Skiplagged.com has gained notoriety and favor among budget-conscious travelers for its innovative approach to finding low-cost airfare through a method known as hidden city ticketing. This strategy involves booking a flight with a layover, but instead of continuing to the final destination, the traveler exits at the layover city if it's their intended destination. For instance, if you want to fly from New York to San Francisco, you might book a cheaper flight from New York to Seattle with a layover in San Francisco and disembark there. Since airlines often price their flights based on competition and demand rather than distance, this can lead to significant savings, in some cases up to 80% less than the regular fare for the direct route.
The practice, while legal, is frowned upon by airlines as it can disrupt their pricing strategies and operational planning. This controversy reached a climax when United Airlines and Orbitz sued Skiplagged in 2014, claiming that the site promoted “prohibited” travel and deceived customers. However, they lost the case, largely due to technical reasons related to jurisdiction. The court did not address the legality of hidden city ticketing directly, leaving Skiplagged free to continue its services.
Despite the lawsuit, Skiplagged has continued to thrive and has expanded its user base, partly due to the publicity from the case and its reputation as a consumer champion in the air travel industry. Travelers use the site to exploit loopholes in airline pricing algorithms, helping them save money on air travel. However, it’s essential for users of Skiplagged to consider the risks involved, including the possibility of violating airlines' terms of service, potential cancellation of return flights if discovered, and issues with checked baggage which may end up at the final booked destination rather than the layover city.
As airlines continue to transform and tighten their booking policies, the future of hidden city ticketing remains uncertain. Nevertheless, as long as discrepancies in airline pricing exist, services like Skiplagged will likely find a niche. This also presses airlines to reevaluate and perhaps modify their pricing structures in response to the savvy tactics employed by modern travelers. Meanwhile, the continued popularity of Skiplagged underlines the growing demand for more transparent and flexible pricing in the travel industry.
