I’m sure many of you saw the recent news story about a 17-year-old boy who was caught “skiplagging”. In case you’re not familiar with the term skiplagging, it also goes by “hidden city” and “throwaway” ticketing. Basically, you pay for a cheaper flight that has your desired destination as a layover, and then you get off at the layover city and skip flying the final flight segment. There is even a website to find these lower-priced skiplagged tickets.
However, most airlines have a policy that prohibits skiplagging. And unfortunately, this 17-year-old was banned from flying American Airlines for 3 years. And, his parents had to pay for a new flight to his desired city for a cost of $400.
The Temptation
The cost savings of skiplagging tickets can be huge. I haven’t looked at skiplagging.com for flights, but I’ve found some real bargains while searching on my own.
For example, I’m currently looking to book return flights home from Costa Rica. I’m looking at both miles and cash options for my family of five. As part of my search, I’m looking at routes to nearby cities which would only require a short/cheap flight to our final destination.
With that in mind, I looked at our options for flying from Costa Rica to Austin, TX. The current price for our date on American Airlines is $222 with a stopover in Dallas (which is where we really want to land). The price for flying to Dallas on American Airlines is $582! That’s a huge difference, especially when you multiply it by 5 people!
The Risks
No, I won’t be booking that cheaper flight and getting off in Dallas. The risks are just too great. While it’s possible that nothing could happen, American Airlines could:
- Ban us from the airline
- Take away our AAdvantage frequent flyer accounts
- Kick us off the flight and make us pay a higher price
My family flies too much and relies on American Airlines for many routes. It’s just not worth the risk for us. Plus, it’s against airline policy.
Yet, the skiplagging website is alive and well, so some people must be doing it and getting away with it. Have you ever booked a skiplagging ticket or have been tempted to book one?
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
I did it once. I was going to Lisbon on TAP and the flight JFK-London with a stopover in Lisbon was like $300 cheaper than the same flight JFK-Lisbon. I didn’t check a bag and at check in they asked me about my return flight. I said I was going to fly from London to Lisbon on a low cost and return to NY from Lisbon. And I had to tell my 8 year old that we were NOT going to London 🙂 But it was stressful to check in.
@Tania I’m glad it worked out for you!
For me, the biggest risk would be that they make you check yur carry on.
Leticia
@Leticia Good point! That’s a risk for sure.
I have never skip lagged nor looked up on the website for tickets. I have worked in reservations for two of the larger airlines and never understood why this is a problem. I would love to know why it is such a big deal. I mean no disrespect and they must have a logical reason but I would love to know. What I see is… First, airlines (most but not all) overbook flights…bonus they don’t have to pay someone to stay behind if someone missed a flight due to skiplagging. Two, they get the money they were asking for…kudos to someone who is smart enough to pay less. Why do the airline dislike this? Now I do see a problem if it is the same plane, where you land and they let you get off for 20 minutes while they pick up new passengers but you can leave all of your baggage onboard. In that scenario, they had a passenger and now they don’t and no one told them where their passenger went. It has been a long time since I have been on a flight where you were allowed to stay on board while they pick up new additional passenger but that is the only case where I see it a problem. Can someone explain why it is such a concern so we all understand the issue? Again, I am not being rude so please reply nicely, just trying to understand. Thanks
@Michele You make some really good points but I think it’s all about the maximum revenue for the airlines. If they can get away with charging over $500 for flights to Dallas, they don’t want some of those folks to shortcut their way to the $200 price.
How does the airline know you have skiplagged?
@Ron They will see when your seat is empty on the final leg. Or, in the case of that boy from the news story, his driver’s license showed his residency in the stopover city.