What is a stopover?
A planned stay of more than 24 hours in a connecting city on an international ticket, as opposed to a layover, which is a short wait between flights.
Stopover, explained
On international tickets, airlines count any stop of more than 24 hours as a stopover. It turns a connection into a short visit: a few days in Istanbul, Doha or Singapore on the way to somewhere else.
Some airlines allow a stopover at their hub at no extra fare, and a few promote stopover programs with hotel offers. Others charge for it or allow it only on certain fares. The fare rules say which.
A stop of under 24 hours is a layover, also called a connection or transfer, and does not count as a stopover.
On a business class trip
New York to Singapore with three days in Tokyo on the way: on an airline that connects through Tokyo, the stay can be part of the same business class ticket instead of a separate booking.
Related terms
- Layover
The time between two flights in a connecting city, usually a few hours. On international tickets it lasts under 24 hours; anything longer is a stopover.
- Hub airport
An airport where an airline bases its network and connects most of its flights, such as Frankfurt for Lufthansa or Doha for Qatar Airways.
- Multi-city ticket
One ticket with three or more flights between different cities, priced and issued together rather than as separate tickets.
- Fare rules
The conditions attached to a fare: whether you can change or cancel, at what cost, the minimum and maximum stay, stopovers and open jaws.
Further reading: New York to Singapore in business class. Every term in the glossary.
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