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This technique has allowed hundreds of travelers to save money when traveling by finding flights hidden by airlines
For several years, frequent travelers began to use a method known as 'skiplagging' to save large numbers in their flight tickets. However, for a couple of years, the platform 'Skiplagged' has commercialized and automated the search for this method based on the hidden-city flights.
Leer en español: 'Skiplagging': la estrategia de ahorro que las aerolíneas no pueden detener
This method is based on traveling more cheaply skipping certain flights. Then, when booking a trip that has stopovers, avoid any of the flights, and you do not arrive at the final destination of the reservation, but rather that you leave early. That is, if you go from New York to San Francisco, it could cost $300, but a similar flight from New York to Seattle with a stopover in San Francisco can cost $ 200, so you would buy this ticket, but do not do the second part of the flight.
These cheaper options do not allow you to see the airlines when looking for tickets, so Skiplagged allows its users to find the best prices through this technique. As stated on the page, its purpose is to empower consumers to use their purchasing power in the way they want. They also clarify that this is a legal method and that the savings can be quite significant.
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Understanding this, it is clear that large airlines do not want passengers to travel in this way. There is a legal vacuum that costs thousands of dollars at the cost of a trip. They complain, then, of being deprived of their income and of the opportunity to sell the seat of the flight that was not taken.
However, the fight of these companies has only managed to give more publicity to the advantages of this method.
Airlines take action
One of the most significant cases is that of Lufthansa, who sued a traveler for having used the hidden-city to save thousands of euros on a transatlantic trip. According to The Guardian, the passenger had booked a return flight from Oslo to Seattle with a stopover in Frankfurt and, what he did, was that he 'jumped' from Frankfurt to Oslo and arrived in Berlin. This cost Lufthansa around € 2,112, a figure that was claiming the customer.
United Airlines has also threatened to go after people who skip their flights.
The consequences for airlines are several. First of all, skiplagging reduces your income. Second, this creates havoc with the system that airlines use to overbook their flights.
That is, these companies usually sell more seats than usual based on historical levels of people who do not appear, because it keeps rates low. If more people apply this technique, fewer people will be arriving at their reserves, causing the seats to be empty and, consequently, the calculations of overbooked seats will be damaged to compensate.
The hidden-city has helped hundreds of people save considerable numbers when it comes to travel, although, both the Skiplagged platform and portals and God Save The Points, several aspects must be taken into account.
Among these, they recommend not to register suitcases, as they may end up in the final destination. It is better to travel like this when you only have a hand load.
On the other hand, clarify that this only works round trip, but not for both trips. This is because, once you miss a flight, the rest of the reservation is canceled without exceptions.
LatinAmerican Post | Valentina Moya
Translated from "'Skiplagging', la estrategia de ahorro que las aerolíneas no pueden detener"
