Save money on your flight by skipping it. what happens if you get caught

Airlines may not be fans of “Skiplug,” but travelers who use it to save money on airline tickets certainly are.

This technique involves purchasing a connecting flight without intending to take the second leg of the journey. People who fly do this when they find a connecting flight that stops at their destination and is cheaper than a direct flight.

Skiplagged.com, a website that helps travelers find these flights, says customers save an average of about $180, totaling $54 million in the past year alone.

But there are also risks. Skipplugging, or “hidden city ticketing,” is prohibited by most airlines.

“Purchasing a ticket without intending to use all flights in order to get a cheaper fare” is a reservation activity that is prohibited under American Airlines’ Terms of Carriage. Violators could have their tickets canceled, not be allowed to fly, and airlines “may not refund refundable tickets,” the newspaper said.

But Akhtarah Zaman, the airline’s founder, said he did not think slacking off would result in a permanent ban from the airline.

“In our 11 years of work, we have never heard of anyone being banned for slacking off. When we read online articles about someone being banned, it’s just… Rumor has it,” Zaman said.

Zaman explained why some connecting flights, or long-haul flights, are cheaper than direct flights. For example, a flight from London to Boston with a stop in New York could be cheaper than a flight directly to New York, he said.

Because the London-New York route is popular, it commands higher prices, creating the deals Skiplagg found, he said.

But Zaman said his website is not the only way to find deals in the “hidden city.” Some travelers find these flights through travel agents or by spending hours searching for flights on their own.

Zaman said around 300,000 customers had booked flight tickets through his website in the past year. This success has led to the attention of major airlines, he said.

Zaman said American Airlines sued the company in August 2023, but voluntarily dropped its unfair competition claims before the case went to court. In October 2024, Skipluged was ordered to pay American Airlines $9.4 million for copyright infringement due to its unauthorized use of the American Airlines logo on its website.

Zaman called this a victory for the company.

“This was a big win for us because it showed that we have the freedom to take chances,” Zaman said. “It will probably deter other airlines from challenging us. We have now laid the foundation to continue moving forward.”

Skip Plugged has also previously been sued by United Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Those lawsuits were either dismissed or settled out of court, Zaman said. This equates to three lawsuits from around 800 airlines listed on the Skiplagged platform, he said.

During the trial, evidence showed that American Airlines did not have a no-fly list for late-arriving passengers, Zaman added.

Following the conclusion of the American Airlines trial, Skip Rag issued clearer guidance on how to safely use Skip Rag. The key message in Zaman’s leaflet was to “act with caution and change the airline you fly with.”

“We recommend that you don’t abuse this. Thank you for saving money, but don’t try to save money all the time,” he said.

Over the past year, more than 340 Skiplagged.com customers have had to pay higher fares for nonstop flights, according to company data.

Skiplagg also advises against linking frequent flyer accounts to reservations, as airlines may cancel a passenger’s frequent flyer points.

In addition, Skiplagged.com only books one-way tickets to avoid customers who miss their outbound flights having their return flights canceled, Zaman said.

Skiplagged also recommends traveling with your passport on international flights, even if you’re leaving your destination country. Zaman said this was an issue for 198 customers who used Skip Plug in the past 12 months.

The same applies to visas. In the past 12 months, 22 Skiplagged.com customers have had trouble getting visas for their flights.

Finally, the website advises travelers to travel with a small bag that fits under the seat. The oversight has affected 67 Skiplagg customers in the past year, as checked baggage is routed to the final destination specified on the ticket, according to company data.

However, this type of issue affected only 0.3% of Skiplagged’s customers., Zaman said.

Skiplagged’s data comes from users who report issues to the company.

“They’re more likely not to report the problems they encounter to us. People who have travel problems tend to complain at a higher rate,” a company representative told CNBC Travel. “Even if we assume that 50% of people who encounter a problem don’t report it, that only reduces the success rate from 99.7% to 99.4%.”

As for Zaman, he said he doesn’t “skip” much. But the reason, he says, is not because his name is on the airline’s blacklist.

“I’ve done it a few times, but it’s a question of whether it makes sense,” he said. “Everyone has to make their own decisions. Lately, I haven’t been able to travel as lightly as I used to, so there may not be any point in going that far in the future.”

Despite the $9.4 million award to American Airlines, which accounts for the majority of the website’s $20 million in annual revenue, Zaman remains committed to helping travelers save money, he said.

“Even if I face difficulties with a loss like this, I am motivated to win because I know I am doing well here. One of the things that keeps me going is that Skip Plugged It’s about hearing about the impact you’ve had on people’s lives, like…helping people,” Zaman said.

“This isn’t just American Airlines vs. Skipragdo,” he says. “It’s American Airlines vs. Skip Plugged and Real People.”