On the last day of June, American Airlines agents at Gainesville Regional Airport in Florida canceled a North Carolina teenager¡¯s flight after realizing that he had used a booking tactic called ¡°skiplagging¡± or ¡°hidden-city travel¡± ¡ª a method forbidden by airlines but used by some travelers to net flight bargains.
The teen¡¯s father, Hunter Parsons, says it was his 17-year-old¡¯s first time flying unaccompanied and that the timing and price of the booking made it appealing. For $150 (about ?22,000), his son was to fly from Gainesville to Charlotte, North Carolina, and not continue on the second flight to New York, a cost savings of roughly $300 (about ?43,000) if the family had simply purchased a direct flight to Charlotte. Parsons¡¯ son didn¡¯t even make it past the check-in counter in Gainesville, where airline agents questioned why the teen would fly to New York when his layover was in his hometown, Charlotte. He was forced to pay for a direct flight.
Skiplagging is buying a ticket for a connecting flight with a layover in the city that¡¯s the real destination for the traveler. Flyers disembark after the first leg and simply fail to board the second. Often, the fare is cheaper than if they¡¯d actually bought a direct flight to their desired destination. At least two websites now help unearth these deals for consumers.
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