The airlines that offer a bargain-price stopover

Got a long-haul flight coming up? Maybe with one gruelling 12- or 14-hour sector in a cramped seat that ties you up in knots, gets you to your destination at daybreak and too early to check into your accommodation, with jet lag as a parting gift? Why not fit in a stopover? As distinct from a layover, a stopover is a break of at least 24 hours, and it’s something I like a lot.

On my ideal flight to Europe, I take a morning flight out of Australia, arrive in Hong Kong, Bangkok or Tokyo in the evening, spend a couple of days sightseeing and relaxing with a splash in the pool, maybe a massage or a gym session, stay up late and sleep in so I’m more attuned to European time. Then I’ll depart on another morning flight to Europe to arrive in late afternoon. I can go straight to my accommodation, check in, have a meal, take a walk and into bed. The next day, I’m good to go.

Does a stopover add to the cost of the airfares?

In general, airlines prefer passengers to book straight through to their destination since it’s less complex, but in many cases a flight ticket with a stopover is only marginally more expensive than one without. If you want to do it without paying more for your flight ticket, your choice of airline might depend on where you want your stopover, rather than the other way around. If you want a couple of nights in Bangkok, Thai Airways is the logical choice, if it’s Muscat to explore the desert state of Oman, Oman Air is your best bet. Unless your airline specifically offers a stopover deal, the easiest way to organise it is with a multi-city ticket, and most international airlines offer this option.

Which airlines facilitate stopovers?

A stopover can also be a taster, a chance to look around in a new destination, perhaps take a day trip. If you like what you see, you might come back for a proper visit, and that’s a win for the airline. Some airlines incentivise stopovers. Icelandair encourages flyers on trans-Atlantic flights to spend a few days in Iceland, at no additional airfare. Singapore Airlines also facilitates stopovers, with attractive hotel plus experience packages.

Emirates goes all out with an online planner to create stopover itineraries that bundle hotels, attractions and flights. For example, a couple flying economy class return from Melbourne to London, departing in mid-April and returning at the end of the month, could book a Dubai stopover itinerary that might include three nights at Dubai’s four-star Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai with a guided half-day city tour, a desert safari plus a cruise through Dubai Marina. Total cost including economy flights is $5840. That’s $1449 more than a couple flying the same route and dates with no stopover. You could cut out some of the stopover experiences for a cheaper total price, but Emirates discounts the airfare by up to 10 per cent for stopover travellers, provided they book at least two paid experiences.

Turkish Airlines offers stopovers with free accommodation, but only to passengers travelling on international flights via Istanbul Airport with a layover of at least 20 hours. Economy passengers get one free night in a four-star hotel, business flyers get two nights in five-star accommodation. It’s unlikely that many travellers coming from Australia will qualify, and even a two-nighter hardly does justice to Istanbul, but an Istanbul stopover might not add anything to an airfare. For that couple flying economy from Melbourne to London, departing mid-April and returning at the end of that month, the total fare with a three-night stopover in Istanbul starts from $4301. However, for those same passengers flying straight through to London and back, with no stopover, the total cost is $4410.

The same applies to an Indian mini-break. A return airfare from Melbourne to London with Air India for those same April dates with a three-night stopover in New Delhi starts from $2454. Cut out the stopover and the price starts from $2375, a difference of just $79.

Fancy a three-night stopover in Tokyo on that same Melbourne to London itinerary? Fly return with Japan Airlines and the starting price is $3804, compared to $3087 for flying the same route without the stopover.

Flying to North America, the stopover options are fewer, although Hong Kong and Tokyo might just make the cut for those who don’t mind the longer flight times. Hawaii might be the right fit for a stopover on the way from Sydney to Los Angeles. One option is to book with Qantas, but the sector from Honolulu to Los Angeles is operated by Hawaiian Airlines, and Los Angeles to Sydney is aboard American Airlines. Total cost departing on April 15, stopping for three nights in Honolulu and returning to Sydney at the end of April, starts from $2253. However, if you were to fly non-stop Sydney-Los Angeles return with Qantas for those dates, the price starts from $1460. Flying American Airlines on that same route, the cost with a stopover is $US1656 ($2432).

My top five stopovers

Hong Kong
It may have lost some of its shine, but Hong Kong is Far East Asia 101, an energetic, exciting, rich and slightly brash induction into the Orient. For a user-friendly window on the exotic East with some of the best dining and shopping on the planet, and where English will get you through the day (more or less), Hong Kong is tailor-made.

Bangkok
Manic and dynamic at one moment, serene the next, Bangkok takes you on a wild ride. Its hotels are numbered among Asia’s finest and rates are a steal, the shopping is beyond fantastic and the dining scene is among the best of any Asian city. If street food is your thing, you’re in heaven.

Tokyo
Everything about the Japanese capital – the architecture, the bustle, the funky fashions, that hyperefficient metro system – suggests a slick, super-modern city, but then something will jolt you out of your comfort zone to remind you that it’s not so much a different place as a different planet.

Istanbul
Where Europe meets Asia, the one-time capital of both Christian and Islamic empires is a towering presence with a history that has endowed it with a cultural treasury, from the Byzantine Hagia Sophia to the wonders of Topkapi Palace and towering Ottoman mosques.

Shanghai
The dynamo of Chinese entrepreneurial capitalism, Shanghai comes straight from the future, complete with sci-fi architecture, yet the leafy streets of the former French concession endow it with a time-warped melancholy.