skiplagged travel

'Skiplagging' your airline ticket might be legal, but it comes with major risks

• Skiplagging (aka hidden city ticketing) refers to a way some travelers try and save on airfare by booking a ticket with a connection point that they use as their final destination, throwing away additional segments of the trip.
• While this practice isn't illegal, it is very frowned upon by the airlines and can lead to problematic consequences, as experienced by a teen flying American Airlines recently.
• Risks of skiplagging include unexpected bills from the airline, forfeiture of frequent flyer miles or even a ban from the airline.

"Skiplagging" is a hot topic in travel right now. So what exactly is this and is it worth the risk?

This week, American Airlines temporarily detained a U.S. teenager after he allegedly used a flight hacking technique known as skiplagging (also known as "hidden city ticketing") to book a cheaper flight to his destination.

According to Carolina's Queen City News , the teenager was scheduled to fly from Gainesville, Florida, to New York City, but he planned to disembark during a layover in Charlotte. His North Carolina driver's license reportedly raised red flags for gate agents about his true final destination, so he was reportedly escorted to a secure area where he was questioned. His ticket was ultimately canceled, and his family was forced to pay for a new, more expensive flight for him to get home.

With that cautionary tale in mind, here's a breakdown of what skiplagging is — and why the risks might not be worth the potential rewards.

Related: Nonstop vs. direct flights

What is skiplagging?

Broadly speaking, skiplagging is the art of exploiting certain flight routes by booking a multistop flight where one of the layovers is your intended destination rather than booking a more expensive ticket directly to that destination. Upon reaching the stopover airport, you end your trip there by just getting off the plane and walking away, skipping the following legs of the itinerary. You may have heard of the website Skiplagged.com which allows regular folks to book these tickets.

For example, a passenger might book a flight between New York and Las Vegas with a layover in Dallas. In this instance, Dallas would be the intended destination and where the passenger would vacate, cutting the journey short and not continuing to Las Vegas.

So, why would a passenger do this?

It's counterintuitive, but in certain instances, this controversial tactic can bring notable cash savings. This is because flight pricing doesn't always follow the logical assumption that a longer trip should be more expensive. Instead, the cost of a journey is often based on how popular the destination or route is — especially if it's nonstop — and the price at which the airlines have decided people will buy tickets.

At face value, skiplagging also known as hidden city ticketing may seem like a smart strategy to save money while taking advantage of illogical airfare pricing, but it is not without risk.

As we've seen this week, the money saved might not be worth it if you get caught — a real risk as some airlines crack down on the practice as they increasingly employ technology to help identify suspicious itineraries.

Is skiplagging illegal?

Skiplagging is technically legal, but this doesn't mean it doesn't bring potential risks.

You may not face criminal charges for skiplagging or hidden city ticketing, but it's a violation of most airline policies. If an airline catches you skiplagging, in most scenarios it will punish you as per the terms and conditions of the ticket you're flying on. The punishments could range from financial penalties to restrictions on future booked travel.

In some instances, skiplagging passengers have been taken to court by the airline. In 2019, Lufthansa sued a passenger after they paid 657 euros for a business-class ticket from Oslo to Seattle via Frankfurt.

On the return flight, the passenger skipped the Oslo leg, flying on from Frankfurt to Berlin on a different ticket instead. Lufthansa claimed the ticket should have cost 2,769 euros and demanded a repayment of 2,112 euros plus interest.

The court ultimately sided with the passenger but, notably, agreed the airline's case for suing was valid. Lufthansa lost due to the technical details of the new price calculation, which the court viewed as lacking transparency. The case could have easily gone the other way. Courts in Spain have reached similar conclusions in cases involving Iberia .

This current precedent puts the law in favor of the passenger. However, it's not clear cut, and court battles can see ramped-up legal fees that most passengers can't afford to challenge. Moreover, even if you aren't breaking the law, the airline can decide it doesn't wish to serve you as a passenger any longer, wipe out your frequent flyer accounts. You could forfeit all your hard-earned points.

It could even ban you from the airline.

In short, skiplagging isn't breaking the law. However, if you're caught, airlines will not be happy that you are costing them money and could opt to try to penalize you or challenge you in court. Regardless of how you'd fare in a court challenge, getting to that point could be both lengthy and costly.

Can you save money by skiplagging, and is it worth it?

In certain instances, you can save considerable amounts by skiplagging, but it won't be possible for all routes, and the amount you save depends on the flight.

For example, TPG found you could save $659 by using skiplagging to fly from John F. Kennedy International Airport ( JFK ) to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol ( AMS ).

In this example, booking a one-way flight from JFK with a final destination of London City Airport ( LCY ) and a layover at AMS would cost $458.

Booking the same flight but with Amsterdam as your final destination would cost $1,117. This is a considerable difference, making it easy to understand why this hidden city sort of ticketing might seem appealing.

By comparison, on other routes, the savings can be much less.

For example, flying from Newark Liberty International Airport ( EWR ) to Los Angeles International Airport ( LAX ) would cost $160, whereas flying from Newark to Salt Lake City International Airport ( SLC ) with a stopover at LAX is $147. By booking the multileg flight, you'd save $13.

Whether these savings are worth it depends on the risks you're willing to take — which, in our view, are likely not worth the reward.

Sure, a savings of $659 is a lot of money, but if you get caught and must buy a new ticket that covers the full fare, you'll end up considerably out of pocket. Even worse, the airline you're flying with could ban you.

Related: 22 great tips for traveling on a budget

There are plenty of other effective ways to find ways to save on airfare that don't carry any risks. The savvy use of points and miles , for one, could save hundreds of dollars on your flight and open up premium cabins that may not have been within your budget if you were paying with cash.

Being flexible with travel dates and destinations can also help. Using travel tools to help you find the best (legitimate) flight deals is also a good idea. Additionally, you might consider rail or bus options instead of flying if you're traveling domestically.

What are the risks of skiplagging?

Skiplagging may not be illegal in the eyes of the law, but it can be damaging for the passenger doing it, the airline and, to a lesser extent, other passengers.

