Airline Stopover Programs: Which Airlines and How to Qualify

If you are flying from Australia to Europe, Africa or the Americas, you will almost certainly have to change planes somewhere. A surprising number of airlines will put you up in a hotel while you wait, and won’t charge you a cent for it.

Generally, there are two versions of airline stopover programs. Some airlines hand you a free transit hotel because their own schedule has left you stranded for the best part of a day. Others sell a heavily discounted stopover package, where you can choose to stay longer. A few do both, and knowing which one you are eligible for is the difference between paying nothing and paying unnecessarily.

Here is how the major airline stopover programs work, who qualifies and which ones might be worth building a trip around.

Airlines offering stopover programs

The airlines below, listed alphabetically, offer some sort of stopover program. The rules for these programs continue to evolve. While we tried to capture the latest rules at the time of publication, make sure to check the links provided for any updates.

Air China

Air China offers complimentary transit accommodation at select airports including Beijing and Shanghai (Pudong). The package covers one night’s hotel, breakfast and airport transfers (where the hotel provides one).

To qualify:

• Your ticket number must start with 999 and the entire itinerary must carry the Air China (CA) code. On international to international connections, both legs must also be operated by Air China.
• Your transit needs to be at least six hours and no more than 30 hours where an international sector is involved.
• Tickets in O, I, X and N booking classes are excluded along with award tickets and any booking that already has an upgrade product applied.

You can book this at least 24 hours before your first transit flight is due to land through the Air China website.

China Southern Airlines

China Southern Airlines offers a complimentary transit accommodation program for customers transiting through Guangzhou and its other hubs across China.

To qualify:

• You need to fly on connecting China Southern flights with a transit time of at least six hours.
• The journey must be on a single through ticket.
• Tickets in G class are excluded. Tickets in N, R, T, V, Z and X are excluded unless you have status with the airline.

Eligible passengers get one night’s accommodation, breakfast and a return airport shuttle.

Emirates

Emirates offers a widely known Dubai Connect program to eligible passengers. If you qualify, Emirates gives you a room, meals, transport to and from the airport as well as a UAE entry visa (if you would otherwise need to pay for one). It is available across all cabins from Economy Class to First Class.

Emirates tells you during the booking process on its website if your itinerary is eligible, and you can add the service through the Manage Your Booking page. Here are the requirements for eligibility:

• The itinerary needs to be a single booking on one ticket issued on Emirates (176) ticket stock.
• You need to have a connection in Dubai of six to 26 hours on the shortest available connection. You cannot deliberately choose a later flight and expect a hotel.
• Both flights into and out of Dubai must be operated by Emirates and marketed by Emirates or Qantas. Emirates-marketed flydubai flights are allowed if they operate to or from Dubai International Airport Terminal 3 and at least one part of the trip is on an Emirates-operated flight.
• There is a published minimum fare requirement which catches a lot of people out. On a one-way fare, this amount is USD450 (~AU$640) and on a return fare, this amount is USD700 (~AU$995).

The hotels offered vary across the Copthorne Hotel Dubai, the Le Méridien Airport Hotel Dubai and JW Marriott Marquis. Emirates reserves the right to use an alternative and gives no guarantee as to the property, location or star rating.

If you want a proper Dubai holiday, Emirates also sells Dubai Stopover packages of one to five nights across a range of hotel tiers.

Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways runs a very generous stopover program. You can get up to two complimentary hotel nights in Abu Dhabi or Al Ain when you book a return flight connecting through Abu Dhabi.

To qualify:

• You must book a return flight transiting Abu Dhabi directly with Etihad, not through a third party.
• You will need a pre-arranged UAE visa or be eligible for visa on arrival.

As you can see, the eligibility criteria are a lot shorter here. You can book the stopover online during the flight booking process or arranged by calling at least three days before departure. Meals and transport to and from the airport are not included, but you can choose your own property from a long list of three to five-star hotels.

You can also get a complimentary Stopover Pass that provides up to 15% off tickets to major attractions, theme parks and tours across the city.

