Airline stopover programs

Airline Stopover Programs: Every Free Stopover in One Place

Only a few airlines let you add a stopover for free, and almost all of them tie it to their own tickets. As of October 21, 2026: Icelandair adds a stopover in Iceland at no additional airfare, Turkish gives 1 to 3 free hotel nights and Etihad 1 to 2, while Qatar and Emirates sell their stopover hotels instead.

Rules checked October 21, 2026. Program Details: Icelandair, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates. Rules change, so submit your trip via TripPlanner and we will check if your route qualifies before you book.

Updated October 21, 2026

Page history (2)

October 21, 2026Fact-check
Every row read on the airline's own page.
Icelandair: no additional airfare, up to 7 nights on most fares and 21 on Flex fares. (source)
Turkish Airlines: free hotel 1 to 3 nights, all-Turkish round trips only. (source)
Etihad: free hotel 1 or 2 nights, Etihad-ticketed returns only, agent bookings excluded. (source)
Qatar Airways: paid package from USD 14 per person. (source)
Emirates: paid packages, up to 10% off new flights. (source)
Singapore Airlines: up to S$20 in Changi Transit e-vouchers, no free hotel. (source)
Korean Air: free Incheon transit city tour for 4 to 24 hour connections. (source)
We found no stopover program on Finnair's or Air India's own sites.
October 21, 2026Update
Page published, comparing seven airline stopover programs.
Icelandair, Turkish Airlines, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Korean Air each have a row.

Stopover Programs Table

Every row comes from the airline's own page, read on October 21, 2026. Where an airline's pages do not say, the cell says so. Rules change, and we are tracking them for you via your trip request.

Airline stopover programs compared, with the rules that decide who can use them
Airline	Free or paid	Longest stay	Conditions that matter	On a multi-stop ticket?	Official source
Icelandair (Reykjavik)	Free: no additional airfare. Flights only, hotel is separate.	Most fares up to 7 nights. Economy Flex and Saga Premium Flex up to 21.	For transatlantic trips on Icelandair. Booking engine to 7 nights, longer through the service center. A change fee applies if you add it to an existing booking.	Icelandair's page describes its own transatlantic tickets and does not mention multi-city or partner tickets.	Stopover in Iceland
Turkish Airlines (Istanbul)	Free hotel, bed and breakfast: 1 to 3 nights.	Layover of 20 hours to 7 days.	Round trip, every flight on Turkish, one reservation, same country at start and end, no codeshares, no N or R fares. Apply at least 72 hours before. Details.	No, unless the whole ticket is an all-Turkish round trip.	Stopover in Istanbul
Etihad (Abu Dhabi)	Free hotel for 1 or 2 nights in selected 3 or 4-star hotels, breakfast not included. Discounted 5-star for 3 or 4 nights.	4 nights.	Return flight on Etihad, operated and ticketed by Etihad, layover of 24 hours to 4 days. Flights booked through a travel agent are not eligible.	No. Etihad says only Etihad-operated, Etihad-ticketed return flights qualify.	Abu Dhabi Stopover
Qatar Airways (Doha)	Paid hotel package from USD 14 per person for 1 night, two sharing.	Up to 4 nights, on a transit of 12 to 96 hours.	Qatar Airways and codeshare tickets. Up to two per ticket, one outbound and one return. Details.	Qatar's terms name only Qatar and codeshare tickets and do not mention other airlines' tickets.	Qatar Stopover
Emirates (Dubai)	Paid hotel and experience packages. Up to 10% off new flights if you add two products first.	Emirates' stopover pages do not state a maximum.	Sold only to Emirates passengers. The flight discount excludes one-way tickets and travel agent bookings. Details.	Emirates' pages do not mention multi-city or round-the-world tickets.	Dubai stopover
Singapore Airlines (Singapore)	No free hotel. Up to S$20 in Changi Transit e-vouchers from listed countries.	The page does not state a maximum.	Book through the multi-city search, with Singapore as the stop. Vouchers apply to travelers departing from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mainland China, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Turkiye, the United Kingdom or Vietnam.	The page does not say.	Stopover in Singapore
Korean Air (Seoul)	Free city tour, no hotel. You pay entrance fees and meals.	Connection of 4 to 24 hours at Incheon.	Reservation needed, first come first served. K-ETA approval or a visa may be required.	The page does not say.	Incheon transit tour

Icelandair (Reykjavik)

Free or paid: Free: no additional airfare. Flights only, hotel is separate.
Longest stay: Most fares up to 7 nights. Economy Flex and Saga Premium Flex up to 21.
Conditions that matter: For transatlantic trips on Icelandair. Booking engine to 7 nights, longer through the service center. A change fee applies if you add it to an existing booking.
On a multi-stop ticket?: Icelandair's page describes its own transatlantic tickets and does not mention multi-city or partner tickets.
Official source: Stopover in Iceland