If you're caught, it could cost you. According to American Airlines' terms and conditions, this might involve:

• Canceling any unused part of your ticket. If you're booked on a round-trip flight, this would void the return part of your journey, even if it's an open jaw from a different city.
• Refusing to allow the passenger to fly without the option of a refund — even if you booked an otherwise refundable ticket.
• Being charged for the full actual cost of your ticket.

In other instances, airlines have also been known to blacklist passengers from future flights and cancel their frequent flyer numbers or points and miles accounts — wiping their accrued balance or elite status benefits.

Those are just the financial implications. Skiplagging can pose other risks too. For example, you won't be able to check your luggage as you won't be at the final destination to collect it. And sometimes, customers are forced to check carry-on bags when the overhead bins fill, so having to check a bag can be out of your control.

Another risk: If your flight is rerouted without your planned stopover due to delays or cancellations, you could find yourself stuck with few good options. Or, if your original itinerary is canceled and the airline rebooks you on a nonstop flight that skips your intended connection point altogether.

In those circumstances, you could find yourself on a flight to a destination you never wanted to visit without accommodations or the option to reach your destination beyond booking another last-minute flight.

Skipping a leg of your journey can also affect other passengers and the airline you're flying with. According to an American Airlines spokesperson, "If a customer knowingly or unknowingly purchases a ticket and doesn't fly all of the segments in their itinerary, it can lead to operational issues with checked bags and prevent other customers from booking a seat when they may have an urgent need to travel."

In short, "Intentionally creating an empty seat that another customer or team member could have used is an all-around bad outcome."

Related: Best credit cards for earning airline elite status

Bottom line

Skiplagging, or hidden city ticketing, might seem like a smart and financially savvy way to cut your travel costs. But, it carries with it some very real risks.

You can end up with an unexpected last-minute bill from the airline for the cost difference or, worse, blacklisted from the airline and losing out on a haul of airline miles you've spent years accruing. So while we love a good saving tip, this is one we're going to skip out on.

In short, please don't do it!

Related reading:

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• What exactly are airline miles, anyway?
• 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
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Table of Contents

What is Skiplagged?

How to use skiplagged, is skiplagged legit, downsides to skiplagged hidden-city tickets, skiplagged flights recapped.

Flying can be expensive. Because of consolidation between the U.S. airlines, there is a lot less competition on some routes, leading to even higher prices on those trips. But, what if you could pay less to fly on the exact same flight?

Enter Skiplagged. This service finds "hidden city" tickets — which means you buy a ticket with a layover in your desired destination and instead of getting on the second flight, you just take your carry-on suitcase and leave the airport. This method can help you book a flight for a lot cheaper than if you simply had booked a ticket to your desired destination. So, what can go wrong? It turns out a lot. Let's dig into the pros and cons of Skiplagged.

Skiplagged is the most well-known service for finding "hidden-city" or "throwaway" tickets. That's the practice of booking a less-expensive flight option without planning to fly the entire itinerary. Instead, you bail at a connecting airport rather than continuing to your final destination.

Although some travelers have been booking these types of tickets for decades, Skiplagged took the idea mainstream. And Skiplagged was so successful in finding lower fares for travelers that United Airlines sued the website in 2014. The Skiplagged founder raised over $80,000 for his legal fees and a judge ended up dismissing the lawsuit. Plus, the publicity made Skiplagged even more well known.

Skiplagged searches for the route you want to take and then looks to see if there are cheaper options on the same route by booking an onward flight. The example Skiplagged uses is a flight from Atlanta to Orlando costing $250, but a flight from Atlanta through Orlando to Dallas costing $130. By booking the second flight option, you almost cut your cost in half.

Airlines often charge extra to fly on nonstop flights. One stark example of this is found on transcontinental flights. For example, when we checked for a nonstop flight from San Francisco to Newark on Sept. 9, the cost was $268 one way in basic economy, or $298 for standard economy.

However, searching through Skiplagged, you could have booked a "nonstop" on the same route for just $144 one way. You just need to book it as a flight from San Francisco to Charleston routing through Newark.

Skiplagged is a legit way to reduce the cost of certain flights. By booking a hidden-city ticket, you might be able to save hundreds of dollars off the cost of a flight.

Understandably, airlines hate this practice and have tried to get it shut down. That's why United Airlines and Orbitz teamed up to sue Skiplagged back in 2014. When they lost their legal battle with Skiplagged, airlines turned their attention to punishing passengers for engaging in this practice.

And this leads to why you should be careful about using Skiplagged. Even if you can save some of your hard-earned money, there are several downsides to hidden-city and throwaway ticketing.

Saving hundreds of dollars on a flight is undoubtedly appealing. However, booking a Skiplagged hidden-city ticket comes with several risks. These include hassles from having to carry on a bag up to significant issues like potentially forfeiting all of your airline miles.

No checked bags

You shouldn't check a bag when flying on a Skiplagged ticket. That's because your checked bag will be tagged through to your final destination — a destination you aren't going to. And no, you can't just convince the check-in agent to just check it through to your actual destination. That's a huge red flag for these agents and will likely lead to some additional scrutiny.

The only exception to the no-bag rule is when both of the following are true:

Your intended destination is also your first U.S. airport after an international flight.

You don't clear immigration and customs at a Customs and Border Protection Preclearance facility before your flight.

In this case, you can collect your checked bag to clear customs when arriving in the United States. Then, you can skip over the bag recheck area after clearing customs. But even in these cases, it's still not a good idea to check a bag.

No round-trip flights

When booking a Skiplagged ticket, you aren't going to be able to book a round trip. That's because the airline will cancel all of your remaining flights once you miss your first flight.

Say you want to fly from Atlanta to Paris. You might find a cheaper itinerary from Atlanta through Paris onto Budapest. However, if you skip your flight from Paris to Budapest, the airline will cancel your flights home. And you won't be able to save them even if you were to make your way to Budapest for your flights home.

The lack of being able to book a round-trip flight can make Skiplagged impractical. One-way flights — especially international one-way flights — can be much more expensive than just booking a round-trip flight.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

Schedule changes can ruin your Skiplagged ticket

Airlines are constantly tweaking their flight plans. And these schedule changes can wreck your best laid plans.

