Word of the Day: Skiplagging
Playing both ends against the middle.
noun
Skiplagging, also known as hidden city ticketing, is when an air traveler buys a ticket for a flight with a layover before the final destination and departs at the layover airport.
Some passengers use it to save money when the longer route is cheaper than the desired destination. Others use it to get to a destination where direct flights are sold out.
But skiplagging is controversial, and many airlines frown upon it – so much that it can be punishable by miles or status cancellations and even a lifetime ban from the airline.
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Only controversial because the airlines disallow it. It’s an effort by cost-conscious consumers to use aberrations in flight costs to their own advantage, and the airlines want their money. Similar to ‘nested trip’ flights, ‘any occasion when you book two or more itineraries such that they overlap in some way; that is, one booking is nested within the other.’ | Prince of Travel. A few years ago I had to fly to Europe for two events, a few weeks apart. Rather than two very short round trips I created two longer round trips, one starting in the US with several weeks in Europe, and a nested trip starting in Europe and staying in the US for several weeks. I saved a lot of money because airlines charge much higher fares to short-duration international flights. Airlines also frown on this, so it’s better to book the two flights on different airlines.
Finding a great flight deal often involves diligently tracking and setting price alerts, comparing miles or points programs, signing up for new credit cards, flying out of an inconvenient airport at an inconvenient time, and more.
Some travelers will go further by booking connections and sometimes even purposely skipping them. This workaround, called skiplagging or hidden-city flying, means purchasing an itinerary with a layover that is the intended destination and skipping the last leg of a flight. Some travelers will employ this tactic when it’s cheaper than buying a direct flight.