Are Skiplagged flights illegal?

Is skiplagging illegal? No, but it's against most airlines' contracts of carriage or the rules people must follow to fly with the airline. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines both put skiplagging first on their lists of prohibited booking practices.



People Also Ask

The teenager's father, Hunter Parsons, told Insider that the airline barred his son from flying with them for three years because he was planning to use a $150 skiplagging ticket — a practice prohibited by many airlines, including American.

MORE DETAILS

Even though the airlines didn't win their legal battle, they can still punish those who engage (or perceive to engage) in skiplagging—and they will.

MORE DETAILS

Booking through the site is safe and secure. But there's a reason why we urge all travelers to exhaust all their other options to find cheap flights before booking a fare through Skiplagged. It's looked down upon in the travel industry (especially by airlines – surprise, surprise.)

MORE DETAILS

While not illegal, intentionally skipping segments on an itinerary does almost always violates airlines' contracts of carriage. For example, American's contract of carriage says this: Reservations made to exploit or circumvent fare and ticket rules are prohibited.

MORE DETAILS

Simply, it's booking a flight from Airport A to Airport C and getting off at a layover at Airport B. People can save hundreds of dollars doing this because a nonstop flight is more expensive than booking one with a layover in the intended-destination city.

MORE DETAILS

Does Skiplagged charge a fee? There is a service fee with each standard booking completed through Skiplagged, starting around $8.

MORE DETAILS

Skiplagged founder Aktarer Zaman identified a problem -- the seeming arbitrary nature of airfares -- and attacked it. Now United and Orbitz may eat him for lunch. Aktarer Zaman, the 22-year-old Skiplagged founder who got sued by Orbitz and United, has a B.S.

MORE DETAILS

To do this, he advises checking in online or via an app, instead of going to a kiosk at the airport. Then, unless it is something urgent, it's better to 'avoid speaking to airline staff' for the entirety of the journey.

MORE DETAILS

Will Skiplagged get you blacklisted? Most airlines will cancel your return ticket if you miss a portion of your itinerary. So if you intentionally skip your connection, you may find yourself without a flight home. Airlines can, and do, blacklist customers from booking tickets with them.

MORE DETAILS

You won't have a schedule to keep the next day. After “losing” your connection, your remains flights will be cancelled as no shows. The airlines know their fares and know that it can often be cheaper to book flights through vs to a city.

MORE DETAILS

Yes, you can leave the airport during domestic layovers. For instance, if you're a US citizen and have a layover within the country, it is legal and safe to leave the airport. Be aware that you'll probably be getting two boarding passes if the domestic layover is more than an hour.

MORE DETAILS

Skiplagging or hidden-city flying is where you get off at the layover rather than the final destination. For example, a flight from New York to Orlando might be $250, but a similar flight from New York to Dallas with a layover in Orlando might be $130.

MORE DETAILS

Airlines say that exploitation of hidden-city fares results in empty seats that could have been booked by others.

MORE DETAILS

If you fly a plane without a license, the legal consequences can be up to $250,000 in fines and three years in prison. If you cause injury or destruction to property, your punishment could be even more severe.

MORE DETAILS

“The reason someone might try to utilize hidden-city ticketing is simple: People can fly directly to their destination without paying the direct flight price tag,” Going.com spokesperson Katy Nastro says.

MORE DETAILS