For example, I booked a round-trip flight from Munich to New York connecting in Charlotte. In a schedule update a couple of months in advance of my flight, the airline canceled my Munich-Charlotte return flight. Instead, the airline routed me on a flight through London on the way to New York.

I personally don't risk booking throwaway tickets. However, this shows how a scheduled change could wreck a hidden-city ticket. If you booked this itinerary hoping to get a cheap flight from Munich to Charlotte, you'd be stuck on a flight through London to New York instead. The best you can do is request a refund because of the flight cancellation and rebook another option.

Getting on the airline's bad side

Many airlines expressly forbid hidden-city ticketing in the terms and conditions that you agree to when purchasing a ticket. Violating these rules won't mean a police officer meets you at the gate. What you're doing isn't illegal — it's just against the airline's rules. And that can come with consequences.

For one, your mileage account could get shut down. That would mean losing your accumulated miles and any elite status you have with the airline. To avoid this fate, even Skiplagged recommends that you don't put your mileage account on your ticket.

Not listing your frequent flier account means you'll lose out on mileage earnings and credit card perks, such as preferred boarding. That comes with its own set of downsides. Boarding last might mean having to gate-check your carry-on bag — which would then be checked to your final destination.

Some airlines have taken things further. American Airlines passengers report receiving a bill from the airline. That's something that the airline gives itself the option to do in the contract you agree to when booking a flight. Another American passenger reported being met at the airport by an agent to explicitly warn them against using Skiplagged tickets. Lufthansa went so far as to sue a passenger for using hidden-city ticketing, seeking thousands of dollars in damages.

Booking a hidden-city ticket is a legit way to save money by booking a cheaper flight that connects through your intended destination. And Skiplagged makes it as easy as ever to find these lower-cost throwaway tickets.

However, it doesn't come without potential consequences. Airlines have tightened their regulations to explicitly forbid hidden-city ticketing. If you break the rules enough, the airline might end up sending you a bill or even taking you to court to recuperate the savings.

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What is 'skiplagging' and why do the airlines hate when you do it?

Scott Neuman

American Airlines' lawsuit is bringing renewed attention to a controversial travel hack known as skiplagging, or hidden city ticketing. Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

American Airlines' lawsuit is bringing renewed attention to a controversial travel hack known as skiplagging, or hidden city ticketing.

A new lawsuit brought by American Airlines against a controversial ticketing website is bringing renewed attention to "skiplagging," or "hidden city ticketing" — a technique used by some passengers to get lower fares.

Lufthansa Airlines Sues Customer Who Skipped Part Of His Return Flight

What is skiplagging.

It works like this: Say a passenger wants to travel from New York to Charlotte, N.C., but the nonstop route is pricey. So instead, they book a cheaper flight that takes them from New York to Denver, with a layover in Charlotte. Rather than fly all the way to Denver, they simply get off in North Carolina and ditch the rest of the ticket.

The practice isn't exactly new. "Travel agents have known about hidden city fares for decades, and in some cases travel agents would knowingly tell their customers," says Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Research Group.

But as airline prices started to surge in late 2021 , skiplagging started getting a lot more attention.

One site that's helped popularize hidden city ticketing is Skiplagged.com . The website allows users to type in their desired destination, locating flights where that destination is actually a stopover en route to another city (with a less expensive fare). The customer simply exits the airport at the connecting city and never completes the second leg of the journey.

Last week, American Airlines filed suit against Skiplagged in federal court. In its complaint, American alleges that Skiplagged's practices are "deceptive and abusive."

"Skiplagged deceives the public into believing that, even though it has no authority to form and issue a contract on American's behalf, somehow it can still issue a completely valid ticket. It cannot. Every 'ticket' issued by Skiplagged is at risk of being invalidated," the airline said.

Officials for the site could not be reached for comment. But Skiplagged, which has been around for a decade, has survived past lawsuits from the likes of United Airlines and Orbitz. It even brags about these victories on its site, boasting, "Our flights are so cheap, United sued us ... but we won."

Why do the airlines dislike skiplagging?

Skiplagging is not illegal. But most major airlines, including American, Delta Southwest and United, don't allow it.

For one thing, airlines lose money on the practice, says Tim Huh, a professor at the University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Business, who co-authored a study on skiplagging last year. For a non-direct flight, "they have a lower price ceiling for it compared to direct flights so that they can attract customers."

When someone skips out on the final leg of a trip, airlines can't fill the empty seat, which would have sold for more money had it not been booked as part of a multi-stop itinerary.

"They are selling that seat with a 95% probability that you'll show up," Huh says. "That's what the airline accounted for. So that's a [big] loss in the system."

In addition, failing to board a connecting flight can cause confusion and delays at the gate, Harteveldt says. The airlines "will make announcements [such as] 'paging passenger John Doe or Jane Doe.' ... The airline doesn't want to leave people behind."

What are the risks for customers who skiplag?

If an airline finds out what you are doing, it could simply cancel your ticket or even ban you from flying with it. That's what reportedly happened recently to a North Carolina teen who booked an American Airlines flight from Florida to New York but disembarked at his Charlotte connection. The boy's father told Insider that American banned him from flying the airline for three years.

"If you've done this repeatedly, [the airline] is going to say you owe us money," Harteveldt says. "They may be willing to settle for a certain number of cents on the dollar. Maybe they want to collect all of it. But airlines can and will take steps to protect themselves."

There are other drawbacks as well, he says. Even if your attempt at skiplagging is initially successful, it's only likely to work for one-way travel. Once the airline realizes you didn't fly to your ticketed destination, it is almost certain to cancel your return.

Finally, any checked luggage would arrive at the ticketed destination without you. So, carry-on is it.

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What Is Skiplagging? What to Know About the Controversial Air Travel Hack

Here’s what you should know about skiplagging.

Harrison Pierce is a freelance writer and digital nomad passionate about personal finance and travel. He is traveling full-time with the help of points and miles and enjoys connecting with people on the ground. His work has been published in Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, USA Today Blueprint, Matador Network, and other publications. 