Turkish Airlines (Istanbul)

Free or paid: Free hotel, bed and breakfast: 1 to 3 nights.
Longest stay: Layover of 20 hours to 7 days.
Conditions that matter: Round trip, every flight on Turkish, one reservation, same country at start and end, no codeshares, no N or R fares. Apply at least 72 hours before. Details.
On a multi-stop ticket?: No, unless the whole ticket is an all-Turkish round trip.
Official source: Stopover in Istanbul

Etihad (Abu Dhabi)

Free or paid: Free hotel for 1 or 2 nights in selected 3 or 4-star hotels, breakfast not included. Discounted 5-star for 3 or 4 nights.
Longest stay: 4 nights.
Conditions that matter: Return flight on Etihad, operated and ticketed by Etihad, layover of 24 hours to 4 days. Flights booked through a travel agent are not eligible.
On a multi-stop ticket?: No. Etihad says only Etihad-operated, Etihad-ticketed return flights qualify.
Official source: Abu Dhabi Stopover

Qatar Airways (Doha)

Free or paid: Paid hotel package from USD 14 per person for 1 night, two sharing.
Longest stay: Up to 4 nights, on a transit of 12 to 96 hours.
Conditions that matter: Qatar Airways and codeshare tickets. Up to two per ticket, one outbound and one return. Details.
On a multi-stop ticket?: Qatar's terms name only Qatar and codeshare tickets and do not mention other airlines' tickets.
Official source: Qatar Stopover

Emirates (Dubai)

Free or paid: Paid hotel and experience packages. Up to 10% off new flights if you add two products first.
Longest stay: Emirates' stopover pages do not state a maximum.
Conditions that matter: Sold only to Emirates passengers. The flight discount excludes one-way tickets and travel agent bookings. Details.
On a multi-stop ticket?: Emirates' pages do not mention multi-city or round-the-world tickets.
Official source: Dubai stopover

Singapore Airlines (Singapore)

Free or paid: No free hotel. Up to S$20 in Changi Transit e-vouchers from listed countries.
Longest stay: The page does not state a maximum.
Conditions that matter: Book through the multi-city search, with Singapore as the stop. Vouchers apply to travelers departing from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mainland China, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Turkiye, the United Kingdom or Vietnam.
On a multi-stop ticket?: The page does not say.
Official source: Stopover in Singapore

Korean Air (Seoul)

Free or paid: Free city tour, no hotel. You pay entrance fees and meals.
Longest stay: Connection of 4 to 24 hours at Incheon.
Conditions that matter: Reservation needed, first come first served. K-ETA approval or a visa may be required.
On a multi-stop ticket?: The page does not say.
Official source: Incheon transit tour

We found no stopover program on Finnair's or Air India's own sites on October 21, 2026. Finnair sells multi-city tickets with stops, and Air India has a multi-city booking page, but neither publishes a stopover offer with a hotel or tour. Rows come from each airline's own pages, read on the date above.

Deep dives: Icelandair, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates.

Which one fits your trip?

One airline, one return trip, you want the hotel free: Turkish if you start from a country on its list, or Etihad, as long as every flight is on that airline.
Crossing the Atlantic, you want two countries for the price of one flight: Icelandair. See the Iceland stopover guide.
Going through the Gulf and you will pay for a hotel anyway: Qatar from USD 14 per person, or Emirates. Compare on dates and hotels, not on the word free.
Four or more stops, several airlines: the airline programs mostly stop applying. The stop can still be on your route, priced as part of one ticket. That is a consultant-built ticket.

The catches no airline page puts in one place

Free means on our ticket. Turkish requires every flight on Turkish, with outbound and return in one reservation. Etihad requires Etihad-operated and Etihad-ticketed flights. Add a second airline and the hotel is gone.
Agents. Etihad excludes flights booked through a travel agent. Emirates excludes agent bookings from its flight discount.
Deadlines. Turkish wants your application at least 72 hours before departure and none after you land. Qatar wants the hotel booked with the flights. Emirates wants the products in the cart before you pick flights.
Same hub twice. On one airline, passing through the same hub twice means that missing one pass can strand the other leg. We flag it when we build the route.
Bags. Qatar does not let you collect checked bags on transits under 24 hours. Turkish says to collect them past 24 hours.
Visas. Qatar says a visa may be required, and for some passports a hotel booking through its package is mandatory. Etihad and Emirates do not include visas in the hotel price. Check the government source for your passport.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Which airlines offer free stopovers?

