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)
