What is the “skiplagging” tactic some travelers use and why do airlines hate it?

(CNN) — What would you do to save US$500 on a flight? Some travelers resort to a practice called “skiplagging” to achieve this.

Skiplagging, also known as “hidden city tickets” or “throwaway tickets”, is a way for some travelers to bypass the often inexplicable airline reservation system and reduce the price of their travel.

Airlines sometimes charge more for a direct flight than for a flight connecting one or more cities. In this practice, the traveler books a cheaper flight with two or more stops instead of purchasing a more expensive direct flight. But it is a connecting city, not the final city of the flight, it is the real secret destination of the “skiplagger”.

“Skiplager” departs from the airport in the connecting city. To put it mildly, airlines don’t like this strategy. And passengers who do so may face penalties from companies. However, some travelers are willing to take the risk.

The story of a “skiplugger”

Amanda, a mother who works in marketing in Texas, flies frequently and recently started doing so. He agreed to talk about his experiences of “skiplagging” if CNN Travel published only his first name.

Amanda says she’s used “Hidden City Tickets” about 10 times over the past two years and estimates she’s saved between $3,000 and $4,000.

“I think I started about two years ago, after the pandemic. I think in 2021, companies started raising prices,” Amanda explains. doing skiplagging“I pay very little, and I do it consistently.”

Amanda said she usually does this on international flights.

At this time, the airlines have not discovered that Amanda engaged in this practice. Are you worried about finding out later?

“I hope that doesn’t happen, because it helps me a lot,” he says. “I plan to do it again at the end of the month” for international flying.

To be clear, “skiplagging” is not a criminal offense.

“You’re not going to jail,” says Scott Keyes, founder of travel website Going. “This is something that goes against the airline’s contract of carriage, meaning they consider it a violation of the terms and conditions you agreed to when you purchased your flight.”

And while airlines can’t throw offenders in jail, Keyes says they can try to discourage skipplaggers, especially more insolent repeat offenders, with stiffer penalties, such as frequent flyer miles. loss or even ban. To fly with an airline.

History and operation of “skiplagging”

Skiplagging is nothing new.

“In fact, travel agencies have been using it as a tool to save their clients money for many years,” Phil Dengler, co-founder of travel website The Vacationer, told CNN in an email interview.

Dengler says the website Skiplagged.com has raised awareness of the practice over the past decade.

“The term ‘skiplagging’ has gradually replaced ‘hidden city passage’ as the most commonly used term to refer to this practice.”

Former airline pilot and FlightAware spokeswoman Kathleen Bangs said in an email interview that “It could be considered the modern equivalent of ghosting on an airline flight, as the carrier waits for you in the seat you purchased, but you never show up.” Let’s give.”

According to Bangs, this practice does not exist on non-stop flights, and he presents a hypothetical situation:

“Let’s say I want to fly from Minneapolis to Miami, and the fare is $500. Then I find out that if I book a flight from Minneapolis to Jacksonville, Florida, with a stopover or connection in Miami, the fare is only $350. Is.”

“In that case, I can book a one-way flight, bring only carry-on luggage and never board the Miami-Jacksonville leg of the itinerary and voila: I’m in Miami, where I wanted to be in the first place. , and I saved $150 in the process.”

Why do airlines hate skipplagging?

Airlines despise this practice. Dengler explains why.

“Airlines don’t like skiplagging because it costs them money. Connecting flights are usually cheaper than non-stop flights because airlines have a lower price ceiling for them,” he explains.

“Skipping the last leg guaranteed that there would be an empty seat on the flight that the airline could sell for more money to someone who wanted to fly nonstop. Although the aircraft would be slightly lighter, the airlines decided that any This kind of fuel economy is not appropriate.” Cost of lost ticket sales.

“Also, the airline knows you were on the first flight and you are at the airport. Gate agents may call you by name or cause a slight delay in closing the doors. In addition to losing money, this is a hassle for airline employees. Creates additional stress.

According to Keyes, airlines with hub-and-spoke models that operate flights to multiple destinations in all directions from their main airports are often most affected and therefore most concerned about skiplagging.

CNN Travel contacted seven major airlines with this type of model for comment: American, Delta and United in the United States, as well as Air Canada, British Airways, Emirates (Dubai) and Lufthansa (Germany).

Only American provided a formal comment, saying: “The practice of hidden city fares is prohibited by American terms of transportation and agency agreements… If a customer, knowingly or unknowingly, purchases a fare and your itinerary does not fly on all segments of the airline, may cause operational issues with checked bags and may prevent other customers from reserving a seat when they may have an urgent need to travel Deliberately creating an empty seat that cannot be used Could have been done by another customer or team member, with completely negative results.

Air Canada, Delta and United responded by citing their transportation contracts. Emirates did not comment, and British Airways and Lufthansa did not respond.

The US Department of Transportation, which has defended passenger rights following cancellation problems in recent years, did not specifically mention “skiplagging” when asked for comment, saying simply: “As we increase our enforcement, public awareness and regulatory efforts”, consumer protection is one of the Department’s top priorities. “We will continue to review concerns and respond appropriately.”

Keyes said there is a delicate balance in trying to crack down on airlines.

“They’re worried that if they make too much of an example of it, if they highlight it too much, it could have a counterproductive effect and more people will find out how some people save money on their flights.”

Results of “skipplagging”

Keyes says he has skipjacked several times himself, and points to a New York Times polemicist who wrote a column about the practice.

Dengler warns against swimming in those waters.

“Although skiplagging is a way to save money on flights, I don’t recommend it in most situations. It’s too complicated and stressful. Although you can probably get away with it if you do it very rarely, it has a downside for you. The real risk is the airline will strip you of your miles, force you to pay the difference in fare, and temporarily bar you from flying.

Back in Texas, Amanda is willing to take the risk because it’s the only way she can afford to go out of the country as often as she needs to.

Tickets are now “three, sometimes five times, more expensive than they were two or three years ago. So sometimes, you know, it’s impossible to continue traveling.”

editor’s Note: This article was originally published in November 2023.