How to add the Middle East to Europe and vice versa for nothing or very little
Last month we looked at some fresh analysis of our beautiful Stopover Loophole Strategy (SLS) for Europe and Africa. This month we look at how you can do it by combining Europe and the Middle East. The SLS strategy is like going to the store to buy some nice wine and cheese; then at checkout, the cashier throws in hummus, tabouli, and pita bread for free.
What is the Stopover Loophole Strategy?
A stopover is a planned stop of more than four hours for domestic travel, and 24 hours for international travel, between flight segments. But longer stopovers are occasionally allowed for free, or for a small fee (otherwise they can be very expensive). This means you can enjoy a second destination on a trip – most often in the applicable airline’s hub city. So, if you’re a business traveler, for instance, you can add a second destination to your trip, in some cases for little, or nothing, or less than nothing more. (More on that in a moment.) In this case, we’re talking about going to the Middle East and adding a side trip in Europe — or going to Europe and adding a side trip to the Middle East.
Get in the Loop
Let’s see “the Loop” in action for Europe and the Middle East. Here are two scenarios:
Scenario #1: You are going to the Middle East, and you get to spend a day, a couple of days, or a week on a side trip in Europe for free or cheap — and in some cases, actually lower than your fare to the Middle East.
Scenario #2: You are going to Europe, and you take a side trip to the Middle East, again for a day, a couple of days, or even a week for free or cheap, compared to the normal fare to Europe.
Loopy, right? But loo-crative. Let’s look at an example.
EXAMPLE: Los Angeles to Dubai / Germany
Lars from LA always wanted to visit Germany. His mother was from Frankfurt and spoke of “Mainhattan” being the city’s nickname. Lars loved the connection and made it a mission. But when? Lars does a lot of Business in Dubai–he’s there several times a year–and then he heard about the magical SLS. Normally, Lars would pay $4,418 for a Business Class round-trip fare to Dubai from Los Angeles. With the Loophole Strategy, he can add Frankfurt – Mainhattan – and pay just $3,548 in total – or $870 LESS than his normal trip, without the free side trip. Who’d have thought?
The chart below shows various other examples to keep an eye out for. Many of them allow you to add a city for less, about the same, or only a bit more than your round-trip costs without the stopover. Use this as a guide to explore what’s most suitable for you.
Cost to Add a Stop in Europe
on the Way to the Middle East
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In the chart above, you either pay up to just $324 more to visit an extra city or you can even pay up to $870 less. It’s like they’re paying YOU to travel to a city on your bucket list.
EXAMPLE: NORMAL Round-Trip Fare
EXAMPLE: FCF's SLS Fare
EXAMPLE: Dallas to Helsinki / Bahrain
Matti from Dallas always wanted to visit Bahrain. His mother was from Bahrain and spoke of the city “with the midnight sun.” Matti made it his mission to visit. But when? As it happens, Matti does business in Helsinki — he’s there a couple of times a year — and then he heard about the magical SLS. Normally, Matti would pay $3,848 for a Business Class round-trip fare to Helsinki from Dallas. With FCF’s Stopover Loophole Strategy, he can add Bahrain to the trip and pay just $3,780 in total – or $68 LESS in total to do so.
Cost to Add a Stop in the Middle East
on Your Trip to Europe
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As you can see in the chart above, you can either pay up to just $353 more for an extra city or you can even pay up to $68 less. It’s like they’re paying YOU for an extra city. Did I say that already?
Anywhere Else Strike Your Fancy?
If the samples featured aren’t the ones you have in mind, remember that travel within Europe is generally inexpensive and there are lots of ways to get around. For example, Berlin is just a one-hour flight from Frankfurt or a four-hour train ride, and it’s about the same distance as Zurich. Also, you can play around with dates and itinerary combinations for many other opportunities we haven’t highlighted here. Many cities in Europe and the Middle East have low Stopover Loophole Strategy fares.
Have fun, getting the most bang for your premium travel buck!