Airlines That Offer Free Transit Hotel During Long Layover

Planning a business or vacation trip for a long layover is always hectic. But you can always opt for stopover flights, which is a perfect way to save money if you have enough time in your travel schedule.

Layover flights are more affordable than direct and non-stop flights. The journey between landing and disembarking is filled with relaxing breaks and stretching. How will you spend the layover? Sitting at the airport and having coffee will only tire you more. Depending on your destination, stopover flights have a connection duration between 4 to 24 hours. Fortunately, most airlines now offer free hotels for long layovers.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for a free layover facility, you must meet the airline’s eligibility criteria, which depend on the ticket type, transit route, minimum fare, etc. Read the free layover terms and conditions on the airline’s website.

The following airlines provide free hotels for long layovers, So you don’t need to spend heavily and end up drained on your next long flight.

List of Airlines That Provide Free Transit Hotels

1. Air Canada
Air Canada provides a free one-night layover for Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver flight plans. This free layover program is available for all inbound and outbound flights booked more than 96 hours before the departure.

All cabin types and ticket classes are eligible for air Canada’s free layover programs. So you can avail of this amazing offer on both departures and return flights. For more details, visit the official website or the accommodation desk at the airport.

2. Air China
While traveling to Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Tianjin, and Chongqing on a stopover or connecting flight, don’t miss out on China’s transit accommodation program. It covers the one-night stay and complimentary breakfast in one of Air China’s partner hotels.

Transit accommodation is not valid for economy class or super deal tickets and is only available for tickets starting with 999. In addition, the service is only available when transit flights are operated via Air China, Shandong Airlines, or Shenzhen Airlines. Contact the transit service counter or partner hotel on arrival with your flight ticket(s) details to check-in.

3. Air Serbia
While you have itineraries from Air Serbia to New York via Belgrade., you can avail their free layover accommodation at Nikola Tesla Airport. The accommodation program validates all ticket classes from 30 domestic and international destinations.

However, to redeem the air Serbia free layover transit service, you must contact their travel agent or customer support five days before departure.

4. China Eastern Airlines
You will have a free hotel stay for an overnight stopover. However, your flight must be booked five business days before departure to avail the free layover hotel. Only if your transit time is at most 12 hours and there will be no earlier connecting flights.

5. China Southern Airlines
With China Southern Airways, you can avail free one-night stay with meals and airport transfer for international passengers with a layover duration of 8-48 hours at Guangzhou Airport.

For complete details on eligibility criteria for free stopovers, visit the official website. As long as you meet the requirements, you can reserve your free accommodation up to six months in advance, which saves you from all the hassle. For last-minute validation of a free stopover, contact the airport accommodation center on arrival.

6. Emirates Airlines
With Emirates, you get exceptional Dubai Connect service, making your Dubai tips a breeze. The Dubai Connect is valid for transit flights with 8 – 24 hours layover (economy class) and 6 – 24 hours for first and business class.

The service includes accommodation in a 5-star partner hotel in Dubai, meal vouchers, airport transfers, and a Visa to enter the country (if needed). You can avail of this premium stopover facility only if your itinerary is operated by Emirates or Qantas airways.

7. Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways’ stopover program covers a free night stay in one of the best hotels for up to 2days when transiting through Abu Dhabi for 18 hours or more. You can also choose from the listed hotels while booking your flight 72 hours before the departure.

Abu Dhabi stopover facility is valid for economy, business, and first-class tickets during the company’s specified period all year. Except for periods when significant events and Conferences are taking place. For more details on the availability of this free layover service, please visit the official website of Etihad Airlines.

8. Gulf Air
Gulf Air provides passengers free hotel accommodation when transiting through Bahrain International Airport between 7 to 24 hours of layover. The accommodation plan will cover a free hotel night stay, an airport transfer, and a transit visa, with a complimentary guided tour of the capital city. Making the gulf air stopover a perfect deal to grab if you are planning a long layover transit in gulf countries.

You can visit Gulf Air’s customer service desk at the airport for last-minute accommodation requirements. Or you can also Contact UAN customer support 24 hours before departure to confirm the stopover facility.

9. Qatar Airways
For travelers with layovers from 8 to 24 hours in Doha, Qatar Airways facilitate them with free stopover accommodation. It would include the transit visa( if required), airport transit, and meal vouchers.

Don’t forget to book stopover transit within 72 hours of departure or contact the airport accommodation desk for last-minute arrangements. Qatar airlines also facilitate short-term transits on all Kuwait and Oman flights.

10. Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines provides accommodation services for international passengers with layovers of more than 12 hours(economy) and 9 hours for business class. That entitles you to a free night stay in a partner hotel for up to 2 days.

Also, there can’t be any connecting flights with a shorter transfer time. So head to the hotel desk at Istanbul Airport upon arrival to claim your free hotel room.

Pro Tips For Stopovers During Long Layovers

Stopover packages by airlines are as great as sound. So while booking the next stopover flight, consider a few things to make the most out of it. We highly recommend having a checklist of the following stuff and a few tips to ensure smooth transit between stopover accommodation and your connecting flight.

Advance Booking
Most airlines offer advance booking for stopover accommodations. Hence if available, always reserve your stopover while confirming tickets. It will save you time and hassle for any unexpected event. Last-minute claims are great facilities for any unexpected situation. However, you may have to compromise on a few facilities.

Luggage
Confirm the luggage claim during the stopover. Every airline has an individual luggage policy; few claim the luggage during transit, so you are good to go. But if there is no such policy and the luggage claim is only at the destination terminal, pack a separate hand-carry with all essentials for a stopover stay. To confirm the luggage claims, visit the respective airline website and look for “baggage or luggage regulations.”

Transit City Forecast
Once you are done with tickets and stopover reservations, we highly recommend glancing at the transit terminal’s weather forecast. It will help you map the hand-carry packing.

Local Currency
Don’t forget to have a handsome amount exchange for local currency if you have a layover of 24 hours or more.

Documentation
Always ensure your documents are accessible and in your hand-carry. As the ID and Visa are mandatory to claim the stopover reservation. Also, don’t forget to take a printout of the reservation confirmation before departure. It will save you time and energy during long layovers.

On-arrival Accommodation
If your airline does not offer advance booking, you may have forgotten to reserve the free hotel stay. You can always go for an on-arrival stopover claim. All you need to do is visit your transit terminal’s airport transfer/accommodation/customer support desk.

Last-minute stopover takes a bit more time, and you may miss the nearest partner hotel. Few airlines have conditional claims depending on your cabin class. Hence instead of getting panicked ahead to customer support with your ticket and visa details.

Transit Visa
In an unfortunate case, if your visa eligibility does not match with the transit city, immediately contact customer support and request a transit visa. A transit visa will cover your stopover duration at no additional cost.

Be on time
After clearing the formalities at the transit terminal, check-in at the hotel as soon as possible. It‘s pretty common to engage in attractive activities while exploring new locations. Being late will cause you trouble, especially on last-minute claims.

Free stopover accommodations are undoubtedly the best mutual service by airlines. Along with transit hotels and sleeping pods we are seeing an increasing trend in airlines worldwide introducing stopover packages. We have enlisted some popular airlines that provide free hotels for long layovers.

Although you will find stopover package details on the respective airline website. Few airlines are in the initial phase of introducing free hotel stays. Hence never hesitate to have a query at the customer support desk. We hope our article helped you plan your next long layover flight.