PHOENIX, Ariz. — You search Delta Air Lines’ website for a Thanksgiving flight to Atlanta. But the Phoenix-Atlanta flights on the day before the holiday are sold out.
Then you see a Delta flight to Orlando, Florida, from Phoenix for $260 per passenger in basic economy with a layover in Atlanta. You decide to book the flight and leave the plane in Atlanta instead of flying to Orlando.
This travel hack is called skiplagging. Some passengers use it to save money when the longer route is cheaper than the desired destination. Others use it to get to a destination where direct flights are sold out.
But skiplagging is controversial, and many airlines frown upon it – so much that it can be punishable by miles or status cancellations and even a lifetime ban from the airline.
In one recent case, American Airlines canceled a Florida teen’s ticket for a flight from Gainesville, Florida, to New York City, with a layover in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to a report from Queen City News in Charlotte, the teen was detained at the airport and questioned over his intentions to disembark in Charlotte. Gate agents flagged him after noticing his North Carolina driver’s license.
Learn more: Best travel insurance
Here’s what travelers should know about skiplagging.
What is skiplagging?
Skiplagging, also known as hidden city ticketing, is when an air traveler buys a ticket for a flight with a layover before the final destination and departs at the layover airport.
A travel website called Skiplagged.com allows people to find and book tickets for flights with hidden city ticketing. The posted savings generally range from $20 to $60 each way, like a Phoenix-Honolulu flight on Jan. 24 for $146, advertised for $47 less than a direct ticket. In one extreme case, Skiplagged advertised a Phoenix-Charlotte flight on Nov. 24 for $124, a savings of more than half the cost of a $257 direct ticket.
Is skiplagging illegal?
No, but it’s against most airlines’ contracts of carriage, or the rules people must follow to fly with the airline.
American Airlines and Southwest Airlines both put skiplagging first on their lists of prohibited booking practices. The airlines define skiplagging, which they refer to in the contract as hidden city ticketing, as “purchasing a ticket without intending to fly all flights to gain lower fares.”
United Airlines and Delta Air Lines also prohibit skiplagging.
Skiplagged.com’s FAQ page on skiplagging closes with these words: “You might upset the airline, so don’t do it often.”
Why do airlines hate skiplagging?
When American Airlines canceling the North Carolina teen’s plane ticket went viral after national media picked up the story on July 12, some social media users wondered: Why are airlines making a big deal about travelers skipping a leg of their flight if they’re getting money from the ticket either way?
One reason given is lost revenue. Many airlines operate on a “hub-and-spoke” system, where flights are routed from an airport that’s a central point, or hub, which then connect with other airports within the region. Flights to and from smaller airports usually go through a hub airport before the final destination to fill their planes with as many passengers as possible.
Hidden city pricing reduces competition for routes by restricting an airline’s ability to charge a low price for the flight in the connecting city, according to a 2022 study by business professors Jaelynn Oh of the University of Utah and Tim Huh of the University of British Columbia.
Oh and Huh think skiplagging could have the unintended consequence of increasing airfares.
The practice also can cause flight delays.
In a 2021 court filing, Southwest said skiplagging caused the airline problems when flight crews and operations staff tried to locate passengers booked for the flight who departed in the connecting airport.
Attempts to locate these passengers caused flight delays that affected other passengers and disrupted Southwest’s flight schedule and on-time performance, according to the filing.
What can airlines do if they catch you skiplagging?
According to American and Southwest’s contracts of carriage, they can cancel any unused part of a ticket, refuse to let the passenger and their bags fly, not issue a refund and charge the customer for what the ticket would have cost for the full route. Airlines may ban a passenger from flying with them in the future.
Some airlines have challenged the practice in court but without success.
In November 2014, United Airlines sued Skiplagged.com and its founder in court, claiming trademark infringement, according to court documents. A judge dismissed the suit the following year.
In 2018, Lufthansa sued a passenger who purchased a ticket for a flight from Oslo, Norway, to Seattle with a layover in Frankfurt, Germany. He departed in Frankfurt and flew from there to Berlin.
According to a CNN report citing German court documents, Lufthansa sought the difference for the itinerary should have cost, about $2,385. A judge in Germany dismissed the case over the airline’s recalculated airfare. Lufthansa appealed, then later dropped the case.
What should travelers know before they consider a skiplagged flight?
Know that it is a risky practice that goes against your airline’s rules and be aware of the potential consequences.
If you choose to skiplag, do not check a bag. If you do, or if you’re forced to check a carry-on bag because there’s no room for it in the overhead bin, that luggage will end up in the final destination on the itinerary, not at the connecting airport.
Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salerno_phx.
