Several airlines let you break your journey in their hub city for a few days without paying more for the flight, to promote tourism in their home country.
Well-known examples
- Icelandair: a stopover in Iceland of up to several days between North America and Europe.
- TAP Air Portugal: stopovers in Lisbon or Porto on transatlantic trips.
- Turkish Airlines: free city tours in Istanbul for qualifying long layovers, and hotel offers for some longer connections.
- Gulf carriers such as Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad: discounted stopover hotel packages in Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Programs, lengths and conditions change, so check each airline's stopover page for the current rules.
How to book
- Use the airline's dedicated stopover booking tool or the multi-city search.
- Compare the price with your direct itinerary. Often it's the same or close.
- Check entry requirements for the stopover country.