Airlines care about "hidden city ticketing" (booking a flight with a layover in your actual destination and skipping the second leg) because it undermines their hub-and-spoke pricing model. Airlines often charge more for a direct flight to a major hub than for a connecting flight through that same hub to a smaller, less-in-demand city. When a passenger uses a "hidden city" ticket, the airline loses the higher revenue they would have earned from a direct booking. More importantly for the airline's operations, it causes logistical headaches: the system expects a passenger to board the second leg, and when they don't show up, the gate agents must wait, call for the passenger, and potentially delay the flight to ensure no baggage is left on board without a traveler. In 2026, airlines have become aggressive in combatting this practice, using software to identify "skiplaggers." If caught, the airline may invalidate your return ticket, strip you of your frequent flyer miles, or even ban you from future flights. While "skiplagging" can save a traveler hundreds of dollars, the airlines view it as a breach of their "Contract of Carriage," and they enforce these rules strictly to protect their complex and highly controlled fare structures.