In the 1960s, Icelandair first started incentivizing American travelers transiting to continental Europe to spend a few extra days in its country. The airline stopover program has been picked up by many major airlines in recent years, letting travelers adjust their ticket to work in a visit in the transit city without additional fees.
At the start of 2026, Jordan’s flag carrier Royal Jordanian Airlines became the latest to launch a city stopover program in which some travelers from India using the airline to fly to cities in Europe or North America to turn a layover in Amman into a 24-hour visit.
Turkish Airways, Tap Air Portugal, Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airlines, and LOT Polish Airlines are among the other carriers currently also offering stopovers in the capitals of their home countries.
Air France introduces new Paris Stopover program
While Paris needs no promotion or increased tourist numbers, Air France has become the latest major airline to launch a ticket extension program dubbed the Paris Stopover.
Designed in partnership with local travel agency Extime Travel, the Paris Stopover allows those taking an Air France flight through Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to another destination to extend their ticket by up to four days spent in Paris.
Related: A new country is offering a free airline stopover program
While the tickets will be adjusted free of charge, those interested need to book one of two packages that includes accommodation and a sightseeing itinerary: the Paris Essentials with a river cruise and guided city tour or the Disneyland Paris that includes transportation and entry to the theme park.
Both packages start at €449 ($517) nightly per person and include transfers to and from the airport. They also include a stay at one of six four-star hotels, including the Mercure Notre Dame Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Pullman Paris Montparnasse for Paris Essentials and the Grand Magic Hotel and Dream Castle Hotel for Disneyland Paris.
“Extend your connection in Paris for a few days and let the city add a new dimension to your journey,” Air France writes in promoting the new option.
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How to add the Air France Paris Stopover extension to your flight
To take advantage, guests need to go into their flight booking which will automatically have an “extend my connection” tab for flights departing within more than 48 hours. The extension needs to total no less than 27 hours in length and comes from internal data that showed Air France that approximately half of its passengers take the airline to transit to another destination rather than directly to France.
Another recent study commissioned by Air France showed that 81% of its customers were “somewhat or very interested in the possibility of using their time between flights to leave the airport and explore Paris or other attractions near Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.”
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However, some said the high cost and need to book a tour package would drive them away. (Several other stopover programs allow travelers to change their ticket completely free of charge and figure out their own accommodation.)
The Turkish Airlines Istanbul Stopover program even grants economy travelers one free night at a four-star hotel and business passengers up to two free nights at a five-star one.
Related: This airline is betting big on France and Québec City travel
