What is flight skipping?

Skiplagging, also known as hidden city ticketing, is when an air traveler buys a ticket for a flight with a layover before the final destination and departs at the layover airport.



Flight skipping, also known as "skiplagging" or "hidden-city ticketing," is the practice of booking a flight with a layover in your true destination and then walking away from the airport during that layover, skipping the final leg of the journey. This is often done because airlines sometimes price multi-segment flights (e.g., NYC to London to Paris) cheaper than a direct flight to the hub city (e.g., NYC to London). While not illegal, it is a major violation of the airline's Contract of Carriage. In 2026, airlines use advanced algorithms to detect "no-shows" on the second leg; if caught, the airline will immediately cancel the remainder of your itinerary, including any return flights on that ticket. Furthermore, you cannot check bags, as they will be sent to the final ticketed destination (e.g., Paris), not your stop-off city (e.g., London). Frequent use of this tactic can lead to the permanent suspension of your frequent flyer account and the forfeiture of all your accumulated miles, making it a high-risk strategy for serious travelers.

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“Say I want to fly to Miami from New York,” he says. “Prices are high if I book direct, but if I fly New York to Miami to Orlando, I can save $130. I could book that, pocket the savings, and then get off the plane in Miami instead of continuing on to Orlando.”

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What are the risks for customers who skiplag? If an airline finds out what you are doing, it could simply cancel your ticket or even ban you from flying with it.

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Skiplagging, also known as hidden city ticketing, is when a customer books a connecting flight, but actually gets off at the layover airport rather than their final destination. The hack can save customers hundreds of dollars on their ticket — but can come at a heavy price if airlines find out.

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The practice can even result in airline-enforced penalties, such as adding those passengers to no-fly lists, asking them to buy full priced tickets to their true destinations or even removing frequent flier miles from their accounts. Even if airlines suspect you're skiplagging, punishments could be on the way.

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Most airlines only charge a fee for missing a flight if the passenger seems to have a habit of doing it purposely, commonly known as skiplagging, in which a passenger books a ticket with no intention of taking the secondary legs of a trip in order to secure a cheaper fare.

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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.

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But skiplagging is controversial, and many airlines frown upon it — so much that it can be punishable by miles or status cancellations and even a lifetime ban from the airline.

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Skiplagging is not illegal. But most major airlines, including American, Delta Southwest and United, don't allow it. For one thing, airlines lose money on the practice, says Tim Huh, a professor at the University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Business, who co-authored a study on skiplagging last year.

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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.

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In its complaint, American alleges that Skiplagged's practices are deceptive and abusive. Skiplagged deceives the public into believing that, even though it has no authority to form and issue a contract on American's behalf, somehow it can still issue a completely valid ticket.

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“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.

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A dummy ticket, also known as a fake ticket or a dummy booking, is a simulated or fictional flight reservation that is not actually confirmed with an airline or travel agency.

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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.

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“Hidden city ticketing,” or booking a flight with the intention of getting off at the layover city rather than the final destination, is perfectly legal, but there are some factors to consider before making it a habit.

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Enter Skiplagged. This service finds hidden city tickets — which means you buy a ticket with a layover in your desired destination and instead of getting on the second flight, you just take your carry-on suitcase and leave the airport.

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It's highly unlikely you'd face any repercussions if you do it once, but if you make it a habit or the airline sees an egregious pattern of hidden city ticketing, there could penalties from the airline, like losing your frequent flyer points.

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American Airlines' conditions specifically prohibit “purchasing a ticket without intending to fly all flights to gain lower fares (hidden city ticketing).” Most other major U.S. airlines have similar restrictions in place.

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Can I go outside the airport on a connecting flight? You can if you have time but you'll have to go through all the security checks when you re-enter. It's usually not worth the time and effort and you might even miss your flight if you miscalculate the time it takes to get back through security.

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A ghost flight is when an airline operates a plane on a regularly scheduled route with little to no passengers - under 10% of capacity - onboard. This is most often done to make certain airlines can fulfill their contractual obligations so as not to lose one of their most precious assets - airport slots.

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