Have you heard of skiplagging? It’s rumoured to be a great way to score a cheaper flight – but is it an illegal travel hack?
I thought I’d share everything I know about it, since my chat about the phenomenon on a recent episode of Passports Please went a little bit viral! So here’s what you need to know.
What Is Skiplagging?
Skiplagging is when you book a flight with a layover, but get off at the layover city instead of continuing to the final destination on your ticket. In other words, you ‘skip’ the final leg of your journey.
For example, you book a flight from London to Chicago with a stop in New York, but you choose to finish your journey in New York, and never board the second flight to Chicago.
Is skiplagging illegal?
Skiplagging isn’t against the law, but it does go against the airline’s rules – so they really hate you doing it!
This is because when you buy a plane ticket, you’re effectively making a contract with the airline that you’ll take the whole journey.
By skipping a leg, airlines say you’re breaking the contract because you’re not completing the entire trip you paid for.
@passportspleasepod Skiplagging… the best way to get a deal on long haul flights? 👀 #travel #travelhack #traveltip #flights #deal @James Robinson @Cheap Holiday Expert ♬ original sound - Passports Please!
Why is skiplagging controversial?
If people start skipping parts of the journey, then it makes it harder for airlines to predict demand which is key to their revenue models.
Whilst an airline’s bottom line is unlikely to be a key priority for most travellers, it will often be the customer that picks up the bill over time to cover revenue losses.
There’s also the argument that other travellers could have needed the empty seat, or that the plane is less environmentally efficient when it’s not full.
What are the risks of skiplagging?
There’s a few things that airlines can do if they cotton on to what you’re up to.
Firstly, if you choose to skip part of your journey on the outbound leg of a return trip, the airline could assume you won’t be taking the return and cancel your ticket. And no, you won’t be able to claim a refund.
Even if you only opt to do this on a single or return leg, you may find that airlines will try and charge you a fee for getting off early, or even ban you from booking with them again! However, this may be more for people who are continuously trying their luck.
Skipping a flight might also scupper any loyalty benefits you have, like points as not only may you not be able to collect them on your journey, but the airline could cancel your membership all together.
Finally, should your flight change in any way – should the airline divert or change your layover for reasons such as weather or staff issues – then they will only be committed to getting you to your final destination and not your layover destination.
Why can you save money by skiplagging?
There are a bunch of reasons that determine the overall cost of a flight on a particular route. It might sound counterintuitive, but a longer route won’t necessarily be cheaper than a shorter one.
For example, the ticket price on a route can be influenced by the other airlines that operate it, because more competition typically drives the price down.
Or if a route is one that’s popular with business travellers then it tends to mean higher fares, as flight routes taken for leisure are typically more price-sensitive.
Why would anyone use skiplagging?
Skiplagging can save you a decent chunk of cash, so it’s a tempting option for money-savvy travellers.
For example, a flight from London and Chicago on Thursday 26 February with a stop in Charlotte is currently £378.
A direct flight from London to Charlotte on the same date is £533.
So to use skiplagging to save money here, you could buy the London-Chicago flight for £155 less than the price of the London-Charlotte one, and just not take the Charlotte-Chicago leg.
Skiplagging can also save you time. Say you live in the south of England, and find a super-cheap flight from Dublin to New York that connects in London. On the return leg you might think – hang on, let me just stay here in London and not catch the final leg to Ireland.
Tips if you decide to try skiplagging
If you want to throw caution to the wind and try skiplagging on your next trip, there are plenty of things to keep in mind:
Don't check in luggage
You can only really do skiplagging with hand luggage, or you’ll end up in a different city to your bags. Even then, there’s always a risk the airline could make you check a large cabin bag in at the gate.
Book one way or only try on return legs
As we mentioned above, if you skip a leg on the outbound flight, you may find that the airline cancels the rest of your flight!
Check airline policies
Check to see if your airline has any strict policies or fines in place for breaking your journey early. You may find that running terms through an AI platform helps catch these technicalities out.
Get more advice
There are websites to help people try out this travel hack, including skiplagged, which will give you lots of information on what to do and not do.
Would we recommend skiplagging?
Whilst skiplagging might be tempting, whether that’s to save you money or to avoid travelling out of your way, we think it’s not worth the risk (and anxiety!) for most people. Also, whilst it may get you out of a fix as a one off, if you start to use it more often, you’re also increasing your chances of flagging the attention of your airline.
So if you do use it, do so sparingly!
How else can I save money on my flight?
There’s plenty of ways to save money on your upcoming flights that don’t involve devious behaviour!!
Read our article below for some of our favourite hacks.
