Top 10 best airlines with free Stopover Program ?

Feel like visiting new destinations without incurring any additional costs? And that is what the airline stopover programs are about.

Imagine that you are heading to a distant place using Qatar Airways or Emirates. You are having a layover at such destinations as Doha or Dubai. You do not need to wait at the airport, but can get to step out and have a look at the city. And guess what? It may not need to be that expensive, too, courtesy of stopover offers provided by different airlines.

You may be going to the street of Doha today and then going to Bangkok the following day. Or, perhaps you are drinking in Lisbon, Portugal before flying to Accra, Ghana. Have you ever thought of visiting Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on your route to one of South Africa's cities or national parks? Such programs have the potential to open such an adventure.

When you are considering a two destination vacation in one, you are in the right place. We have compiled a no-frills list of airline stopover programs, focusing on the offers for paid tickets and including the airlines that permit a hotel stay in their stopover program at no additional airfare charge, as well as those that provide a free or discounted hotel stay. And in case you are using points or miles, you need not fret; there is also a guide available for that.

List of top 10 best airlines with free stopover program

Copa Airlines

To Panama City, you can make a stopover, without extra airfare charge, with the Panama Stopover Program. Those who board Copa Airlines will take a trip of between 24 hours and a seven-day trip in the capital city of the country during the outbound or return trip.

Although it does not involve an additional airfare fee to make a Panama stopover booking, other costs, such as an overnight hotel, will apply, where necessary. Luckily, the stopover site offers you hotel, restaurant and activities discounts.

Emirates

When you are flying Emirates and your connecting flight is the best available connection, which happens to be a long layover, you could use the Dubai Connect service and have a free hotel reservation, which comes with meals and airport transportation.

In order to be eligible to join Dubai Connect, your stopover should be between eight and 26 hours in economy or premium economy tickets, as well as 6 and 26 hours in first or business tickets. The stopover time in Dubai must be the minimum possible and therefore, you cannot choose an itinerary with a 20-hour layover in case there is a shorter four-hour layover.

The Dubai Connect service should be reserved more than 24 hours before the incoming flight to Dubai. In order to make a reservation, you need to go to the Emirates website under the Manage booking section by typing in your last name and booking reference number, then selecting Dubai connect. Upon arrival to Dubai, go to the Dubai Connex desk in Arrivals.

Etihad Airways

Etihad already supported stopover in capital of United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. The free two-night duration of stopover will be supplemented with the stay in some of the hotels including Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi, Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Residences Emirates Pearl, or Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri Abu Dhabi.

The Etihad and connecting flight to Abu Dhabi will be obliged to reserve a stop over hotel. After

you need to fill in your booking reference number and last name on Etihad stopover webpage and verify the hotel availability. After choosing a hotel, you will be sent a voucher via which you will be presented at the check-in.

Ethiopian Airlines

Flight operations in the Ethiopian airport of Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) may be time consuming. So in case you have eight to 24 hours of layover with Ethiopian Airlines, you will have the option of reserving one free overnight stay at Ethiopian Skylight Hotel, which will include airport transfers and breakfast. You will be eager to make sure that you are carrying the visa you need or you are deserving of being granted tourist visa on arrival.

Iberia

The Hola Madrid stopover program by Iberia gives its customers a chance to spend one up to nine nights in Madrid without any additional airfare. You also get hotel room discounts with Melia, airport transfers and admission to museums, including the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, etc. And a free two-day transport card will be included as well.

Icelandair

Keflavik Airport (KEF, you can fly with Icelandair) can be used to access many other destinations throughout the U.S. You can thus look at the Icelandair stopover program, that is considered the first of its kind when it comes to airline stopover programs.

Just in case you are flying transatlantic with Icelandair, you can add a free stopover in Iceland of up to seven days without incurring any additional cost. During booking, select a Stopover in Iceland and type in the amount of days you would wish to stay in the country of fire and ice. The stopover is a mere flight only - accommodation and activities are to be booked separately.

To have some ideas on what to visit when you have your stopover, visit Iceland Travel, where you will be able to see different tours and things.

Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines has been rated as one of the friendliest airlines in the world as far as stopovers are concerned. The offer of free domestic flights to international travelers by Japan Airlines can be exploited by passengers who wish to make a visit to Tokyo, Osaka, or any other major city on their way to any other possible destination in Japan.

By reserving a flight with one of the international Japan Airlines and a domestic flight in one reservation, you could travel in search of some of the wonders that seem to be limitless in Japan. A stop over fee of 100 U.S. dollars is charged to passengers traveling between the U.S., Canada and Mexico and 300 Chinese Yuan (Approximately 41) to passengers traveling between China, in the case of a stay in Japan of more than 24 hrs.

Qantas

The Australian airline giant provides no-additional-cost stopovers to passengers who choose to fly with Qantas or its airline associates. The multicity booking option is also available when booking a flight

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways has substantial discounts on the stopover packages to passengers whose transit via Hamad International Airport (DOH) is between 12 and 96 hours.

It allows you to book stopover packages to four and five-star hotels of a maximum of four nights. Indicatively, the price of a one night package in a four-star hotel begins at $14. The stopover site also offers hotel packages with beach access or breakfast packages, as well as tours and excursions through Discover Qatar.

TAP Air Portugal

You can take up to 10 days in Lisbon or Porto, at no additional cost, available on a stopover in Portugal. First of all, you should check out that your flight will be able to receive a stopover and to do it, you need to enter your destination and origin cities into the TAP Air Portugal website, along with your traveling dates. In case it would be, you will have a new window with the option of adding a free Stopover to your booking.

You will select the city you would like to visit and the days that you will be spending there. Stopovers can be in a round trip and also in one-way. In case you are making a round-trip itinerary, then you will be asked to select whether you want to have your stopover on the inbound trip or on the outbound trip.

After booking your trip, you can also use the stopover site of TAP Air Portugal to discover deals on hotels and attractions, travel inspiration, guides and others.

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines has one of the best stopover programs available one can get as much as two nights in a free hotel. Through the stopover program by Turkish Airlines, business-class passengers will be able to spend up to two nights at a five-star or boutique hotel in Turkey, and economy-class passengers will spend one night at a four-star hotel. Your stopover should not be less than 20 hours to get a free hotel room.

The stopover site also lets you request your accommodation by typing your reservation code or ticket number and your last name once you have booked your flights. Or you can email (you must find the correct email address depending on the destination in the table on the stopover site), your name, your reservation code or ticket number, the dates that you need the accommodations, the type of room that you would prefer (single, double or triple), your telephone number and your email address. The minimum hours of booking the stopover service is 72 hours prior to the first flight.

In case of an international flight and layover in Istanbul of six hours or less than 24 hours, it is possible to take one of the free city tours where you can get on the bus and have some meals. One does not need to make any bookings beforehand - they can simply go to the Touristanbul desk once they have arrived at Istanbul Airport (IST) and check in. To learn more about the various tours that the airline provides, visit the Touristanbul page of the airline.

They do not permit the person to enjoy free accommodation and free Touristanbul outings in the same journey. Check visa requirements, as usual, before traveling.

Conclusion

The idea of adding a stopover to your trip is a fantastic, cheap alternative to explore an extra nation or city in your trip. Fortunately, most airlines and tourism boards are more than willing to assist travelers to make the most of even a few hours on the ground to visit a new destination and hopefully arouse their interest to return.

Although airlines that do not publish or even promote a stopover program do not have their own, you can always search and check prices before making your own hotel and transportation bookings. You can always call the airline and enquire what options you may have in case you are in doubt.