Icelandair adds a stopover at no additional airfare. Turkish includes 1 to 3 hotel nights on eligible all-Turkish return tickets, and Etihad 1 to 2 nights on Etihad-ticketed returns. Qatar, Emirates and Singapore Airlines sell hotels or packages. Rules and dates are in the table above, checked October 21, 2026.

Is a stopover the same as a layover?

No. A layover is a short wait between connecting flights. A stopover is a planned stay in the connecting city, ticketed as a stop. See how to plan a stopover.

Can I add an airline stopover program to a round-the-world ticket?

Usually the hotel benefit does not carry over, because programs tie it to the airline's own tickets. Turkish and Etihad say so in their terms. The stop itself can still be part of your route. Where an airline's pages do not say, the table says so.

How many stopovers can I have on one ticket?

It depends on the program. Turkish allows one use per journey, either on the way out or the way back. Qatar allows two bookings per ticket, one each way. A oneworld Explorer allows 3 to 16 flights and a Star Alliance Round the World ticket allows 2 to 15 stopovers. AirTreks custom routes have no fixed limit.

Do I need a visa for a stopover?

Often, depending on your passport and the city. Qatar says a visa may be required and points you to the Visit Qatar website. Etihad asks for a pre-arranged UAE visa or visa on arrival eligibility. We do not state visa rules here. Check the government source for your passport before you pay for a hotel.

Next step

Know the cities? Price the whole trip.

Start in TripPlanner: put in your cities and dates to see what is available now and what it costs, then a consultant confirms which stopovers fit your ticket. Deciding whether a stopover is worth the days? BootsnAll, our sister brand, covers that: The Stopover Secret.

Price your route in TripPlanner Talk to a specialist

Airline Stopover Programs: Every Free Stopover in One Place

Stopover Programs Table

Every row comes from the airline's own page, read on October 21, 2026. Where an airline's pages do not say, the cell says so. Rules change, and we are tracking them for you via your trip request.

Airline stopover programs compared, with the rules that decide who can use them
Airline	Free or paid	Longest stay	Conditions that matter	On a multi-stop ticket?	Official source
Icelandair (Reykjavik)	Free: no additional airfare. Flights only, hotel is separate.	Most fares up to 7 nights. Economy Flex and Saga Premium Flex up to 21.	For transatlantic trips on Icelandair. Booking engine to 7 nights, longer through the service center. A change fee applies if you add it to an existing booking.	Icelandair's page describes its own transatlantic tickets and does not mention multi-city or partner tickets.	Stopover in Iceland
Turkish Airlines (Istanbul)	Free hotel, bed and breakfast: 1 to 3 nights.	Layover of 20 hours to 7 days.	Round trip, every flight on Turkish, one reservation, same country at start and end, no codeshares, no N or R fares. Apply at least 72 hours before. Details.	No, unless the whole ticket is an all-Turkish round trip.	Stopover in Istanbul
Etihad (Abu Dhabi)	Free hotel for 1 or 2 nights in selected 3 or 4-star hotels, breakfast not included. Discounted 5-star for 3 or 4 nights.	4 nights.	Return flight on Etihad, operated and ticketed by Etihad, layover of 24 hours to 4 days. Flights booked through a travel agent are not eligible.	No. Etihad says only Etihad-operated, Etihad-ticketed return flights qualify.	Abu Dhabi Stopover
Qatar Airways (Doha)	Paid hotel package from USD 14 per person for 1 night, two sharing.	Up to 4 nights, on a transit of 12 to 96 hours.	Qatar Airways and codeshare tickets. Up to two per ticket, one outbound and one return. Details.	Qatar's terms name only Qatar and codeshare tickets and do not mention other airlines' tickets.	Qatar Stopover
Emirates (Dubai)	Paid hotel and experience packages. Up to 10% off new flights if you add two products first.	Emirates' stopover pages do not state a maximum.	Sold only to Emirates passengers. The flight discount excludes one-way tickets and travel agent bookings. Details.	Emirates' pages do not mention multi-city or round-the-world tickets.	Dubai stopover
Singapore Airlines (Singapore)	No free hotel. Up to S$20 in Changi Transit e-vouchers from listed countries.	The page does not state a maximum.	Book through the multi-city search, with Singapore as the stop. Vouchers apply to travelers departing from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mainland China, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Turkiye, the United Kingdom or Vietnam.	The page does not say.	Stopover in Singapore
Korean Air (Seoul)	Free city tour, no hotel. You pay entrance fees and meals.	Connection of 4 to 24 hours at Incheon.	Reservation needed, first come first served. K-ETA approval or a visa may be required.	The page does not say.	Incheon transit tour

