How To Book Long Layover Flights?
Long layover flights are challenging to book as flight options are limited during that time; however, the following tips will help you in the process.
If one plans to have a long layover, then it makes a lot of sense to explore the new city without having to spend extra bucks on an additional hotel stay or lose travel days. Layovers of 10 hours or more will enable you to leave the airport and visit places of interest, taste local hospitality or even catch up on sleep on a comfortable bed. Using some level of creativity, planning and flight bookings, it is possible to incorporate these long layovers in your schedule. Below is a guide on how to book these lengthy stops at the airports.
Research Extended Layover Policies
A good way to avoid having your plans ruined is by doing your homework on the airlines layover policies. Most airlines offer connecting passengers the option to leave the airport at the transit hub but it is important to note that each airline has its own policy. Some may want you to have a visa in case you are leaving the airport. Some may prohibit leaving if one has more people to care for them. Some Airlines will allow you to have your luggage with you during a long layover, however arrange with the specific airline’s baggage regulations. Also, ensure to look at some of the airports™ facilities, such as shower facilities, sleeping pods or baggage storage hampers that enhance the convenience of long layovers.
Having used online tools and filters
There is no doubt that the Internet has made it quite easy to book a flight that has long layover. During your flight search for connections, use flight search sites that have a layover stopover filter where you can indicate the minimum and maximum duration. Again, it is suggested that ten to twelve hours is reasonable time for leaving the vehicle and going around. The flights with flexible dates and airports would be the most helpful. Perhaps it would be useful to fly to an airport that has a large number of transfers. There are occasions when you will spend less for two one-way fares than for a round trip.
Connect Through Destination Cities
The best way to plan for a layover is to choose one that takes a significant amount of time and involves a city that you would like to visit. Look for outbound flights from your starting city to your final destination with a connection in a city that has piqued your curiosity. As for connections, most of the booking sites have an option through particular cities. It will also help when you typically do not exit the airport during short connections to concentrate on the longer part.
Be careful to domestic Hidden City Ticketing Restrictions
Booking flights with hidden city ticketing is an itinerary where you deplane at the connection city instead of the destination you paid your fare to is possible to get longer layovers. Just be careful, as some airlines with this sort of policy will cancel the rest of your reservation. One must always ensure that they adhere to the rules set by the airline they are using if they want to engage in hidden city ticketing.
Consider Circular Route Itineraries
To have worthwhile layover travel, find a round-trip flight that is a detour to various other places. For instance, instead of travelling directly from Boston to San Francisco, one can book separate tickets and travel from Boston to Miami, then from Florida to Los Angeles and finally to San Francisco, California. As long as you are sure you will make the connections, be sure to give yourself ample time. Also the possibility of having a backup in case something goes wrong with one of the segments.
Leverage Airline Alliances
If you do not get satisfactory options for a layover on a particular airline, you can try the alliance and codeshare partners; these provide you with options from several airlines while booking just one flight. For instance, when booking through Star Alliance, it connects you to other United Lufthansa routes other than the routes operated by United alone. Stopovers are broadened in terms of options though alliances.
Remember Travel Requirements
That means when you are searching for flights, make sure to consider the visa, passport, and entry requirements for the country of your connecting flight and your final destination. Many airports need transit visas if you are intending to leave the airport on the layover period. It is advised that one should allow enough time to be used in submitting those applications. As pointed out earlier, the more entries and exit points one has to navigate through in several countries, the higher the probability of a hitch coming up.
Baggage Rules Should Be Used to One's Advantage
When assessing layover itineraries, be sure to consider the baggage rules and fees. This might be a situation where some rules could promote certain routings. For instance, we see in many airlines that when you have a connecting flight and you want your baggage to go straight through to the final destination, you have to pay for multiple bags. This may favor non-stop flights for those that intend to travel with several pieces of luggage. For those travel plans where passengers are restricted to only carrying their hand luggage, those fees are not incurred anyway, thus offering more freedom.
Bear this in mind: Avoid sites with short minimum connections.
While looking for long layovers, be careful of short minimum connections on other parts of the trip. It is always a little risky and stressful to have only forty-five minutes to make transfer between two flights. It is desirable that each segment be set to have ninety minutes of buffer time or more just in case of a delay. It is frustrating if you get trapped in the airport due to missed tight connections, all in the name of having a long layover.
Incorporating layover cities into destination marketing While it is easier to market a city that is already a popular tourist destination, it is also possible to use layover cities in this regard.
Although if you are not planning on having a different destination, even though you have extended layovers, flying in and flying out of different airports can be advantageous in terms of the prices offered. For instance, London has six airports so when one flies into Heathrow and returns from Gatwick through a very long connection, it becomes cheap. Long layovers can also help with openjaw tickets as well Besides, it is also discovered that long layovers will lead to more options of the openjaw ticket.
Think How Will You Travel To And From Airports
While considering layover possibilities, bear in mind the ground transfers™ time and cost from/to the specific airports. While some are situated at a relatively greater distance from popular tourist sites. Transportation might also be a challenge, especially during early morning or late evenings. It is important to have ample time for relaxation after considering transportation costs during a layover. Do not plan other activities to be done near the time of check-out as well as before that.
Learn About Travel Insurance, including Luggage Insurance
Traveling with more sectors within a single trip makes it easier for scenarios such as missing luggage, connection flights or canceled flights. This is especially important if one is traveling to a foreign country to avoid being inconvenienced if there is a change of events. Check if it includes the costs of food and accommodations upon long wait, like hotels and meals and not only your total trip's delay. Lost baggage coverage is something that you cannot afford to be without in the event that you are going to be traveling with items that are very expensive.
Airport amenities and services to be investigated
The moment you book your layover flight, then it is time to research and get more details on the services that the airport has to offer. To name a few, some have free walking tours travel concierges currency exchanges nap pods showers movie theaters indoor gardens, and more to engage you. Whenever possible, visit airports™ websites in advance to find out where the maps and amenity lists are so that you can manage your layover hours effectively. That way, there will be no confusion when one gets there because it is already prearranged.
Prioritize Your Layover Activities
The key thing with having an ideal plan is that it will help one to make the best of the available time in a layover. Examine areas of interest, including places of interest around the airport and the specific neighborhoods. Stick with the online guides that will let you create a schedule that is feasible in the current circumstances. Customs immigration bag pickup and recheck may take between 60 and 90 minutes when transiting, so ensure you leave enough time for anything else before your next flight. Introduce some buffer time as well. It's important to have other plans in place in case you cannot get to some of the attractions.
Over to you
With a little creativity and planning done, and with some strategic booking, long layovers can be turned into free mini-adventures. Take the advice and have fun exploring between your flights.