You know that sinking feeling when you go to book some flights, only to realise prices have leapt up drastically compared to a couple of hours before? The worst. And sure, we all know your best bet at copping some cheap plane tickets is booking well in advance, but that isn’t always an option.
Instead, many of us are turning to a phenomenon known as ‘skiplagging’. Searches for this money-saving tactic have soared a staggering 957 percent over the last three months.
But what actually is it? And are the pitfalls of skiplagging worth all the potential repercussions? We’ve got the answers. Read on for everything you need to know about the money-saving travel hack, and decide for yourself if it’s something you might want to try.
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What is skiplagging?
Skiplagging, put simply, is booking a flight with a layover in the place you actually want to visit, meaning you never end up boarding the second leg of your journey.
So, hypothetically, say you want to get from New York to Chicago, but the ticket is out of your budget. Skiplagging would involve booking a flight from New York to, for example, Denver, which has a stopover in Chicago, but never boarding the Chicago to Denver flight.
The prospect of paying for a longer-distance ticket that costs you less sounds a bit crazy, we know, but airlines are keen to make money, and certain paths will vary in price because of demand. For example, flight paths which are popular business traveller routes are often more expensive than ones for leisure, according to the BBC.
‘If airline A has a low-fare competitor, they will match; if not, they charge a premium. It all depends on the competition, and that is why airlines strategically lower fares in some markets and not others,’ explained Henry Harteveldt, an airline analyst, ‘In my discussions with airlines, they say they don’t want to lose market share and will take a calculated risk.’
Why do airlines not like skiplagging?
While this tactic, in theory, could save you hundreds on the price of your flight, airlines claim travellers who do it are breaching their contract for travel. According to the Independent, operators believe they reserved the right to charge passengers for the amount they should have paid.
While you might be thinking it’s fair enough to exploit any loopholes in the system that you can – it could save you quite a lot of money, after all – there can be consequences such as blocking a seat from somebody else who really needs to make that journey, causing unnecessary delays for ground staff, and even upping the per-person impact on the environment from that flight.
Are there consequences if I get caught?
Yes, and there could be quite a few. According to Viva Holidays, airlines are cracking down on skiplagging, and some travellers who have skip-lagged and been caught have been banned by a particular airline from booking future flights. No one likes being blacklisted.
Skipping a flight leg could also mean your return flight is voided by the airline, so though you could save some cash on arrival, you might end up forking out for an expensive last-minute ticket on your way back. You could also have any frequent flyer perks revoked, which is a mare if you’ve spent some time acquiring air miles or loyalty rewards.
‘Guilty’ travellers could even be slapped with lawsuits from airlines. Though this is quite rare and more of a scare tactic, in October 2024, American Airlines filed a lawsuit against a website which promotes skiplagging as a booking method. It could well set a precedent for stricter measures against offending individuals.
Then there’s the issue of your luggage. If you’re checking in a bag, that’s normally done so to your booked destination, not your stopover (your actual destination), unless you’re entering the USA. While you might be thinking that you’ll just take hand luggage, busy flights often mean your bags are taken from you at the gate, which could be quite a flaw in the plan.
So, bearing all that in mind, maybe it’s not worth it after all. Your best bet is to book your flight in advance, or make the most of flight comparison websites and alerts for dips in ticket prices. Or, you could take the train.
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