How To Get A Second Destination For Free With These 7 Airlines

Flying overseas? Why not sneak a stopover in for free and explore a new city or country.  There are countless stopover options for travellers to explore. Most stopovers are at minimal or no cost…and you can stay for as little as 12 hours to as long as a week.

We’ve came up with bucket-list of stopovers for future travellers to take advantage of. As a general rule, anytime a flight stops over in a city you might be able to extend your stopover by using the ‘multi-city’ search function or by calling the airline directly.

ICELAND

Airline: Iceland Air

Stopover: In Reykjavik, Iceland

How: Iceland Air is offering free stopover of up to seven nights in the main city of Reykjavik.

DUBAI

Airline: Emirates

Stopover: In Dubai, UAE

How: For $48 you can arrange a 24 hours in Dubai, which includes one night at a hotel, your UAE visa and assistance to and from the airport. To book check out the Emirates site, and select the “multiple destinations/stopover” option. Or contact a travel agent or Emirates office directly.

TOKYO OR OSAKA

Airline: Japan Airlines

Stopover: In Tokyo or Osaka, Japan

How: In Japan Airlines’ fare conditions, it quotes that “on nearly all ticket types, up to two free stopovers are permitted.” But when booking online using the “Make Stopover” tool it will add extra fees.

Once you have the itinerary you would like, call Japan Airlines directly and advise them of the desired itinerary and quote the fare rules listed on the website. This will automatically remove the extra fee leaving the stopover to Japan for free.

HELSINKI

Airline: FinnAir

Stopover: In Helsinki, Finland

How: The first stopover is free with the second being $100 (if you choose to stopover twice). You cannot book this online, so you would need to call FinnAir directly to arrange a free extended stopover.

BANGKOK

Airline: Thai Airways

Stopover: In Bangkok, Thailand

How: Thai Airways has an easy-to-navigate stopover booking tool directly on their website.

ABU DHABI

Airline: Ethiad Airways

Stopover: In Abu Dhabi, UAE

How: Ethiad Airways has a simple multicity/stopover tool which include many free stopover (not guaranteed). Stopover are between 2-4 days and often include a free night at a selected hotel.

ISTANBUL

Airline: Turkish Airlines

Stopover: In Istanbul, Turkey

How: Unlike other airlines, there is no specific ‘stopover’ program. However when selected multi-city routes play around with the dates, you’ll find there is usually no charge to stay an extra couple of days in Istanbul.

THE REST OF THE WORLD

Many airlines don’t have the specific stopover program to make it easy for travellers. However, many flight routes don’t charge anything more (or charge a very nominal fee) to extend your stop over. Play around with the multi-city function for your desired stopover. If the flight is exceptionally higher, try calling the airline directly to see if this extra fee can be removed (like Japan Airways). Check out the list below for some more stopover ideas:

• Hawaiian Airlines (Honolulu)
• British Airways (London)
• Korean Air (Seoul)
• Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong)
• Gulf Air (Bahrain)
• Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur)
• Air France (Paris)
• Qantas (Sydney)
• TAP (Portugal)
• Lufthansa (Munich)
• KLM (Amsterdam)
• Avianca (Bogota)
• LAN Chile (Santiago)