• What is skiplagging?

Benefits and Risks of Skiplagging

• Other Ways to Find Cheap Flights

Greg Pease/Getty Images

Skiplagging, an air travel trend that took the skies by storm in recent years, is highly debated. For some travelers, this practice, also known as hidden city ticketing, can save substantial amounts of money on airfare. For others, skiplagging turns a normal flight into a travel nightmare, with penalties ranging from canceled return flights to bans from all future flights with that airline.

The risks of skiplagging often outweigh the rewards, as seen in numerous recent news reports about travelers facing these severe consequences when caught. I spoke with travel experts Anton Radchenko and Echo Wang to learn precisely what skiplagging is, why it can be risky, and other ways to save on airfare. 

Meet the Expert

Anton Radchenko is the founder of AirAdvisor , a company that helps travelers get compensation for flight disruptions. 

Echo Wang is a full-time traveler and founder of Cool Travel Vibes .

What is skiplagging? 

While researching flights for your trips, you may have seen cases when the direct flights to your destination of choice are significantly more expensive than flights that connect through your chosen destination but continue to another city. In simple terms, skiplagging is when travelers book a flight with a connection but get off in the layover city and do not take the remaining flights in the booked itinerary in order to save money. Websites like Skiplagged advertise discounted fares by utilizing this technique.

"Skiplagging is buying a multi-city ticket (A to C via B) but exiting at your desired destination (B) and skipping the final leg (B to C),” explains Wang. “It's done to save money as these tickets are often cheaper than direct flights from A to B.” 

For instance, let’s say you want to fly from Los Angeles to London in April. You can book a nonstop flight from Los Angeles to London for $677. Or, using the skiplagging method, you can book a ticket from Los Angeles to Dublin with a layover in London for just $532; you’d leave the airport during your layover in London and pocket the savings. 

However, it’s important to note that this could only work in particular situations. You cannot check a bag , or else it will continue to the final destination where you are supposed to be heading. Also, as we will discuss, there may be consequences if the airline catches you. 

Margot Cavin/Travel + Leisure

Travelers everywhere are looking for ways to save money on airfare amid high air travel costs. Although skiplagging can theoretically help you save money, most experts agree it is not recommended because of the potential consequences. “Generally speaking, airlines dislike skiplagging and have the right to void your ticket if they spot a skiplagging tactic,” says Radchenko. “This could put you in a situation where you need to purchase a new flight to your intended destination, which might end up costing a lot more than initially planned or budgeted.”

Delta , Southwest , and other major U.S. airlines clearly prohibit this practice in their contract of carriage documents. Airlines cite a multitude of reasons why skiplagging is prohibited, from operational issues like delays to loss of profits by knowingly causing an empty seat on the second flight in your itinerary. 

Similarly, schedule changes can wreak havoc on your skiplagging plans. Airlines often move schedules around before departure, and you might have a different layover city than you planned. If that’s the case, you won’t make it to your desired destination at all. 

If you were to try skiplagging, you should not do it with your favorite airline, according to our experts. “Carriers also have the right to ban travelers from flying with them in the future if you are caught,” Radchenko explains. “While the skiplagging is not illegal, it is a breach of an airline’s contract with you, the customer.” This distinction is essential. Although there aren’t any laws against the practice, airlines still have their own policies as noted above, and breaking these policies can lead to major consequences. 

Radchenko notes, “While outright bans are rare, an airline may also confiscate the points or miles you have earned, prevent you from earning future points, or revoke your membership in their frequent flier program.” He continues, “This might seem like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but airlines are clamping down on the practice. And for frequent fliers who spent a lot of time and money building these benefits, losing them could be a nightmarish scenario.”

Jose Luis Agudo Gonzalez/Getty Images

Other Ways to Find Cheap Flights 

If you don’t want to risk the potential consequences, we have some other ideas to help you save money on flights . “Instead [of skiplagging], try booking flights in incognito mode or using a VPN to find better deals,” suggests Wang. “Airlines use cookies to track your searches and potentially raise prices. Use incognito or private browsing windows to avoid this.” 

Another way to save money on your flight is to be flexible with your departure and destination airports. “Consider flying into smaller, less busy airports near your destination, which often have lower fares,” explains Wang. As a full-time digital nomad, I often do this and can attest to its cost-saving effectiveness. Sometimes, the reverse works, too; you could search for flights to a larger hub near your final destination to see if they are less expensive. Either way, flexibility is key. 

You can also redeem airline miles or credit card points to reduce airfare costs. With the right travel rewards credit card , you can transfer your points to your favorite airline to book your flight, paying only taxes and fees. 

Finally, figure out your travel plans with time to spare. “Booking well ahead, around 60 days for international flights and 28 days for domestic flights, can also save you money, according to Expedia's 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report,” says Wang.

What is skiplagging? All about the travel hack airlines hate.

Airlines have banned the practice, but it hasn’t stopped fliers from doing it.

Earlier this week, an unaccompanied minor departing Gainesville Regional Airport in Florida found himself in headlines after he was denied boarding to an American Airlines flight. He hadn’t committed a crime, nor was he accused of being unruly.

His offense? Attempting to make use of a money-saving hack that gutsy fliers use every year.

It’s called skiplagging, and although it sounds playful enough, it’s hardly a game in airlines’ minds. In fact, most carriers regard it as a form of fraud.

Here’s everything you need to know about the controversial practice.

‘Two seats left’ and other flight-booking conspiracy theories, debunked

What is skiplagging?

“Skiplagging — or ‘hidden-city ticketing’ — is booking a trip where you plan on getting off at a layover city and throwing away the last leg or legs of a flight,” explains Clint Henderson, an industry expert and a managing editor for the Points Guy.

“Say I want to fly to Miami from New York,” he says. “Prices are high if I book direct, but if I fly New York to Miami to Orlando, I can save $130. I could book that, pocket the savings, and then get off the plane in Miami instead of continuing on to Orlando.”

