Looking to bag a cheaper fight? Of course you are.
One hack is now doing the rounds once again on TikTok, and it can save you money on your next holiday abroad – but it’s not a hit with airlines.
Called ‘skiplagging’, ‘hidden city’ or ‘throwaway ticketing’, it involves booking a cheap flight with a layover.
Rather than the layover airport merely being a connection stop, though, it’s actually your planned destination, so you never fly the entire route.
Since a layover flight further afield is often cheaper than a direct one closer to home, many seasoned travellers use this method to bag a bargain.
It’s so popular, there’s even a website dedicated to it called Skiplagged.com, which alerts users to deals. They say they’re ‘exposing loopholes in airfare pricing to save you money’.
There’s been some controversy though, as United Airlines and Orbitz tried to sue Skiplagged CEO Aktarer Zaman – although he stands by his company being legal.
In a separate lawsuit, American Airlines claimed the site ’employs unauthorized and deceptive ticketing practices’, adding: ‘Every “ticket” used by Skiplagged is at risk of being invalidated.’
Another instance saw Lufthansa attempt to sue a passenger who skiplagged, after paying £600 for flights that he didn’t board the final leg of. The airline claimed he should have paid £2,769, but the court ruled in the passenger’s favour.
As a result, it can be a risky practice, and airlines have becoming increasingly strict on it in recent years as they get more aware of skiplagging.
Passengers caught could be fined or have loyalty air miles removed, and some carriers have even banned people from future flights for trying to disembark before their final destination.
Another thing to keep in mind: this only works if you don’t have checked baggage, as hold luggage is moved between planes automatically, so you can’t pick it up at the layover stop.
Additionally, you can’t skiplag with a return ticket, as if one portion of the flight is skipped, then the rest of the flight reservation gets canceled. If you are planning on taking a round trip using this method, you’ll need to book two separate one-way tickets.
Speaking to Insider, travel blogger Cassie Aran said her first experience of skiplagging was a breeze, but on the second attempt, ‘everything went wrong.’
As she walked to the departures lounge, she was called over to the check-in desk and told she’d be blacklisted by the airline for life if she didn’t get on the onward flight.
‘I didn’t know the consequences would be that serious,’ she said. ‘The whole situation really scared me.’
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