Free hotels, discount flights: Airlines offering deals to woo stopover passengers

Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi. Etihad offers discounted stays at luxury hotels in Abu Dhabi.

As Qantas moves forward with its plans to eliminate stopovers on long-haul flights, other airlines are offering passengers heavy discounts to get them to stop their journey.

Among these offers are free luxury hotel stays, free domestic flights and exclusive fares on city tours and activities.

United Arab Emirates airline Etihad Airways is the latest to relaunch its stopover program in time for the northern hemisphere’s busy summer period.

Among the offers available to Australian travelers are a 40 per cent discount on hotels in Abu Dhabi, including five-star properties, and free stays around three- and four-star hotels.

The airline also offers a “Transit Connect” stopover option which allows guests with a transit time of between 10 and 24 hours to book a free hotel near an international airport.

UAE airline partner Emirates launched its stopover programme, Dubai Experience, in April, and has seen a significant increase in the number of passengers choosing to take short breaks, according to Barry Brown, airline division vice president for Australasia.

“In May, the number of visitors to Dubai increased 40 percent compared to April,” he said.

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Stopover perks include discounts on over 200 citywide activities, savings of up to 10 percent on flights, and access to benefits that cover over 100 Dubai hotels, including discounted stays, free cancellations, free breakfast and 24-hour check-in.

So far, the program has lured 130,000 Emirates passengers to stop in Dubai.

“The numbers are steadily increasing — from four percent in April, to five percent in May, and six percent in June,” Brown said. “About 50 per cent of our stopover passengers stay in Dubai for three to four days.”

Stopover benefits

The figures show how stopovers can play a major role in tourism recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. This week Jamaica’s tourism minister Edmund Bartlett revealed the stopover has generated $US1.5 billion ($A2.2 billion) for the Caribbean nation’s economy, having welcomed more than 1 million stopover visitors since January.

“June [2022] lost [June] 2019 and, in fact, was the first month of the year since the recovery began where we really outperformed the comparative months in the two-and-a-half year period of the pandemic,” Bartlett said.

Given the economic benefits, it’s no coincidence that many of the airlines championing layovers are government-owned, including Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways.

Brown said his stopover program Dubai Experience was on track to give the region a big financial boost.

“Based on the month-on-month growth we are experiencing and the fact that our peak tourism season is post-summer, this program is slated to make a significant contribution to the city’s tourism,” said Brown. “Our steady stopover volume over the past three months confirms this.”

Stopovers can also have additional health benefits for some people, according to Sleep Health Foundation CEO Dr Moira Junge, who says taking a break from long trips can help ease circadian disruption for travelers.

“If you are in moderately poor health or are vulnerable, or you are prone to very severe jet lag, then a stopover will help in terms of minimizing effects, such as sleep problems, daytime sleepiness, decreased physical performance, or digestive problems.” Jung said.

The distance between your last stops is also important in determining whether you will benefit from the health benefits of your stopover.

“You want to be as close to your destination as possible. If you’re going to London, you want your stopover to be Dubai, not Singapore,” Junge added.

stopover savior

A side benefit of a stopover is that it reduces the chance you’ll lose your connection – something that’s becoming increasingly common as airlines around the world grapple with staff shortages that lead to delays and cancellations.

Dean Long, CEO of the Federation of Australian Travel Agencies, previously said flight cancellations had become commonplace.

“In the past, the average international flight capacity was 80 percent. Now it’s about 95 percent, which means there’s only five percent flexibility in case of a canceled flight or a missed connection,” Long said.

“Where we can find replacement rates, they are typically double and triple the original cost due to very limited availability and price increases.”

Meanwhile, Qantas continues to push for Project Sunrise – a plan to fly non-stop from Australia’s east coast to London and New York.

Launching Perth non-stop flights to Rome last month, chief executive Alan Joyce said Qantas’ own research shows passengers prefer to fly non-stop en route to their final destination after COVID-19.

“We are seeing an increasing preference for non-stop flights to and from Australia to make the travel experience as efficient and easy as possible and we hope it will be a permanent change in the way people want to travel,” he said.

SHOWSTOPERS: FIVE BEST STOPOVER OFFERS FROM AUSTRALIA

Stopover offers on flights booked from Australia to select international destinations. Conditions apply, see website.

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