Frequent flyers from Europe often skip the city entirely, staying only in the airport while transiting through major hubs like Kuala Lumpur, Istanbul, or Singapore. Airlines have responded by creating stopover programmes that let travelers spend a day or two—or even a week—in the destination without raising ticket prices. These programs turn a layover into an opportunity to see the local culture, food, and scenery.
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TAP Air Portugal provides one of the longest stopover options available, allowing travelers to stay in the country for up to 10 days at no extra cost. Stopovers are offered in Lisbon or Porto, but passengers can also get a 25% discount on domestic flights to destinations like Faro plus Ponta Delgada, Terceira, Funchal and Porto Santo in the Azores. As part of the programme, flyers can also access discounts on select hotels, car hire, activities and restaurants. As for where you can fly afterwards, TAP Air Portugal has flights to more than two dozen cities in Brazil, as well as airports in Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and the US. You can also fly to African destinations like Ghana, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe.
For travelers with a layover in Spain, Iberia offers a stopover program for flights via Madrid with up to 10 days in the city. Those taking part in Stopover Hola Madrid will receive a free two-day public transport card, plus discounts on hotels, tours and restaurants. Iberia has an extensive network across Latin America with destinations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico and Uruguay, with flights across the US and Canada, too.
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Icelandair Highlights Waterfalls and the Blue Lagoon
Icelandair is well-suited for those looking to fly to North America, offering the chance to stopover for up to a week. To make it easy, the airline suggests itineraries covering 24, 48 or 72 hours in the country, where travelers can visit waterfalls, mountains and the iconic Blue Lagoon. From the hub in Keflavík International Airport, flyers can connect to Toronto, Halifax or Vancouver in Canada, as well as cities like Boston, Nashville and Seattle in the US. Icelandair also has routes to four airports in Greenland including Nuuk and Ilulissat.
Qatar Airways Provides Discounted Hotel Rates
Among the most generous stopover programmes, Qatar Airways offers heavily discounted rates on four- and five-star hotels for flyers staying up to four nights. Rates start from €24 per night for a standard four-star stay, rising up to €140 per night for a luxury five-star break. Hotels that are part of the programme offer 24-hour check-in/out, meaning you don’t have to wait until the conventional time of 3 pm. From Qatar, you can fly to African cities like Johannesburg, Addis Ababa and Nairobi, to destinations across Asia like China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Maldives, or even further to Australian cities like Sydney and Melbourne.
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Middle Eastern Hubs Offer Free Stays and Extras
Etihad Airways’ stopover program offers a free two-night hotel stay in Abu Dhabi for passengers transiting via the Middle East. Passengers also get a Stopover Pass which includes a 15% discount on some attractions and theme parks, plus a free local SIM card with 10GB of data. Etihad’s flight network includes popular hot spots like the Seychelles, the Maldives, Johannesburg, Sri Lanka, Tokyo, Bali and Melbourne.