hacer escala
verbCEFR B1
What does “hacer escala” mean in English?
to make a stopover, to have a layover
to make a stopover, to have a layover (of a flight that stops at an intermediate airport before reaching the final destination)
Example sentences
El vuelo hacía escala en Dubai durante tres horas, y aprovechamos para salir del aeropuerto y dar una vuelta rápida por la ciudad antes de tomar el segundo avión.
The flight had a three-hour stopover in Dubai, and we took the chance to leave the airport and take a quick look around the city before boarding the second plane.
Si hubiéramos sabido que el vuelo hacía escala en tres países, no lo habríamos reservado, porque el tiempo total de viaje era de veinte horas y no valía la pena el ahorro.
If we had known the flight had stopovers in three countries, we wouldn't have booked it, because the total travel time was twenty hours and the saving wasn't worth it.
How to use it
Hacer escala means 'to make a stopover' or 'to have a layover'. The phrase is idiomatic: hacer carries the verbal content and escala is the noun ('stop'). The preposition after escala is en: 'hacer escala en Ámsterdam'. The noun escala alone means 'stopover': 'un vuelo con escala' (a connecting flight) vs 'un vuelo directo' or 'vuelo sin escalas' (non-stop flight). In travel complaints, the scale becomes relevant when the layover causes a missed connection.
Common mistake
Do not say 'tener escala' — hacer escala is the idiomatic form. 'Tener escala' is not standard. Also note: vuelo con escala means the flight has a stopover; escala técnica is a fuel stop with no passengers disembarking.