It might seem counterintuitive: You’re ultimately flying fewer miles in the sky, so why should it cost more money on the ground? Well, airlines typically price flights with a connection at a lower rate than directs because the latter are often in higher demand. Plus, as Henderson points out, carriers want to route as many passengers as possible through their dedicated hubs to increase efficiency and thereby cut costs. That means you can usually save money by connecting through one of these primary bases of operation.

Easy wins, good habits, better living.

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In the case of the teen in Gainesville, he was booked on a flight to New York City by way of Charlotte — a major hub for American Airlines. His family is based in North Carolina, however, so he never had plans to get on the connecting flight to New York, his father, Hunter Parsons, told local media. Gate agents became suspicious of his intent after seeing his North Carolina license. That’s when he was pulled aside for questioning, his ticket was canceled and the family had to purchase a new one, Parsons said.

Multiple news outlets have reported that the teen was “detained” during the incident, but a spokesperson for American Airlines refutes that description.

“Our records indicate the customer was questioned only at the ticket counter about their travel, while attempting to check-in for their flight,” AA spokeswoman Andrea Koos said in an email. “A member of our customer relations team has been in touch with them to address their concerns.”

What are airline policies on skiplagging?

The fact that the teen was denied boarding underscores how serious airlines take skiplagging. It makes sense, because the practice saps revenue from them on two fronts: Not only do passengers underpay — potentially by hundreds of dollars per ticket — but the seat on the tossed leg also could have been sold to someone else.

Most contracts of carriage from major airlines expressly forbid skiplagging as a result. If an airline catches you trying to do so, it could cancel your whole itinerary. Henderson also points to examples of travelers having frequent-flier miles and memberships rescinded, or even rare instances of passengers getting sued.

“The airlines are getting increasingly sophisticated and smart about it,” he adds. “I expect that will get even more prevalent as technology improves further.”

How to get a refund for your canceled flight

In the meantime, it remains a somewhat sticky subject in travel. It can be difficult to prove what a passenger’s itinerant intentions truly are.

Matt Meltzer, a Miami-based travel writer, said he has saved hundreds of dollars on flights by skiplagging over the past several years. He views the teen’s recent experience as an outlier and doesn’t think gate agents at major hubs are looking for skiplagging.

“If I was getting on that flight and someone accused me of not intending to fly to New York, I’d just say: ‘Nope! Got “Hamilton” tickets tomorrow night. Very excited. Go Mets!’”

And it’s not exactly a solid business practice to preemptively accuse your paying customers of fraud. Representatives from both Delta and United declined to comment for this story; Delta pointed to a link to the airline’s Contract of Carriage, which expressly prohibits hidden-city ticketing. United , American and Southwest also prohibit the practice in their contracts.

So should you skip skiplagging?

Despite airlines banning the practice, some travelers are shirking the rules — and there are resources dedicated to helping them do it. Most notable is Skiplagged.com , which helped popularize the practice, and the term itself, when the site launched in 2013. (United Airlines and Orbitz unsuccessfully tried to sue the site a year later.)

The flight-booking hack dividing the internet

Be forewarned: On top of earning the ire of airlines, skiplagging comes with its own spate of logistical headaches. Chris Dong, a Los Angeles-based travel writer and points expert who used to skiplag, says you especially can’t do this on a round-trip flight.

“Airlines will cancel your return flight if you’re a ‘no show’ for any segment of a booked itinerary,” Dong said in an email.

If there’s a schedule change, or if a flight is delayed or rerouted, which can be common in a stormy, busy travel season , then, as Dong points out, “there’s a possibility your entire skiplag plan could go out the window.”

Finally, Henderson introduces another pitfall: “What if you are last to board, and they make you check your carry-on?”

“You’ll be in trouble, because your bag will end up in the wrong city,” he said. “The airlines can take your loyalty account, ban you from the airline and even sue you. It’s definitely not worth the risk to try this just to save a few dollars. Don’t do it!”

Brad Japhe is a London-based travel writer. You can follow him on Instagram: @journeys_with_japhe .

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Cheap flights: Follow our best advice for scoring low airfare , including setting flight price alerts and subscribing to deal newsletters. If you’re set on an expensive getaway, here’s a plan to save up without straining your credit limit.

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What Happens When You Skip Your Connecting Flight?

It’s called skiplagging, a travel hack that some fliers use to score cheaper airfares. here are the airlines’ policies regarding the practice..

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A cheaper flight, but at what cost?

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In an era of high airfares , travelers will often get creative to find cheaper flights—and while that craftiness can be admirable, it’s also a bit risky. Case in point: A strategy known as “skiplagging” has been making headlines after a teenager who was flying with American Airlines last week from Florida to New York, and planned to get off in the connecting city of Charlotte, North Carolina, was prohibited from boarding the original flight and asked to rebook a direct flight to Charlotte.

At the airport in Florida, when Logan Parsons presented his North Carolina driver’s license, an American Airlines agent “kind of got out of him that he was planning to disboard in Charlotte and [was] not going to make the connecting flight,” Hunter Parsons, Logan’s father, told local news agency Queen City News . The agent canceled the ticket and made the family buy a direct flight to Charlotte.

Here’s what travelers should know about skiplagging, including the risks and airlines’ official policies regarding the practice.

What is skiplagging?

Skiplagging is the practice of booking a connecting flight that is lower priced than a nonstop flight and not flying the final leg (or legs) of the flight. It is also known as hidden city ticketing,

“Plain and simply, hidden city ticketing is a way to find a direct flight without the direct flight price tag. Stumbling on a cheaper connecting flight that just so happens to stop in your desired city means you can technically get to where you want to go for considerably less,” explains Katy Nastro, spokesperson and travel expert with flight deals newsletter Going.com .

Nastro offered this example. Say, for example, you wanted to fly from New York to Los Angeles, and the direct flight cost $114, but there is a flight to Dallas from New York with a connection in Los Angeles that costs only $84. “You have just found a hidden city ticket, which means you can turn a connecting flight to Dallas into a direct flight to Los Angeles, hop out at your connection and pay 26 percent less than you would have paid to fly direct.”

How do you find skiplag or hidden city ticket flights?