Icelandair (Reykjavik)

Free or paid: Free: no additional airfare. Flights only, hotel is separate.
Longest stay: Most fares up to 7 nights. Economy Flex and Saga Premium Flex up to 21.
Conditions that matter: For transatlantic trips on Icelandair. Booking engine to 7 nights, longer through the service center. A change fee applies if you add it to an existing booking.
On a multi-stop ticket?: Icelandair's page describes its own transatlantic tickets and does not mention multi-city or partner tickets.
Official source: Stopover in Iceland

Turkish Airlines (Istanbul)

Free or paid: Free hotel, bed and breakfast: 1 to 3 nights.
Longest stay: Layover of 20 hours to 7 days.
Conditions that matter: Round trip, every flight on Turkish, one reservation, same country at start and end, no codeshares, no N or R fares. Apply at least 72 hours before. Details.
On a multi-stop ticket?: No, unless the whole ticket is an all-Turkish round trip.
Official source: Stopover in Istanbul

Etihad (Abu Dhabi)

Free or paid: Free hotel for 1 or 2 nights in selected 3 or 4-star hotels, breakfast not included. Discounted 5-star for 3 or 4 nights.
Longest stay: 4 nights.
Conditions that matter: Return flight on Etihad, operated and ticketed by Etihad, layover of 24 hours to 4 days. Flights booked through a travel agent are not eligible.
On a multi-stop ticket?: No. Etihad says only Etihad-operated, Etihad-ticketed return flights qualify.
Official source: Abu Dhabi Stopover

Qatar Airways (Doha)

Free or paid: Paid hotel package from USD 14 per person for 1 night, two sharing.
Longest stay: Up to 4 nights, on a transit of 12 to 96 hours.
Conditions that matter: Qatar Airways and codeshare tickets. Up to two per ticket, one outbound and one return. Details.
On a multi-stop ticket?: Qatar's terms name only Qatar and codeshare tickets and do not mention other airlines' tickets.
Official source: Qatar Stopover

Emirates (Dubai)

Free or paid: Paid hotel and experience packages. Up to 10% off new flights if you add two products first.
Longest stay: Emirates' stopover pages do not state a maximum.
Conditions that matter: Sold only to Emirates passengers. The flight discount excludes one-way tickets and travel agent bookings. Details.
On a multi-stop ticket?: Emirates' pages do not mention multi-city or round-the-world tickets.
Official source: Dubai stopover

Singapore Airlines (Singapore)

Free or paid: No free hotel. Up to S$20 in Changi Transit e-vouchers from listed countries.
Longest stay: The page does not state a maximum.
Conditions that matter: Book through the multi-city search, with Singapore as the stop. Vouchers apply to travelers departing from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mainland China, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Turkiye, the United Kingdom or Vietnam.
On a multi-stop ticket?: The page does not say.
Official source: Stopover in Singapore

Korean Air (Seoul)

Free or paid: Free city tour, no hotel. You pay entrance fees and meals.
Longest stay: Connection of 4 to 24 hours at Incheon.
Conditions that matter: Reservation needed, first come first served. K-ETA approval or a visa may be required.
On a multi-stop ticket?: The page does not say.
Official source: Incheon transit tour

Which one fits your trip?

One airline, one return trip, you want the hotel free: Turkish if you start from a country on its list, or Etihad, as long as every flight is on that airline.

Crossing the Atlantic, you want two countries for the price of one flight: Icelandair. See the Iceland stopover guide.

Going through the Gulf and you will pay for a hotel anyway: Qatar from USD 14 per person, or Emirates. Compare on dates and hotels, not on the word free.

Four or more stops, several airlines: the airline programs mostly stop applying. The stop can still be on your route, priced as part of one ticket. That is a consultant-built ticket.

The catches no airline page puts in one place

Free means on our ticket. Turkish requires every flight on Turkish, with outbound and return in one reservation. Etihad requires Etihad-operated and Etihad-ticketed flights. Add a second airline and the hotel is gone.

Agents. Etihad excludes flights booked through a travel agent. Emirates excludes agent bookings from its flight discount.

Deadlines. Turkish wants your application at least 72 hours before departure and none after you land. Qatar wants the hotel booked with the flights. Emirates wants the products in the cart before you pick flights.

Same hub twice. On one airline, passing through the same hub twice means that missing one pass can strand the other leg. We flag it when we build the route.

Bags. Qatar does not let you collect checked bags on transits under 24 hours. Turkish says to collect them past 24 hours.

Visas. Qatar says a visa may be required, and for some passports a hotel booking through its package is mandatory. Etihad and Emirates do not include visas in the hotel price. Check the government source for your passport.