In short, if you take the layover, you'll likely save some money. Why is this happening? It all goes back to supply and demand. Most travelers want to take the nonstop flight as it means getting there quicker and with less chance of disruption.
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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. Instead, the stopover is the traveller's intended destination.
“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.”
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.
Also known as “hidden city ticketing,” the practice is a way to leverage a quirk in airfare pricing. Here's the basic concept: Rather than fly nonstop to a desired city, a passenger would instead buy a multi-leg flight with a connection in their desired city.
American Airlines accuses the company Skiplagged of illegally selling its tickets to customers and using “unauthorized and deceptive ticketing practices” in the process. The lawsuit comes just a few weeks after American Airlines made national headlines when it caught a teen apparently planning to use the tactic.
For flights within the United States on the same airline, round-trip tickets almost always cost the same as two one-ways. There's one caveat here: Booking two one-way tickets between separate destination or arrival airports can, in some cases, save money (or cost more).
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.
What is a good connection time? Travel advisers say there's a lot to take into account when booking connecting flights, but a general rule of thumb is 60-90 minutes between domestic flights and at least two to three hours for international itineraries.
In general, same-day flights are cheaper than booking in advance, but it isn't always the case. Sometimes, booking a flight six months in advance might seem like a good idea.
By purchasing a flight with a connection, you could save hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending! Another benefit of having a connecting flight is that you could get away with some time to visit a new city during the connection.
Airfare is based on the airline's calculation of what they bet you'd be willing to pay for that route. For this reason, the data from Google Flights shows that nonstop fares are 20% more expensive on average than an itinerary with stops. In short, if you take the layover, you'll likely save some money.
Airlines do not want you to skiplag. They usually price flights with connections cheaper than direct flights, so sometimes skiplagging means you could be underpaying in their opinion, plus you left them with an empty seat they could have sold.
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.
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.
The good news is that hidden city ticketing isn't illegal. The bad news is that you can get in trouble with airlines for hidden city ticketing, as it does violate the contract of carriage you agree to when booking a ticket.
Book your flights for the middle of the weekAccording to a recent Google study, flying during the middle of the week will get you the best deal. On those days, tickets are roughly 12% to 20% cheaper than flying on a weekend day.
It makes sense, because the practice saps revenue from them on two fronts: Not only do passengers underpay — potentially by hundreds of dollars per ticket — but the seat on the tossed leg also could have been sold to someone else. Most contracts of carriage from major airlines expressly forbid skiplagging as a result.
Carriers generally don't like the practice because, for one thing, they can lose revenue. They may have been able to sell an empty seat to another passenger, or perhaps sell a more expensive nonstop ticket to the skiplagging passenger, for example.