You can, of course, scour travel booking sites like Google Flights or Kayak in search of skiplag options, but as you can imagine, it’s a bit of challenge because you are actually searching for a destination city that doesn’t match your true destination. So, using Nastro’s example above, you would need to search numerous flights from New York to destinations other than Los Angeles to discover whether there are some cheaper flights that fly through Los Angeles. The more you search, the better you are likely to become at identifying which routes typically have specific layovers.

The main resource for finding these flights more easily is a website called Skiplagged that does the work for you.

Skiplagged was founded in 2013 in an effort to disrupt the airline airfare model by automating the process of finding more affordable hidden city tickets. And it was the website Hunter Parsons used to book the American Airlines flight for his son from Gainesville to New York via Charlotte.

“We’ve used Skiplagged almost exclusively for the last five to eight years,” Hunter Parsons told Queen City News.

What are the airlines’ policies regarding skiplagging?

All of the major U.S. airlines have policies prohibiting the practice of skiplagging—or what they refer to as hidden city ticketing—written into their contract of carriage statements.

According to American Airlines’ conditions of carriage , “Reservations made to exploit or circumvent fare and ticket rules are prohibited,” including “purchasing a ticket without intending to fly all flights to gain lower fares,” or what is known as hidden city ticketing.

American states that “if we find evidence that you or your agent are using a prohibited practice,” the airline reserves the right to cancel any unused part of the ticket; refuse to let the passenger fly; not refund an otherwise refundable ticket; or charge what the ticket would have cost.

Can you be banned from flying?

American Airlines does not say anything about banning passengers for the practice, but United Airlines does.

In United’s contract of carriage document , hidden city ticketing is also listed as a prohibited practice. And when passengers violate its rules, United says that it reserves the right to invalidate the ticket(s); cancel any remaining portion of the passenger’s itinerary; assess a fee for “seat blocking,” delete miles, points, or credits from a passenger’s frequent flier account; and/or “permanently ban or refuse to board the passenger.”

Delta Air Lines, too, prohibits hidden city ticketing but doesn’t get into the long list of possible repercussions that American and United provide. Southwest also has a clearly defined policy against hidden city bookings, and JetBlue remarks in its contract of carriage that “fares apply only between the points named and via the routing as shown in carrier’s current schedule and are not applicable to or from intermediate points.” It doesn’t say anything more on the topic.

What are the risks involved in skiplagging?

“It is not illegal to engage in throwaway ticketing” Gary Leff, founder of the View from the Wing blog, wrote in a post last week about skiplagging, following the American Airlines incident.

While it may not be illegal, there are ample risks associated with skiplagging, beyond any repercussions passengers might encounter for violating the airlines’ rules.

“If your flight is delayed or canceled , your airline may want to reroute you through a different hub than the city you actually wanted to fly to,” writes Leff. “You can’t check bags, because those will go to your final ticketed destination rather than where you’re flying. And if you’re forced to gate check a bag when overhead bins are full, you’re in a bind. Plus, you can only book these one-way because if you throw away anything other than the last flight in your itinerary, the rest of the trip gets canceled.” In other words, if you skiplag on the outbound ticket of a round-trip flight, you risk having the return flight invalidated. This is why Leff mentions that this is best done only for one-way flights.

Even Skiplagged admits on its website that there are several risks to be aware of when booking a hidden city ticket, including the possibility of being rerouted, for instance when airlines are forced to make weather-related itinerary changes.

Additionally, Skiplagged recommends “only bringing a backpack that can fit under the seat in front of you. Anything larger risks getting checked at the gate,” and all checked bags are sent to the passenger’s final destination.

It’s also not a good idea to connect a hidden city ticket to your frequent flier account in case the airline decides to invalidate any miles you’ve accrued with them.

“Some airlines may require proof of a return ticket during check-in. If this happens to you, just buy a refundable return ticket directly from the airline and cancel it ASAP after boarding,” Skiplagged advises. And lastly, “Do not overuse hidden-city itineraries. Do not fly hidden-city on the same route with the same airline dozens of times within a short time frame. . . . You might upset the airline, so don’t do this often.”

Ultimately, says Going.com’s Nastro, “It is definitely a practice not for novice travelers. Once in a while, utilizing this technique may help to score a cheaper flight, especially last-minute, but being aware of the nuances and risks is paramount. For example, the twice-a-year vacationer might not be aware that if you try this on a round-trip ticket, the airline will cancel the rest of your itinerary once you are counted as a no-show. The cost of that mistake would greatly outweigh the savings of purchasing a hidden city ticket to begin with.”

What is skiplagging? Everything about the controversial air travel hack airlines hate

PHOENIX – You search Delta Air Lines' website for a Thanksgiving flight to Atlanta. But the Phoenix-Atlanta flights on the day before the holiday are sold out.

Then you see a Delta flight to Orlando, Florida, from Phoenix for $260 per passenger in basic economy with a layover in Atlanta. You decide to book the flight and leave the plane in Atlanta instead of flying to Orlando.

This travel hack is called skiplagging. 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.

In one recent case, American Airlines canceled a Florida teen's ticket for a flight from Gainesville, Florida, to New York City, with a layover in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to a report from Queen City News in Charlotte , the teen was detained at the airport and questioned over his intentions to disembark in Charlotte. Gate agents flagged him after noticing his North Carolina driver's license.

Learn more: Best travel insurance

Here's what travelers should know about skiplagging:

What is skiplagging?

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.

A travel website called Skiplagged.com allows people to find and book tickets for flights with hidden city ticketing. The posted savings generally range from $20 to $60 each way, like a Phoenix-Honolulu flight on Jan. 24 for $146, advertised for $47 less than a direct ticket. In one extreme case, Skiplagged advertised a Phoenix-Charlotte flight on Nov. 24 for $124, a savings of more than half the cost of a $257 direct ticket.

Is skiplagging illegal?

No, but it's against most airlines' contracts of carriage or the rules people must follow to fly with the airline.

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines both put skiplagging first on their lists of prohibited booking practices. The airlines define skiplagging, which they refer to in the contract as hidden city ticketing, as "purchasing a ticket without intending to fly all flights to gain lower fares."

United Airlines and Delta Air Lines also prohibit skiplagging.