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways also offers complimentary transit accommodation through its “STPC” program to qualifying passengers. The program includes a complimentary hotel room, airport transfer to and from Hamad International Airport as well as a transit visa into Qatar.

To qualify:

• The itinerary needs to be a single booking on one ticket.
• Both flights must be marketed and operated by Qatar Airways or be a codeshare that Qatar Airways markets.
• Your Doha connection must be at least eight hours and no more than 24 hours.
• There must be no immediate connection of under eight hours available on Qatar Airways flights.
• There is a minimum fare requirement of at least USD400 (~AU$570) in base fare plus fuel charge for an adult. Reward tickets booked with Avios are not eligible for the complimentary version, though you may be able to pay the STPC charge instead.

If you qualify, you can request it no later than 72 hours before departure on the Qatar Airways website. The hotel provided depends on the cabin: five-star for First Class dropping to three-star for Economy Class, and passengers aren’t told which hotel they have been allocated until they arrive.

Qatar Stopover is the paid alternative, run with Discover Qatar. It sells heavily discounted four and five-star Doha hotel stays from USD14 (~AU$21) per person per night. Your Doha transit needs to be 12-96 hours. You can book up to four nights per direction and it is more broadly open to Qatar Airways, codeshare and Oneworld ticket holders.

SriLankan Airlines

SriLankan Airlines offers complimentary transit accommodation in Colombo for up to 24 hours.

To qualify:

• Both arriving and departing flights need to be SriLankan Airlines.
• The whole journey must be on a single ticket under one booking reference.
• You must have a transit of more than eight hours and up to 24 hours.
• There is a minimum fare requirement based on your fare plus fuel surcharge and it changes with the length of your transit. On a transit of eight to 12 hours, you need USD375 (~AU$530) to claim the hotel in one direction, or more than USD750 (~AU$1,065) to claim it in both. For a 12-24 hour transit, those figures rise to USD390 (~AU$555) and USD780 (~AU$1,105).

To book, you need to contact SriLankan or your travel agent at least 48 hours before you start your journey and then present the confirmation at the transfer desk in Colombo. You will also need a Sri Lankan ETA where required.

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines also runs two separate programs.

Stopover in Istanbul is a generous hotel offer for international to international connections at Istanbul Airport. Economy Class passengers can get one night in a four-star hotel while Business Class passengers can get two nights in a five-star hotel.

To qualify:

• You need to be on a return journey travelling international to international via Istanbul, beginning and ending in the same country.
• Every flight must be operated by Turkish Airlines and booked on Turkish Airlines (235) stock as a single itinerary.
• Your layover at Istanbul must be at least 20 hours but no more than seven days.
• You can use it only once, either the outbound or the return leg.
• Tickets in N and R fare classes are excluded.

Apply at least 72 hours before the flight you want the hotel for through the online tool or emailing the address for your country of departure. This program doesn’t cover airport transfers or the Türkiye entry visa.

Touristanbul is the free guided city tour, aimed at shorter connections. There are several tour lengths ranging from a short morning sightseeing run to a full-day option that includes meals. You don’t need to book this online. You simply register at the Touristanbul desk on the arrivals floor of Istanbul Airport after clearing immigration.

Airlines Offering Bonus Side Trips

Aside from stopover programs, some airlines offer additional domestic flights for free. Malaysia Airlines’ Bonus Side Trip program gives international passengers connecting through Kuala Lumpur a free domestic return flight to eight different Malaysian cities. The Bonus Side Trip option is available when booking an eligible Malaysia Airlines flight online.

Japan Airlines offers something similar. If you book an international return ticket to Japan on its website, you can add a domestic flight to the same reservation and pay only the taxes. All Nippon Airways has run comparable offers for Australian travellers, though these tend to appear as limited-time sale promotions rather than a standing program.

Have You Used a Stopover Program?

Stopover programs are one of the easiest ways to turn a long-haul journey into two trips for the price of one. But the rules are detailed, they change often, and the difference between qualifying and missing out can come down to a fare class or a few hours of connection time. Always check the airline’s own terms before you book.

Have you used one of these stopover programs, or do you have a question about how they work? Let us know on the AFF forum!