates.

You can use Dubai Connect if your connection is the following length:

• Economy and premium economy: 8 to 26 hours
• Business and first class: 6 to 26 hours

You can add the Dubai Connect package on the Emirates website. Go to the “Manage booking” tab and click the “Dubai Stopover” option to book your hotels. You must add the package at least 24 hours before your flight to Dubai.

Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Stopover

Etihad gives passengers booking a connecting ticket with a stopover in Abu Dhabi (AUH) up to 2 free nights at a partner hotel. You can book tickets with a stopover in Abu Dhabi on Etihad’s website — book a connecting flight as usual, and the website will prompt you to add a stopover.

You can add a hotel to your stopover booking on Etihad’s booking management page. Pull up your booking and follow the on-screen prompts to add your free 1- or 2-day hotel stay. You can choose from several hotels, including city-center properties and ones closer to the airport.

Further, hotel bookings through the Abu Dhabi Stopover program include 24/7 check-in and checkout, so you have more flexibility if your flight arrives early in the morning.

This perk is eligible for all service classes, but award tickets, even in first or business class, are not eligible.

Bottom Line:

Etihad Airways will cover up to 2 nights in an Abu Dhabi hotel when you book a connecting ticket with a stopover. If you can extend your trip by a day or 2, this is one of the most budget-friendly stopover packages. Plus, you can even pick your hotel.

Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa Stopover

Ethiopian Airlines has an extensive route network from its Addis Ababa (ADD) hub, serving major cities in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America. Flights with an extended layover between 8 and 24 hours are eligible for a complimentary stay at the Ethiopian Skylight In-Terminal Hotel, even if they’re not booked on the shortest connection to their destination.

All Ethiopian Airlines tickets are eligible. You can claim your hotel voucher at your originating airport. While not a traditional stopover, a 24-hour layover lets you briefly explore the city and return to a free hotel room before your connecting flight.

Iberia Hola Madrid

You can add a stopover in Madrid (MAD) when you book connecting flights with Iberia. The Hola Madrid program doesn’t include hotels or other perks. However, you won’t pay extra for airfare by including a Madrid stopover, and you’re eligible for discounts at hotels, museums, restaurants, and other local merchants. You can also get a free 2-day pass to the Madrid public transit system.

Most Iberia routes are eligible for this program. You can book an Iberia stopover ticket using the dedicated Hola Madrid page. Award tickets do not qualify for Hola Madrid, but you can build your own stopover since Iberia Plus prices awards by leg.

Icelandair Stopover in Iceland

Icelandair operates a single hub in Reykjavik (KEF). You can add a stopover en route from North America to another European city for no additional airfare. Book these tickets on Icelandair’s website by selecting the “Stopover in Iceland” option.

You can use this program to add up to 7 days in Iceland. However, no other perks like hotel stays or transfers from the airport to the city center are included. While you cannot add this to award tickets outright, if you’re booking with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, you can add a stopover for free if award space is available.

Japan Airlines (JAL) Stopover

Japan Airlines (JAL) doesn’t offer a formal stopover program but allows travelers to book multi-city itineraries with stops in Japan. A post on JAL’s Guide to Japan blog notes that doing this is often cheaper than booking multiple flights outright, but you should run the numbers before you book.

You can book multi-city flights directly on JAL’s website. Select the “Multi-City” option from the booking tab at the top of the home page to be redirected to the proper page.

Build your itinerary and click the “Search” button to see available flights and pricing. If you find something you like, follow the on-screen prompts to buy your ticket.

JAL also offers the JAL Japan Explorer Pass with discounted fares on domestic JAL flights. Sometimes, this may be cheaper than booking a multi-city itinerary with stopovers. Comparison shop your itinerary before you book to see which option is best for your trip.

Play Airlines Stopover in Iceland

Play Airlines is another Icelandic carrier that offers budget-friendly flights from the U.S. and Europe to its Reykjavik (KEF) hub. If you’re connecting through Reykjavik en route to another European destination, you can add a stopover for no additional cost. No other perks are included.

To book, click the “Include a stopover” button on Play’s website when searching for a flight. On the next screen, you can choose how long you’d like to stay in Iceland before reaching your final destination.

Qantas

Like other airlines on this list, Qantas doesn’t explicitly offer a stopover program. However, the airline lets travelers add stopovers to eligible fares with no extra fee. You can build these itineraries on Qantas’ multi-city booking page.

Whether this is a good deal depends on your route. Before you book, compare the cost of a multi-city itinerary with booking multiple flights. In some cases, it might make sense to book a round-trip ticket and add one-way flights on budget carriers to save on your trip.

