Do you know that you can experience traveling between two destinations or even more with just one flight booking? Yeah! You read it right. This is a hypothetical case scenario of killing two birds with just one stone.
Here in this blog story, I am going to explain to you how you can make the best use of your travel itinerary to ensure that you can acquire more travel histories as well as achieve the utmost satisfaction from your travels.
This travel hack would be beneficial not just for regular fun travelers, but also for first-time travelers who are seeking opportunities to acquire travel histories. This feat can be achieved with what is now dubbed the “stopover” program.
What then is a stopover program?
Over the years, adventurous travelers would intentionally book flights with long connections/ layovers to avail themselves of the opportunity to leave the connecting airport to explore the layover city just in time before their next connection. This increasing trend of users who towed this line caused several airlines to think of a way to capitalize on the trend to maximize profits as well as ensure customer satisfaction.
A stopover flight is an intentional stoppage in travel at a connecting point between one origin and a destination. It is an extended pause that could last at least one night, allowing passengers to experience the stopover city before continuing their journey. The difference between a stopover and a layover is primarily in the length and duration of the wait time before the travel is continued.
While layovers are generally used to help passengers transfer between connecting flights en route to their destination (especially when direct flights are unavailable), the stopover is an intentional pause in a passenger’s selected route.
This stopover program thus allows travelers ample time to tour the carrier’s home city while waiting for the connecting flights to their destination. Most of the time, these programs can have hotel booking or food (or even both) embedded in the same flight cost (package). Still confused? Let me explain this in simpler terms. The concept of the stopover program is such that, while you are traveling from point A to point B, you are provided with an amazing opportunity to explore the city between points A and B. Do you get a clearer picture now? Isn’t this amazing?
Fly once, get one “FREE.”
This city, which would come to you as a bonus in most cases, is the home city of the operating airline that you chose to travel with. For example, if you are traveling with Qatar Airlines on their stopover program, then the stopover city you will explore would be Doha.
Another exciting thing here is that you can earn visa stickers and or immigration entry and exit stamps at the point of entry of the country whose airline has offered you the stopover program. More so, the travel does not need to be confined at the airport while waiting for their connecting flights. Hence, incidence of jet lags is reduced as the traveler would experience increased comfort during long flights. In addition, the traveler tends to save costs from feeding, hotel booking, activities, and tours, as most operating airlines would already have covered these costs. To spice it all, the traveler can explore new cultures and a new destination all on a single trip.
Now tell me, how does that sound? Interesting right? I bet your answer is a “Yeah!”
On the part of the operating airline benefits immensely from the stopover program since it improves the brand image of the airline, drives traffic to their hub, and increases revenue per passenger because of increased passenger demands. While the program also ensures that customer satisfaction is achieved which is good for business, however, touristic values and the economy of the host city improves significantly.
The stopover programs are an option, built into the passenger’s flight itinerary, and depending on the operating airline, can range from between hours to days, weeks, and in some cases, even months. While most carriers allow passengers to add the stopovers as a regular cash booking, some others only make these options available through a point/ mile system or a combination of points/ miles and cash.
Below, you will find a list of airlines that offer amazing stopover programs. However, please note that Terms and Conditions apply and vary from one carrier to the other.
1. QATAR AIRWAYS – Qatar
Qatar Airways is one of our favourites for the stopover prorgramme. Their stopover program allows passengers who have a minimum of 12 hours and up to 25 hours of layover to choose from a list of amazing discounted four and five-star hotels. The discounted rates can range from $14 a night/ per person in a four-star hotel or $30 a night/ per person in a five–star premium beach hotel.
Also note that holders of visas or resident permits issued by the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the US, New Zealand, and the Schengen area only need to apply for an entry visa to Qatar which costs ONLY 100 QR.
Click here to plan your stopover in Qatar.
2. KLM OR AIR FRANCE – Netherlands and France
The Flying Blue loyalty program of the Dutch carrier KLM and Air France allows passengers to enjoy a stopover of 24 hours or even more in a connecting city (Amsterdam, Netherlands, or Paris, France) on either carrier or their partner carriers. The amazing thing here is that this option can be added FREE to an award ticket and the passenger is allowed to stay up to a year in the chosen stopover city.
Interested in the Flying Blue stopover program? Please, click here.
3. EMIRATES – Dubai, United Ara Emirates
Emirates, which has its home hub in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, allows passengers to enjoy a stopover in Dubai with the option to add discounted tours or hotel bookings to the itinerary through their booking website. The carrier also has a program called Dubai Connect which allows passengers with layovers between 6 to 26 hours (depending on the cabin), a complimentary hotel, transfers, meals, and any needed visa.
To read more about booking the Emirates stopover, please click here.
5. COPA AIRLINES – Panama
Airline allows passengers to spend between 24 hours and seven (7) days in Panama City (the country’s capital) on either their outbound or return trips. During this time, the passenger can select from one of the many discounted hotels and tours that can be booked through the stopover website. For the first stopover, the option is FREE while the second stopover could cost the passenger up to about $250 plus taxes.
You can check out the Copa Airlines stopover program here.
6. TAP AIR PORTUGAL – Portugal
Passengers for this airline are allowed to add a stopover between one and 10 days in Porto or Lisbon. At the same time, the airline offers the passengers hotels, food, and activities in the pre-selected stopover destination at a discount. Should the passenger choose or wish to fly to a second destination in Portugal, such a passenger is entitled to enjoy 25% off the cost of flight to the second city. Click here to redirect to TAP Air Portugal stopover page.
7. FIJI AIRWAYS – Fiji
Passengers traveling to Australia, New Zealand, and other South Pacific nations can leverage the stopover program from Fiji Airways to ensure that they can explore beach activities and zipline on the small island of Fiji before their connection to their destination countries. The service also includes a hotel reservation which can be booked alongside other activities on the airline’s stopover website.
Click here to book a stopover package with Fiji Airways.
8. JAPAN AIRLINES – Japan
Japan is an island country located in the East of Asia. Their national carrier Japan Airlines prides itself as the airline with the most stopover-friendly programs in the world. This can be said to be true as the stopovers are not limited to the airline’s hubs in Tokyo but can also be enjoyed in other exciting destinations like Osaka and Kyoto, using the airline’s multi-city booking tool.
It is also worthy to note that Japan is the only country in the world that does not charge any visa application fee until the visa is approved.
If you are interested in knowing more about how to book stopover flights in Japan, please click here to be redirected to the airline’s stopover webpage.
