Stopover is an option to get to know Portugal, Qatar, Paris and SP in the middle of other trips – 02/26/2023 – Market

Buy tickets to one destination, but know two or more. It is the proposal of the stopover, a model offered by some airlines that allows you to visit places like Lisbon, Madrid, Paris, Doha, Panama City and São Paulo.

The model is being resumed as the pandemic is being left behind, and it is a way for airlines to attract passengers to international flights again, especially in Europe.

In the stopover, the traveler can extend the stopover he would make in a city from a few hours to a few days, taking time to get to know the place, usually without additional fees or for low prices. It is common for companies to allow the extra stop only in the cities that are their main bases or in their home country.

Thus, a flight from São Paulo to Paris may have a stopover of a few days in Lisbon or Madrid, for example, when flying with a European company. Extra accommodation and food expenses are at the customer’s expense.

In February, the Portuguese airline TAP relaunched its stopover program: now, the stopover in Lisbon or Porto can last from 1 to 10 days and can be done on the way out or on the way back.

To stimulate the model, the company partnered with the Tourism agency of Portugal and offers discounts at dozens of hotels and restaurants. There is also a 25% discount for other domestic flights, if the traveler wants to use the stopover to discover other parts of Portugal.

The Portuguese company currently serves 11 destinations in Brazil. In 2022, it transported 1.63 million passengers in the country.

Other cities in Europe can also be visited this way. Air Europa offers a free stopover in Madrid on both the return trip. If the customer wants to take a second longer break in another European city, there is a fee of US$ 100 (R$ 516 at the price of February 17). The company has flights departing from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

KLM and Air France offer long layovers in Amsterdam or Paris, respectively. The option is free on flex class fares. In light and standard modes, there is a charge of US$ 100 per pause. To look for the option, do a search for multidestino on the companies’ websites.

In Central America, Copa Airlines offers stops lasting between one and six nights in Panama City, at no extra cost. Copa offers flights to several US destinations such as New York and Orlando.

For those looking for longer trips, Qatar Airways offers a stopover in Doha, for fares starting at US$ 14 (R$ 72) and including accommodation. The company also offers activities for passengers in transit: an external tour of the main stadiums for the 2022 World Cup costs US$ 42 (R$ 216).

In Brazil, the three main national companies offer stops in São Paulo. Azul allows a break of up to two days, Latam allows up to three days and Gol determines that boarding takes place until 23:59 on the second day of stop.

The stopover is one of the airline companies’ strategies to resume international tourism, which has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. Data from IATA (International Air Transport Association) show that air traffic between countries transported in 2022 62.2% of the number of passengers it carried in 2019, before Covid.

As a result, the airline industry is expected to close 2022 at a loss in almost every part of the world. The exception was North America, according to IATA projections.

The recovery has been slower in Europe, where travelers are slower to resume international leisure travel, due to factors such as economic uncertainty and the Ukrainian War. In Asia, the resumption is also slower, especially due to the entry restrictions in the reopening of China, removed only in January of this year.

Some of the companies with stopover:

air europe
Where: Madrid

Air France
Where: Paris

Blue
Where: São Paulo and Campinas
More info here

Copa Airlines
Where: Panama City
More info here

Goal
Where: São Paulo and Campinas
More info here

KLM
Where: Amsterdam

can
Where: Sao Paulo

Qatar Airways
Where: Doha
More info here

TAP
Where: Lisbon and Porto
More info here