What is skiplagging and why is it risky for travelers?

What Is Skiplagging—and Is It Illegal? Skiplagging is the practice of hopping off in your layover city instead of boarding the connecting flight to your ticket's final destination. Many travelers do this in order to capitalize on a lower airfare to your secretly intended destination (the layover city).



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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. It cannot. Every 'ticket' issued by Skiplagged is at risk of being invalidated, the airline said.

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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. It cannot.

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Skiplagging, also referred to as “hidden-city” or “throwaway” ticketing, is the practice of booking a less-expensive flight option with a layover city without planning to fly the entire route.

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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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In some cases, it may even ban you from flying with the airline temporarily — as in the incident with the teen earlier this summer. Even worse, you could be banned permanently.

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Limit interaction with the airline's employees
He said passengers planning to use hidden city tickets should avoid in-person check-in and use online or mobile check-in instead. To avoid arousing suspicion when skiplagging, fly under the radar and avoid speaking to airline staff unless necessary.

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Though it is not illegal, the practice is strictly prohibited by airlines in their contracts of carriage. And carriers have shown an erratic but heavy hand in administering punishment for those caught, eliminating a skiplagger's frequent flier miles in one instance and suing a passenger in another.

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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.

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How much does a Ferry Pilot make? As of Nov 6, 2023, the average annual pay for a Ferry Pilot in the United States is $99,206 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $47.70 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,907/week or $8,267/month.

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

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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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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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