What is Skiplagging? The cheap flight hack that airlines are cracking down on

28.08.2023 - 13:55 / euronews.com / Edward Russell / Rosie Frost / Airlines

The price of airline tickets has reached an all-time high this year. With costs soaring, passengers are desperately searching for cheap flights.

Some methods, however, are riskier than others - like skiplagging. Also known as ‘hidden city’ or ‘throwaway’ ticketing, this practice has become increasingly popular over the last few years.

The cheap ticket hack involves buying a less expensive ticket with a layover in the city you want to travel to and then not catching the second flight.

There are a number of downsides and you’re unlikely to be popular with the airline you fly with if you’re caught skiplagging.

So how exactly does it work and what are the drawbacks?

Skiplagging is when you book an indirect flight that costs less than a direct flight and then you don’t take the connection. It is a way of finding a nonstop flight without the price tag that often comes with these tickets.

Say, for example, you wanted to fly from Geneva to Madrid. A ticket to somewhere else in Spain like Culleredo with a layover in the Spanish capital could save you around 20 per cent. You wouldn’t travel on to Culleredo and would instead leave the airport in Madrid without using the second half of your ticket.

You could save money on longer distance journeys too. A last-minute skiplagged ticket from Birmingham, UK to New York, US could save you around €100.

Finding fares like this on your own isn’t easy though it can be done with price comparison sites like Kayak or even Google Flights. But a dedicated website - Skiplagged - was founded in 2013 for people to search for these hidden city fares.

Its homepage states “Our flights are so cheap, United (Airlines) sued us...but we won” giving you a bit of a clue on how airlines feel about this practice.

Despite the cheap fares, there are some drawbacks to skiplagging - like not being able to check in your bags.

Your ticket is for the final destination of the journey meaning if you check in your bags, that’s where they will end up. Some seasoned flight hackers even recommend travelling with nothing larger than a rucksack due to the chance that you could be asked to check your luggage on a busy flight. Read these expert tips on how to travel with only hand luggage.

Using a round-trip ticket is also unlikely to work. Airlines are likely to cancel the return portion if they notice what you’ve done.

“Travellers who do decide to skiplag should always book one-way tickets, that way their return trip won't be cancelled if the airline does cancel their ticket,” warns Edward Russell, airlines reporter for industry publications Skift and Airlines Weekly.

There’s also a chance that the hidden city you are aiming for might not actually be where you end up. Scheduling, rerouting and complicated logistics are