Qatar Airways Qatar Stopover

Qatar Airways offers several stopover packages that provide heavily discounted hotel stays near its Doha (DOH) hub. Packages start at just $14, and you can pick from Standard, Premium, Premium with Beach Access, and Luxury stopover packages. With Qatar Airways’ stopover package, you can stay up to 4 nights in Doha.

Pricing depends on the tier you decide to book and how long you spend in Doha. Here’s how much you’ll pay:

You can add a Qatar Stopover package to your Qatar Airways ticket if your transit time is between 12 and 96 hours. However, you can only book flight and hotel packages when departing from specific countries, including the U.S., U.K., and most European nations. You must add your package at least 3 days before your day of travel.

Award tickets booked with Qatar Airways Avios are usually eligible, but those booked with partners such as American Airlines AAdvantage may not be.

Bottom Line:

Qatar Airways has one of the most extensive stopover programs, offering deep discounts at various hotels. It’s also one of the few stopover programs that lets you pick your hotel. And since you can stay up to 4 nights at these hotels, you can experience much of what Doha offers.

Qatar Airways Complimentary Transit Accommodation

Qatar Airways also offers complimentary transit accommodation to passengers with an 8- to 24-hour layover in Doha. These packages include a hotel room, transfers to and from the airport, and a temporary entry visa to Qatar.

Most service and fare classes are eligible for this service, though your class of service determines the type of hotel you’re accommodated in. That said, only tickets with a $400 minimum fare (base fare plus surcharges) are eligible. Further, some discounted fares and mixed cabin itineraries are charged a $75 to $100 surcharge to use this service.

Economy passengers are booked at a 3-star hotel, business class at a 4-star or 5-star hotel, and first class is booked at a 5-star hotel. You must request your complimentary stay at least 72 hours before departure. You can request your stay by calling Qatar Airways or using this form.

TAP Air Portugal’s Portugal Stopover Program

TAP Air Portugal’s stopover program is available for passengers with connecting flights through its Lisbon (LIS) or Porto (OPO) hubs. It includes discounts on hotels, activities, and even domestic TAP Air Portugal flights. This program is only available on new bookings — award tickets are not eligible.

These bookings include a 25% discount on intra-Portugal flights and up to a 20% discount at select partner hotels. Further, there are over 500 partner offers at restaurants, tour providers, and other businesses. Travelers also receive a discounted Lisbon Card or a 48-hour Porto Card, which includes access to select attractions and various discounts.

You can book a ticket with a stopover on TAP’s website. Search for a round-trip ticket as usual. It will prompt you to add a stopover before showing you flight results.

This isn’t as exciting as what Middle Eastern carriers offer, but it can be a good way to add a second destination to your trip and score some discounts.

Turkish Airlines Stopover in Istanbul

Turkish Airlines is one of the best-connected airlines in the world, serving more countries than any other airline. If you fly the airline on a connecting journey and have a 20+ hour connection, you’re eligible for up to 3 free nights in a partner hotel and a city tour.

How many free nights you can receive depends on where you’re flying to and from and your class of service. Broadly, economy passengers are eligible for 1 free night, and business class passengers are eligible for 2. Further, travelers from the U.S., Canada, Japan, and other select countries can receive an extra day at the hotel. This means economy passengers from the U.S. and other select countries get 2 nights in a hotel, while business class passengers get 3.

You can view eligible destinations on Turkish Airlines’ website. Those flying from the U.S. and other select countries can use the program when flying anywhere except domestic destinations in Türkiye. Different countries have more restrictions.

To book your free hotel, email Turkish Airlines using the email provided for your country of departure on Turkish Airlines’ stopover page. You must apply for the stopover program at least 72 hours before your flight.

To qualify for these benefits, your flight must be ticketed and operated by Turkish Airlines, IndiGo, or Pakistan International Airlines. Most fare classes are eligible, except for “N” and “R” fares. Award tickets booked with Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles are eligible in many cases, but you should call Turkish Airlines to verify. Finally, only round-trip itineraries are eligible for this program.

Turkish Airways Layover Service

Turkish Airlines also offers a layover service to those with extended layovers, so long as they’re on the fastest possible connection between 2 cities. Business class passengers can use this service on 9+ hour layovers, and economy passengers can use it on 12+ hour layovers. Head to the Turkish Airlines hotel desk upon arrival in Istanbul (IST) to claim a hotel voucher.

Final Thoughts

These stopover programs let you add another stop to an international trip; some even offer free or heavily discounted hotel stays. Remember these programs the next time you book a trip abroad to add a side trip to an extra city.