Skiplagging: The Controversial Flight Booking Hack That Airlines Despise

You navigate through United Airlines’ website searching for a Thanksgiving flight to Chicago. However, the direct flights from Los Angeles to Chicago are fully booked on the day before the holiday.

You then notice a United flight heading to New York City from Los Angeles for $300 per passenger in basic economy, with a stopover in Chicago. You opt to book this flight, planning to disembark in Chicago rather than continue to New York City.

This technique is known as skiplagging, employed by some travelers to cut costs when the indirect route is less expensive than flying directly to the intended destination. It’s also a strategy for reaching destinations where direct flights are unavailable.

Despite its popularity among budget-savvy travelers, skiplagging is viewed unfavorably by airlines. The practice is so contentious that it may lead to severe repercussions, including the forfeiture of miles or elite status, and possibly a lifetime prohibition from the airline.

Airlines are concerned about passengers skipping a flight segment, even though the ticket has been purchased, primarily due to revenue loss. A common operational model for many airlines is the hub-and-spoke system. This involves routing flights through a central airport (the hub) before reaching the final destination, especially for flights to and from smaller airports. This system aims to maximize aircraft capacity by gathering passengers from various locations at the hub.

The practice of hidden city ticketing undermines this model by affecting the airlines’ pricing strategy. It limits an airline’s capability to competitively price flights in markets where they wish to encourage direct bookings. By exploiting loopholes in pricing structures, passengers using skiplagging inadvertently impact the revenue potential of airlines on specific routes, challenging the economic balance of the hub-and-spoke system.

What is skiplagging?

Skiplagging, also known as hidden-city ticketing, is a travel hack where passengers book a flight with at least one layover and intentionally disembark at the layover city instead of continuing to the final ticketed destination. This strategy is often used to exploit pricing inefficiencies in airline ticketing, where sometimes a flight with a layover can be cheaper than a direct flight to the layover city.

Is Skipping Layover Flights Illegal?

Skiplagging is not illegal in the sense of breaking laws; however, it violates most airlines’ terms of service. Passengers won’t face legal action for skiplagging, but they do risk consequences from the airlines.

Can You Get Banned for Skiplagging?

Yes, airlines can ban passengers from flying with them if they frequently engage in skiplagging. Since it breaches the airline’s terms of service, carriers can take actions such as closing frequent flyer accounts, confiscating miles, or even blacklisting passengers from booking future flights.

Is There a Penalty for Skiplagging?

While there’s no legal penalty, airlines may impose penalties such as canceling the remaining segment(s) of your itinerary without a refund, revoking frequent flyer benefits, or other sanctions as outlined in their policies.

Can You Hop on a Flight at the Layover?

Boarding a flight at its layover point instead of its original departure point usually isn’t allowed. Tickets are generally voided if you miss the initial segment of your journey.

Do Airlines Like Skiplagged?

No, airlines do not approve of skiplagging. It disrupts their pricing strategy and inventory management, leading to potential revenue losses and logistical challenges.

Why Do Airlines Not Like Skiplagging?

Airlines price their flights based on demand, competition, and market strategies. Skiplagging undermines these pricing models and can also affect seat availability and revenue management, making it difficult for airlines to accurately forecast demand.

What Happens If You Purposely Miss a Connecting Flight?

If you purposely miss a connecting flight due to skiplagging, the airline may cancel the rest of your itinerary. For non-skiplagging scenarios, airlines typically rebook passengers on the next available flight, but intentional misses for skiplagging won’t receive such accommodation.

What Happens If I Purposely Miss a Flight?

Purposely missing a flight can lead to the cancellation of your remaining itinerary without refund. Repeat offenses can lead to further penalties from the airline.

Which Airlines Prohibit Skiplagging?

Most major airlines prohibit skiplagging through their terms of service. While specific policies can vary, the practice is universally discouraged across the industry, with carriers like United, American, Delta, and others having clauses that address fare abuse, including skiplagging.

In summary, while skiplagging may seem like a clever way to save on airfare, it comes with significant risks. Passengers considering this approach should weigh the potential short-term savings against the long-term consequences, including the possibility of being banned by airlines or facing other penalties.

Skiplagged is a unique travel platform designed to uncover exceptionally low flight and hotel rates not typically found on other sites. It specializes in revealing “hidden-city” ticketing options—where travelers book a flight with a layover and leave at the layover city instead of the final destination. This can lead to significant savings but is controversial among airlines. Skiplagged also compares regular flight prices to ensure users get the best deals available, extending their savings to hotel bookings with exclusive “skiplagged rates.”

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