A great way to break it up
You know all about one-way flights and round-trip flights, and nonstop flights and connecting flights, but do you know about stopover flights?
That’s when you connect through a particular airport, deplane for a day or two, then continue to your destination.
Besides the visit-two-cities-forthe-price-of-one aspect, stopovers let you recover from a long flight by breaking it into two shorter legs.
And some airlines not only let you stop over for free but also include free hotel stays and other perks.
On many airlines, passengers traveling on frequent-f lier award tickets can schedule a stopover without forfeiting extra miles or points.
Even if an airline doesn’t have a formal stopover program, it may sell a stopover fare for less than buying a separate onward round-trip ticket.
I recently saw a $721 round-trip fare from L.A. to Bangkok on EVA Air with a three-day stopover in Taipei.
If you don’t see your airline listed here, check with the airline.
Among the offers: AIR CANADA Stopover: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver Maximum stay: Depends on rules associated with fare
Best way to book: (888) 247-2262 or aircanada.com Cost: Free. More expensive fares may include a hotel stay. AIR CHINA Stopover: Beijing, Shanghai and four other major cities on a 144-hour transit visa; seven other cities on a 72-hour transit visa
Maximum stay: 72 or 144 hours, depending on visa
Best way to book: (800) 882-8122 or airchina.us Cost: Free
EMIRATES
Stopover: Dubai Maximum stay: Depends on ticket’s fare rules Best way to book: Book flight with stopover at emirates.com, then call (800) 777-3999 to book stopover package if desired. Cost: Free
ETIHAD
Stopover: Abu Dhabi Maximum stay: Two nights Best way to book: (877) 690-0767 or etihad.com
Cost: Free. Economy fares include a discounted first-night hotel rate with the second night free, or two free nights with business-class fares.
FIJI AIRWAYS
Stopover: Nadi, Fiji Maximum stay: Three days Best way to book: (800) 227-4446 or fijiairways.com Cost: Free
FINNAIR
Stopover: Helsinki, Finland Maximum stay: Five days Best way to book: (877) 757-7143 or finnair.com Cost: Free
HAWAIIAN
Stopover: Honolulu and other Hawaii airports
Maximum stay: No limit as long as there is a flight in the computer for that date
Best way to book: hawaiianair.com or through a travel agency
Cost: Free for international flights; $60 for domestic stopovers (for example, San Francisco to Honolulu, stopover, Honolulu to Lihue, Kauai)
IBERIA
Stopover: Madrid Maximum stay: Six nights Best way to book: (800) 772-4642 or iberia.com Cost: Free ICELANDAIR Stopover: Reykjavik, Iceland Maximum stay: Seven days Best way to book: (800) 223-5500 or icelandair.com Cost: Free JAPAN AIR LINES Stopover: Tokyo or Osaka, Japan Maximum stay: Depends on rules associated with the fare Best way to book: (800) 525-3663 Cost: Free QATAR Stopover city: Doha, Qatar Maximum stay: 96 hours Best way to book: qatarairways .com Cost: Free. Includes a free visa and a hotel stay from $23 per night. SAS Stopover: Copenhagen Maximum stay: 12 months Best way to book: (800) 221-2350 or flysas.com Cost: Free SINGAPORE AIRLINES Stopover: Singapore Maximum stay: Two nights if using the hotel program
Best way to book: singaporeair.com
Cost: $30 to $46 (one-night stay) or $151 (two-night stay including a pass to Universal Studios Singapore) SWISS Stopover: Zurich, Switzerland Maximum stay: Four days Best way to book: swiss.com /stopover Cost: Free TAP AIR PORTUGAL Stopover: Lisbon or Porto, Portugal Maximum stay: Five nights Best way to book: (800) 221-7370 or at flytap.com. Cost: Free