Skiplagging: A Risky Way to Save on Airfare
Skiplagging, also called hidden-city ticketing, is when you buy a plane ticket with a layover with the intention of stopping at the layover city and not continuing on to the ticket’s final destination. It’s not illegal, but airlines can punish you for skiplagging if they catch you. The practice is prohibited in the contracts of carriage of all but one of the 10 major airlines in the United States. The only exception is Allegiant Air, but they don’t sell any tickets with connecting flights.
Delta, American, United, Southwest, Alaska, and Frontier single out “hidden-city ticketing” as a prohibited ticketing practice. JetBlue, Hawaiian and Spirit don’t use the term “hidden-city ticketing,” but require passengers to complete the route on their ticket. Each airline can cancel your ticket and refuse to board you if they catch you skiplagging, according to their contracts of carriage.
While the potential punishments vary between airlines, they could also include charging you the difference in fare for the correct ticket, canceling travel miles, charging additional fees for the costs of delivering your baggage and confiscating your unused travel coupons. United’s carriage contract goes as far as to say the airline can permanently ban you from its flights if it catches you.
The likelihood of you facing consequences for skiplagging can vary depending on your flight habits. If you fly multiple times a year with the same airline, you’re more likely to be caught. And if you’re not traveling light, skiplagging is out of the question.
“If you check a bag, that bag gets ticketed to your final destination, not to your connecting destination where you’re able to get it and then go on your way,” explained travel expert Katy Nastro. “Trying to explain to the airline why your bag ended up in a different location than you is a little bit tricky.”
Nastro also said skiplagging is only feasible for one-way tickets. The contracts of carriage for many airlines say the airline will cancel the rest of your itinerary if you miss any leg of your trip.
Earlier this year, a passenger who claimed he didn’t realize that skiplagging was in violation of airline policy was detained at the airport. The passenger had to buy a new ticket to get to their destination and was banned from flying with American Airlines for three years.
A website that sells airline tickets for the purpose of skiplagging, skiplagged.com, was sued by United in 2015 and American in 2023. American wrote in their complaint that all American Airlines tickets sold by skiplagged.com “are at risk for immediate invalidation” because the website does not have the authority to sell American tickets.
While skiplagging may seem like a tempting way to save money on airfare, it’s important to be aware of the risks involved. If you’re caught skiplagging, you could face a variety of penalties, including being banned from flying with the airline. It’s best to avoid skiplagging and instead look for other ways to save money on airfare, such as flying during off-peak times or taking advantage of airline discounts and promotions.
