Back in the past, the majority of airline loyalty schemes permitted complimentary stopovers on award tickets. This was the standard with American AAdvantage, Delta SkyMiles, and United MileagePlus. Sadly, today, an increasing number of programs are no longer offering this exceptional option that can extend your mileage’s value.
In this article, I aim to summarize the frequent flyer programs that still provide free stopovers on award tickets, although the level of generosity varies among them.
## Stopovers, open-jaws, and connections
To start, let’s clarify some key terms. What is a stopover, what constitutes an open jaw, and what is a connection? These definitions may differ significantly, so it’s essential to outline them first.
### Stopover
A stopover is typically characterized as a layover of 24 hours or more in a transit city between your starting point and final destination. This could be at an airline’s hub or any city along your journey.
You can often think outside the box with routings and have a stopover in locations you might not typically consider. For instance, if you are journeying from the United States to Asia, it may be feasible to route through Europe and include a stopover there.
### Connection
A connection is generally a layover in a city for less than 24 hours, although the maximum connection time can be as brief as four hours for award itineraries, depending on the program. Some award programs may refer to a connection as a transfer in their award regulations or program terms.
### Open-jaw
An open-jaw occurs when you arrive in one city and depart from another. For example, if you are traveling from the United States to Asia, landing in Singapore and returning from Bangkok would constitute an open-jaw.
## Stopovers on award tickets
With the fundamental concepts clarified, let us explore some of the airline loyalty programs that still offer stopovers on award tickets. I will enumerate these approximately based on policy generosity, starting with the most favorable.
### Air France-KLM Flying Blue
Air France-KLM Flying Blue offers complimentary stopovers on awards. Specifically, you can enjoy a free stopover on a one-way award, which also applies to travel with partner airlines. You’re free to combine partners, provided you’re traveling between valid city pairs for award journeys.
No extra miles are needed, although taxes and fees may be elevated (however, typically, for partner awards, pricing is usually cumulative for multiple segments, so the savings might not be substantial). Please note that these types of stopovers must currently be booked by phone through the Flying Blue customer service center.
This is a remarkable benefit, as no other frequent flyer program provides free stopovers on such a wide range of awards. Thus, whether you’re flying with Air France or KLM, or using a SkyTeam or non-SkyTeam partner, the possibilities here are superb.
### Alaska Atmos Rewards
Alaska Atmos Rewards stands out as one of the most accommodating programs regarding its stopover policy. Atmos Rewards permits a stopover on an award ticket, provided you are traveling between regions. With a variety of airline partners, for example, you could travel with Japan Airlines from Los Angeles to Singapore via Tokyo, including a stopover in Japan.
Since stopovers are permitted on a one-way ticket, you may potentially enjoy two stopovers on a roundtrip ticket. There are many beneficial ways to use Atmos Rewards points.
Booking a stopover incurs no fee, and you can arrange these directly on Alaska Airlines’ website using the multi-city feature.
### Air Canada Aeroplan
Air Canada Aeroplan is one of my preferred frequent flyer programs, due to the extensive array of airline partners that Air Canada boasts. Aeroplan allows you to incorporate a stopover on a one-way award for an additional 5,000 points. You can include a stopover with every one-way award.
Stopovers are not allowed for awards involving travel entirely within North America. It is important to remember that Air Canada Aeroplan operates somewhat as a distance-based program. Thus, the longer the distance, the higher the cost of your award. You can certainly be creative with your routes, but it may result in a higher mileage cost.
Best of all, Aeroplan stopovers can be secured directly on aircanada.com, which simplifies the ticketing process greatly.
### Emirates Skywards
Emirates Skywards is generally considered the optimal program for booking Emirates first class awards, especially if you hold elite status in the program (which is relatively easy to achieve). Emirates allows for stopovers in Dubai on one-way tickets, but only when you book “Flex Plus” awards.
Keep in mind that all first class awards fall into the “Flex Plus” fare category, while business class and economy class