Skiplagging can offer you a better deal on airfare — if you’re willing to risk it | CBC Radio

Jesse Collier was trying to save a bit of money when she tried out a travel hack known as skiplagging.

Instead of booking a direct flight to their destination, skiplagging travellers book cheaper flights on longer routes that include a layover at their desired airport. They then deplane during the connection without completing the full journey.

“You’re kind of sticking it to the airlines who many people feel like they’ve been ripped off by … or that they’ve paid too much,” said Collier, a YouTube travel vlogger.

Fans of skiplagging say it’s a clever way to save some money, but airlines hate it. Most carriers, including Air Canada and Westjet, prohibit the practice in their terms of service. Last month, American Airlines sued Skiplagged, an online booking service that makes it easier to find what are known as “hidden-city fares.”

While it can be a money-saving opportunity, it’s not without risks.

Collier, who is based in Los Angeles, had planned a week in New York City back in 2019. Her itinerary included a flight from the California city to Buffalo, N.Y., with a connection in Newark, N.J. — her intended stop. She says it cost her $200 US less than a direct flight.

But just before she boarded, the trouble began. She was told she would have to check her carry-on luggage. The first rule of skiplagging? No checked baggage (it gets sent to the final destination).

“I asked them if they could possibly send it to Newark, and they immediately shut that down,” she told CBC’s Cost of Living. 

“Before I could realize what had happened, my bag was out of sight. So I got on the flight and then I spent that five hour flight just thinking, ‘What am I going to do? Do I follow my bag to Buffalo?'”

Competitive pricing on popular routes

Hidden-city ticketing has been around for decades, but gained attention in recent years amid services promoting it and the rising cost of living.

In addition to skipping checked baggage, travellers intending to skip out on part of their ticketed flight must purchase two one-way fares — airlines may cancel a return flight if they miss an earlier leg of their journey.

“If you’re travelling somewhere internationally, especially if you are taking a long-haul trip and you’re able to knock off several hundred dollars or more, that savings can be compelling,” said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Research Group in San Francisco.

“I certainly understand why people want to save money, but you’re defrauding the airline and you’re doing a disservice to other travellers when you book these hidden-city fares.”

My three word advice is: don’t do it.– Jesse Collier

Harteveldt says price competition is what can make connecting flights cheaper than their direct alternatives. 

Some airlines have a near monopoly on certain routes — let’s say Vancouver to Toronto. In order to compete with other airlines, a carrier may then add a second leg to that route — perhaps Toronto to New York. 

Because a number of airlines also service Vancouver to New York, the airline will offer a lower, more competitive price for the full journey, while charging a higher fare for the first leg as a direct flight.

“You will never hear the word ‘rational’ combined with the phrase ‘airline pricing’ because the way airlines price is not as you would expect — it’s not based solely on distance,” he said.

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When discount airline tickets are sold by tour operators, online agencies and the airlines themselves, the consumer has to determine which outlets are reputable, said McGill University lecturer John Gradek.

Harteveldt says that airlines are becoming more attentive to skiplagging passengers — threatening to cancel their frequent flyer points accounts, deny them boarding and even ban them from flying — because of the potential for lost revenue.

“It means that the airline not only is out the revenue for that customer, but they may have lost out on selling the ticket to another customer who did intend to take that flight,” he said.

Against terms of service of travel: airlines

When asked for comment on skiplagging, both Air Canada and Westjet directed Cost of Living to their respective terms of service, with both noting the practice is “prohibited.”

“Ticket validity is based on compliance with all terms and conditions of the ticket purchased, including flying all segments on the itinerary,” a spokesperson for Air Canada told CBC by email.

Additionally, Westjet says that it tracks passengers who do not take a scheduled flight “as this impacts the ability of other passengers to book seats on those flights as a result of missed connections.”

Dan Gellert, chief operating officer of travel website Skiplagged.com, says while there’s a risk, he believes that passengers have the right to use their tickets however they please.

“They are not getting on a flight for which they don’t have a ticket. They have a ticket to get on that flight. And they should be able to do what they want,” he said.

“We know that bans are extremely, extremely rare…. In general, if consumers are smart about how they approach it, they should be fine.”

But for Collier, the savings weren’t worth the stress. 

“My three word advice is: don’t do it,” she said. “I think there’s a lot of other great ways to save money.”