Skiplagged.com's FAQ page on skiplagging closes with these words: "You might upset the airline, so don't do it often."

Why do airlines hate skiplagging?

When American Airlines canceling the North Carolina teen's plane ticket went viral after national media picked up the story on July 12, some social media users wondered: Why are airlines making a big deal about travelers skipping a leg of their flight if they're getting money from the ticket either way?

One reason given is lost revenue. Many airlines operate on a "hub-and-spoke" system, where flights are routed from an airport that's a central point, or hub, which then connects with other airports within the region. Flights to and from smaller airports usually go through a hub airport before the final destination to fill their planes with as many passengers as possible.

Hidden city pricing reduces competition for routes by restricting an airline's ability to charge a low price for the flight in the connecting city, according to a 2022 study by business professors Jaelynn Oh of the University of Utah and Tim Huh of the University of British Columbia.

Oh and Huh think skiplagging could have the unintended consequence of increasing airfares.

The practice also can cause flight delays.

In a 2021 court filing , Southwest said skiplagging caused the airline problems when flight crews and operations staff tried to locate passengers booked for the flight who departed in the connecting airport.

Attempts to locate these passengers caused flight delays that affected other passengers and disrupted Southwest's flight schedule and on-time performance, according to the filing.

What can airlines do if they catch you skiplagging?

According to American and Southwest's contracts of carriage, they can cancel any unused part of a ticket, refuse to let the passenger and their bags fly, not issue a refund and charge the customer for what the ticket would have cost for the full route. Airlines may ban a passenger from flying with them in the future.

Some airlines have challenged the practice in court but without success.

In November 2014, United Airlines sued Skiplagged.com and its founder in court, claiming trademark infringement, according to court documents. A judge dismissed the suit the following year .

In 2018, Lufthansa sued a passenger who purchased a ticket for a flight from Oslo, Norway, to Seattle with a layover in Frankfurt, Germany. He departed in Frankfurt and flew from there to Berlin.

According to a CNN report citing German court documents , Lufthansa sought the difference for the itinerary should have cost, about $2,385. A judge in Germany dismissed the case over the airline's recalculated airfare. Lufthansa appealed, then later dropped the case .

What should travelers know before they consider a skiplagged flight?

Know that it is a risky practice that goes against your airline's rules and be aware of the potential consequences.

If you choose to skiplag, do not check a bag. If you do, or if you're forced to check a carry-on bag because there's no room for it in the overhead bin, that luggage will end up in the final destination on the itinerary, not at the connecting airport.

Reach the reporter at  [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter  @salerno_phx .

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What to know about skiplagging, the controversial tactic to save money on flights

In what has been called an open secret in flying for years, airline customers are turning to skiplagging, a controversial hack to save money on their ticket that can have varying consequences.

Skiplagging, also known as hidden city ticketing, is when a customer books a connecting flight, but actually gets off at the layover airport rather than their final destination.

The hack can save customers hundreds of dollars on their ticket — but can come at a heavy price if airlines find out. Here's what to know about the practice.

What is skiplagging?

Skiplagging, for example, is when a customer wants to fly from Atlanta, Georgia, to Orlando, Florida. A direct flight might cost $250, but a flight from Atlanta to Dallas, Texas, with a layover in Orlando could be nearly half the price at $130, according to Skiplagged.com.

"You can often save hundreds of dollars per ticket," Scott Keyes, founder of Going, formerly Scott's Cheap Flights, said on TODAY Aug. 21. "That’s why hidden city ticketing works because people will pay more for a nonstop flight than a connecting flight."

The cheaper ticket is an easy decision for some, but airlines are starting to crack down on the practice.

What are the consequences of skiplagging?

Most major carriers, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, all prohibit the practice.

"They can deny you boarding," Keyes said. "They can confiscate frequent flyer miles, or even in some cases, suspend you for a length of time from flying that airline."

In June, American Airlines canceled a North Carolina teenager's trip and made him purchase a direct flight to his destination after discovering his hidden city ticket that he purchased from travel website Skiplagged.com, Queen City News reported .

Cassie Aran told Business Insider that she bought a hidden city ticket from Skiplagged.com to save money, but when she checked in at the airport, she said American Airlines knew she wasn't planning to board her second flight.

"She's like, 'If you don't go to Boston, you'll be banned from American Airlines forever,'" Aran said of the incident.

Aran said she was able to cancel her trip, but she would now never recommend skiplagging.

When reached for comment on skiplagging, American Airlines said the practice is prohibited by the company's conditions of carriage and agency agreements.

"If a customer knowingly or unknowingly purchases a ticket and doesn’t fly all of the segments in their itinerary, it can lead to operational issues with checked bags and prevent other customers from booking a seat when they may have an urgent need to travel," the company said in a statement to NBC News. "Intentionally creating an empty seat that could have been used by another customer or team member is an all-around bad outcome."

Is skiplagging illegal?

While skiplagging isn't illegal, American Airlines filed a civil lawsuit earlier this month against Skiplagged.com, accusing the company of "unauthorized and deceptive ticketing practices" and tricking customers into believing they've gained access to a "secret loophole."

Skiplagged.com advertises "ridiculous travel deals" and says it "exposes inefficiencies in airline pricing," according to its website. And the site does list a warning: "You might upset the airline, so don’t do this often."

Skiplagged.com did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.

For people who want to still save money on flights, experts say to search for one-way flights instead of booking a round-trip ticket. The cheapest flight to a destination could be on one carrier, and on the way back, the cheapest option could be with another airline.

Experts say the trick could save hundreds of dollars — without breaking the rules.

Anna Kaplan is a news and trending reporter for TODAY.com.

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Whether You Call It ‘Skiplagging’ or ‘Hidden-City Travel,’ It’s Contentious

Booking a flight with a layover in the city that’s the real destination for the traveler can net big bargains, but airlines prohibit the practice.

By Christine Chung

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,” forbidden by airlines but used by some travelers to net flight bargains.

