---
title: "What is a stopover | Business Class Glossary"
description: "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."
canonical_url: https://buybusinessclass.com/glossary/stopover
last_updated: 2026-11-04
---

# What is a stopover?

Source: https://buybusinessclass.com/glossary/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.

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## 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](https://buybusinessclass.com/glossary/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](https://buybusinessclass.com/glossary/hub)
    
    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](https://buybusinessclass.com/glossary/multi-city-ticket)
    
    One ticket with three or more flights between different cities, priced and issued together rather than as separate tickets.
    
-   [Fare rules](https://buybusinessclass.com/glossary/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](https://buybusinessclass.com/business-class-flights/new-york-to-singapore). [Every term in the glossary](https://buybusinessclass.com/glossary).

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