Skiplagging: What It Is, And Why It"s Controversial

Airlines have been cracking down on the practice.

Money is a finite resource, so, when it comes to air travel, catching a seat sale can be tricky, especially when travel dates are fixed. Skiplagging is one particular practice that enables travelers to get from point A to point B for "less than the going rate." However, doing so is controversial and most certainly frowned upon by airlines. Let's look at the practice of skiplagging and why airlines hate it.

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What is skiplagging?

Skiplagging is the practice of booking an itinerary where the stopover is the true and intended destination of the traveler. Using our 'point A to point B' phrasing, a passenger would book a ticket that takes them from point A to point C, with a stopover at point B. The passenger's actual destination is point B and leaves the airport at this layover, leaving their seat empty on the B-to-C portion of the journey.

It is important to note that this practice won't work if the traveler wants to travel with checked baggage. After all, the luggage is tagged to go through to the final (ticketed) destination. If you tried it, there would be severe consequences as the airline would likely have to offload your checked baggage after realizing your boarding pass wasn't scanned for the second leg of the journey.

Furthermore, this practice would only work as a one-way endeavor. This is because an airline would likely cancel the return tickets once it realizes you never completed the first portions of your journey. As such, it is far from a watertight solution.

An example of skiplagging

Previous research by Simple Flying found that one example of a route where fares conducive to skiplagging could be found was Air Canada's domestic corridor between Toronto and Vancouver. We found that, by buying a connecting ticket from Toronto to Seattle via Vancouver, the price could drop by as much as 25%.

Based on fuel and labor costs alone, a lower fare or a longer journey seems to be a confusing one. However, there are a few reasons for this price differential. For one, air travel is a competitive business, and specific routes will have more competition than others. If an airline knows that it runs one of the few direct services to a city, it's going to charge as much as customers are willing to pay.

However, if an airline has to route customers via a stopover at a hub, then it will often lower its fares to compete with other airlines running direct services. Another reason, particularly relevant to our North American example, is that an airline might have to pay more in airport fees for passengers disembarking at one destination versus another. Those fees might not apply to transit passengers.

Why is skiplagging controversial?

It shouldn't come as a surprise that airlines dislike this practice. In essence, they are unable to fill a physically empty seat for one flight, because an absent skiplagger is supposed to be sitting there. Many airline contracts of carriage these days do expressly forbid the practice of skiplagging. Therefore, when it comes to lawsuits, the airlines can claim that they're just enforcing the fine print.

If we take a look at Air France's small print, we can see a warning against skiplagging at the bottom of the document:

"The fare is applicable for a ticket used fully, in sequential order for the specified journey and on the specified dates. As outlined in the General Conditions of Carriage, any non-compliant use noticed on the day of travel may incur an additional flat-rate fee at the airport for the amount of: Ђ125 in the Economy cabin and Ђ300 in the Business cabin, for flights within Europe... Ђ500 in the Economy and Premium Economy cabins, Ђ1,500 in the Business and La Première cabins... for intercontinental flights."

Smarter Travel notes that, legally, courts seem to be on the travelers' side, with Lufthansa and United having lost lawsuits against skiplaggers. In fact, a court in Spain even specifically ruled that skiplagging and hidden-city ticketing is legal.

Despite this, there are other things to consider, as airlines might have a certain amount of leverage over you. This could include your hard-earned, accumulated frequent flyer mileage, your elite status, and the membership itself. Airlines could even ban you outright. Considering all this, even if you think you can win a legal battle, you may not have the time, energy, or money to fight them in court.

Skiplagging in the news

Airlines are in a more financially sensitive position after the impacts of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As such, skiplagging has been in the news more in recent years, as carriers look to crack down on the practice to avoid lost revenue.

For example, January 2021 saw American Airlines issue a warning to travel agents regarding the practice. Specifically, it informed these companies that it would be monitoring bookings to reduce instances of it occurring.