"Skiplagging," or "hidden city ticketing," is an unconventional approach of buying airline tickets in order to save money. With this strategy, a person books a flight with multiple stops, yet instead of traveling all the way to the last destination, they get off at the connection city. Although there are chances of success while trying this, many airlines have imposed restrictions on this practice.
"Skiplagging", or "hidden city ticketing", is a money-saving hack for travelers, but comes with potential risks that travel experts urge caution with. The basic idea is that, rather than fly nonstop to a desired city, a passenger would buy a multi-leg flight with a connection in their desired city and disembark at the layover stop instead. Sally French of NerdWallet has noted the cost benefits in some cases, but has pointed out that airlines view this practice with disfavor, and may enforce potential consequences if someone is caught. According to David Slotnick of The Points Guy, skiplagging has been around for some time, but is a risky decision that should only be attempted if travelers are fully aware of the implications.
Due to the convenience of online travel bookings, including those offered by websites like Skiplagged.com that specialize in such bookings, it has become easier to partake in this practice, said French. Skiplagged.com has various often-asked questions that detail some of the potential risks and include advice on how to minimize them. "This is fully legal and one can save quite a bit of money, but some things have to be taken into consideration," the company stated in an FAQ response, adding: "You may encounter disapproval from the airline, so try not to do it too often."The (a) danger of this was highlighted at the beginning of this month when a teen attempted to use the practice. The teen was set to fly from Gainesville, Florida to New York with a stopover in Charlotte, North Carolina; rather than disembarking in New York, the traveler planned to do so in Charlotte.
American Airlines reportedly canceled the ticket of the traveler because they had figured out the traveler's intention. If this happens, the passenger may not only have to book a new flight at the last minute, which could erase any savings, but they could also be banned from the carrier's frequent-flier program and lose all the accompanying advantages. It's possible that the carrier could even bar the traveler from flying with them again, and might take them to court for recompense. The airline's contract, known as the conditions of carriage, sets the regulations for passengers and usually forbids skiplagging, though it usually does not name it. American's contract states that the ticket is valid only for travel to and from the specified cities.
Explicitly, this practice is prohibited because it is done to take advantage of fare and ticket rules. United Airline and Orbitz attempted to sue Skiplagged.com's founder in 2014, but the case was dismissed the following year. Airlines do not appreciate this practice because doing so means a loss of potential revenue, for instance, a seat that could have been sold or a more expensive nonstop ticket that could have been purchased. Additionally, it can mess with their internal planning and flight scheduling. According to Slotnick, the issue is not the savings of $20 or less from this scheme, but rather the predictability of the data set. Skiplagged is a response to the monopolies that airlines possess on certain hub airports and their corresponding prices. Although thousands of people engage in Skiplagged or hidden city ticketing every day, there are generally no problems reported.
Those who employ hidden city ticketing may encounter additional issues. For instance, one would be unable to check their baggage, which will be propelled to the ultimate destination, not the connecting city, according to French. Carrying a bag on board may be a troublesome endeavor as well; if the overhead room is full when boarding, you may be obliged to check the bag, French states. Moreover, it is essential to book two separate one-way tickets, since the airline may cancel the return ticket in the event that you do not show up for one of the legs of the journey, experts state. In addition, French mentions that flight timetables are "truly unpredictable," resulting in a possible change of the layover destination if the airline decides to reroute your flight. French recommends other approaches to find economical airfares like using Google Explore and Going, which can generate flight alerts, particularly for those open to tweaking their travel dates and destination.
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