Airline stopovers have been an issue that confounds and frustrates travelers.
For all the decades I’ve been a travel agent, stopovers have been an issue that creates confusion for travelers.
A plane connects at some airport. Why can’t you get off the plane and connect the next day or a few days later?
The short version is because airline rules generally don’t allow it.
Now, there are some exceptions. Flights to Hawaii from the East Coast, for example, usually allow a stop for a modest fee, currently $60 in the United States on United Airlines.
Thanks to the major airline alliances, inexpensive European stopovers have all but disappeared.
Flights to Europe often used to allow a stop at the European gateway, for example. Once upon a time, someone flying from San Francisco to Rome could stop over in Munich for $100. Major airlines, pretty much in lockstep (yes, the business is full of oligopolies), raised that stopover fee to $800.
Some smaller airlines still offer European stopovers. Asian/Pacific airlines are the most lenient.
SAS, TAP, Air Portugal, Icelandic Air, Turkish Airlines, and Iberia come to mind. (All, of course, subject to change.) And Mideast airlines — Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Ehtiad — tend to be generous, hoping travelers will spend time in their countries.
Curiously, airlines are much more lenient with fares to Asia and the Pacific. United Airlines, which charges $800 for a Europe stopover, charges only $100-$150 for some Asian/transpacific flight routes. United Airlines currently allows stops on the way; to Singapore or Sydney, for example.
A good travel agent can help with stopovers — for a cost, of course.
Suppose you’re interested in a free stopover on a trip to Europe and are open to trying a new destination. If you book through them, a good travel agent can probably suggest something that will work for your particular itinerary. (Note: asking an agent to figure something complicated like this out and then booking online is bad travel karma unless you pay them a fee for their research.)
But United, American, Delta, Lufthansa, Swiss, British, KLM, and Air France can charge almost as much for a stopover as you pay for an overseas flight.
Now, mileage award tickets are a whole different issue, and some still allow stops, but that’s another post.
There are still, however, a few hacks to get that stopover you want.
The first is the 24-hour rule. It doesn’t count as a stop if your overnight stay is less than 24 hours. In one case recently, the best fare I found for some clients heading to Paris was via Washington Dulles (IAD). They wanted to visit family in the DC area. While it was costly to do a full stopover, there was the option of arriving at Dulles at 7 p.m. and leaving the next day at 6:30 p.m., basically for free. ($20 in US tax).
That rule works within Europe, too. Of course, it’s not an extended stay, but it could be enough for someone who wants a dinner in Paris, a few drinks with friends in Munich, and a museum stop in Amsterdam, with a late morning arrival into Europe or an early departure to the US. A stopover is free even at 23 hours and 59 minutes — if flights are available.
Consider the overnight stopover hack. If you hate an early morning return from Europe, look at this. An intra-Europe flight that connects to a transatlantic flight may leave as early as 6:00 a.m. This means leaving for the airport in the middle of the night. On a recent trip with friends, we opted to fly early in the evening the night before. We had a good stopover at the very comfortable (and in-terminal) Sheraton Amsterdam Airport.
And, you can try an open-jaw ticket for a stopover.
If you want to stop in a city with no good deals, the second option is an open-jaw ticket and a one-way in-between. For example, if you want to stop in London on, say, the way to Venice, book a ticket to London and return from Venice. Then, ON A SEPARATE TICKET book a one-way between the two cities. (Be careful on this one. Some airlines do not like having two tickets on one record, which can cause check-in or other issues.)
Many of these bizarre pricing rules don’t seem to make sense. As mentioned, the prices often have something to do with the airline monopolies/oligopolies major carriers and alliances have in Europe and the US. Then, it’s what the market will bear. But so far, intelligent humans with a will can often find a way.
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Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
