Are stopovers at hub airports worthwhile?

If you have some flexibility in your vacation schedule, you might want to consider a stopover. An extra day in Istanbul, Lisbon or Reykjavík, Iceland, could cost you little — or nothing.

Airline stopover programs meant to attract tourists to international airlines’ hub cities are gaining favor with travelers who want to explore new places. Airlines bend their fare rules to allow an extended stopover and sometimes even throw in a free or discounted hotel room.

The best-known stopover option, Turkish Airlines’ Stopover Accommodation service, recently restarted its program after a pandemic pause. Other programs operated by Emirates, Icelandair and TAP Air Portugal are also up and running.

Jessy Hamel, a travel adviser from Manheim, Pa., just returned from Amsterdam via Lisbon. It was a slight detour, but TAP Air Portugal offered her two nights in Lisbon before she flew back to New York.

“I stayed both nights in a corner room with a wraparound balcony in a four-star hotel with breakfast and a welcome drink for around $300,” she said. “I would highly recommend doing two or more nights. It just gives you a better and less rushed experience. I have recommended it to a lot of my clients and would definitely do it again myself.”

For Hamel, the two-day stopover was like a second vacation. She wandered the old city’s cobblestone streets, visited Belém Tower, rode the Santa Justa Lift and caught a fado performance while she was in town.

Anthony Berklich is a frequent user of airline stopover programs. He has taken advantage of stops in Lisbon, Istanbul and Reykjavík. He says he wouldn’t have visited those destinations as often without the program.

“In Istanbul, I was able to take in a few of the cultural wonders like the Hagia Sophia and a cruise on the Bosporus,” he recalled. Berklich, who edits a luxury travel blog, also liked the price. Turkish Airlines doesn’t charge extra for accommodations.

“My only additional cost for stopping over in each place was food,” he said. “What’s amazing about these programs is that you have the ability to build in extra days to your itinerary and see a completely new destination without worrying about additional flight costs.”

Stopover programs do include some fine print. For example, Turkish Airlines’ offer only applies to certain destinations and hotels. If you’re flying from the United States, you qualify if you’re on your way to Africa, Eastern or Southern Europe, and India, among other locations.