The teen’s father, Hunter Parsons, said it was his 17-year-old’s first time flying unaccompanied and that both the timing and price of the booking made it appealing — for $150, his son was to fly from Gainesville to Charlotte, and not continue on the second flight to New York, a cost savings of roughly $300 if the family had simply purchased a direct flight to Charlotte. But Mr. Parsons’s son didn’t even make it past the check-in counter in Gainesville, where the 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.

Though it is not illegal, the practice is strictly prohibited by airlines in their contracts of carriage. And carriers have shown an erratic but heavy hand in administering punishment for those caught, eliminating a skiplagger’s frequent flier mile s in one instance and suing a passenger in another . Mr. Parsons said that American barred his son from traveling with the carrier for three years.

Experts say that travelers have flown this way for decades and that detecting improper use of connections is tricky, making enforcement a challenge for airlines. Here’s what to know about this open secret of flying.

How does it work?

Airline ticket costs are determined by many factors, such as energy prices, passenger demand for certain routes and competition from other airlines. They aren’t merely a reflection of travel distance. For travelers, this means that it can occasionally be more affordable to book a flight with a layover along a more competitive route and get off there, rather than booking a nonstop flight to the desired location.

For instance, a traveler in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., wants to fly to San Francisco. A recent search turned up a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Portland, Ore., with a stop in San Francisco, for about $124. A nonstop flight from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco would cost about $220.

Skiplagged and Kiwi facilitate searching for and booking these kinds of deals.

But it requires staying undetected. You can’t check a bag or link a frequent flier account to collect the mileage. And travelers who show patterns — flying the same routes repeatedly and missing the last leg of a flight — are more likely to be caught.

Why is it gaining in popularity?

Short answer: the cost of airfare, which has soared in recent years.

Mary Cropper, a travel specialist with Boston-based Audley Travel, called airfare pricing a “perfect storm.” Rising fares, in addition to fees for everything from beverages to printing boarding passes, have made skiplagging more enticing to passengers. While she doesn’t advise her clients to book this way, she said she understood the motivation.

“Why wouldn’t someone want to save 50 percent on an airline ticket, something that’s just so expensive these days?” Ms. Cropper asked.

Aktarer Zaman, Skiplagged’s founder and chief executive, emphasized that his website has “empowered people to make their own decisions” by digging up alternatives to current airline pricing practices, which he described as “price gouging."

What are the risks?

Upon purchasing a ticket, travelers agree to a contract of carriage with the airline, which is a set of rules passengers agree to comply with. These cover everything from how a carrier will handle oversold flights to requirements regarding passengers’ clothing and behavior. These terms and conditions also often explicitly forbid hidden-city ticketing and lay out a raft of consequences should travelers circumvent the rules.

United Airlines reserves the right to permanently ban travelers who don’t complete their trip. They also say they can revoke status and wipe out accrued mileage. Alaska Airlines mentions that it can take legal action against passengers who violate their policies.

American says in its fine print that it has the right to a number of actions, such as canceling any unused portion of the ticket, refusing to let the passenger fly and billing the customer for what the intended route would have cost.

Curtis Blessing, a spokesman for American, called this type of travel an “all-around bad outcome” that could cause issues with checked bags and also prevent other customers, who might have urgent travel needs, from booking seats.

Airlines have mostly taken aim at the online providers, in past years filing a handful of lawsuits against Skiplagged and Kiwi. Earlier this summer, American sued Kiwi in federal court in Texas, claiming that the “rogue online travel agent” had repeatedly engaged in “abusive ticketing practices,” including booking hidden city fares for its customers, according to court documents.

So far, litigation has been unsuccessful in blocking this travel hack. One lawsuit filed in 2014 by United against Skiplagged was dismissed, while in 2021, Southwest Airlines sued Skiplagged for using the carrier’s data. Skiplagged argued that they were not the ones actually distributing Southwest tickets; they showed flights but directed users to other websites for booking. Both parties later agreed to drop the lawsuit, Mr. Zaman said.

In 2018, Lufthansa sued a passenger who had booked a round-trip flight from Oslo to Seattle but then stayed in Frankfurt, the flight’s layover city. The airline later dropped the lawsuit .

However, there are plentiful anecdotes online of passengers who say they’ve been threatened with lifetime bans and with the loss of all their frequent flier mileage .

Is it an ethical way to travel? How much of an issue is it for airlines anyway?

“The question is whether you think it has any impact on the provider and whether you care,” said Robert Mann, an aviation analyst and a former American executive. Airlines say that exploitation of hidden-city fares results in empty seats that could have been booked by others.

In its lawsuit against Kiwi, American also said that passenger no-shows can delay flights by triggering searches for the traveler and any luggage involved, and waste fuel that is calculated by passenger count.

Others say that these fares are a loophole of an airline’s own making, and a reflection of their pricing priorities . By law, airlines can set whatever prices and routes they want .

“It can be argued charging much higher prices for shorter distances is unfair and especially penalizes frequent fliers to hub cities,” where high demand generally means costlier airfare, said Paul Hudson, the founder of a passengers rights advocacy group called Flyers Rights .

What can you do if you’re penalized for skiplagging?

Very little. Bart Banino, an attorney at Condon & Forsyth, a firm specializing in aviation law, emphasized that passengers are obligated to adhere to the airline’s terms and conditions — that contract of carriage — whether that means traveling on the route they’ve purchased, or paying a fare difference when they’re caught breaking the rules.

Mr. Hudson cited a past Supreme Court ruling that found that carriers have the right to claw back frequent flier miles, for whatever reason.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2023 .

Christine Chung is a travel reporter for The Times. She previously covered breaking news. She joined The Times in November 2021. More about Christine Chung

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Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .

What is skiplagging? The travel hack long hated by airlines is now the subject of a big lawsuit

Skiplagging is a sneaky travel hack that's been used by savvy consumers for years.

Instead of booking a direct flight to a desired location, customers in America are purchasing multi-stop fares with a stopover in the place they intend to go, forgoing the final leg of their journey.

The practice goes by a few different names, including skiplagging or hidden-city flying. Passengers disembark at their layover city, leaving an empty seat on their next flight, and save money in the process.

But airlines are cracking down on the practice, claiming it breaches their rules and costs them revenue.

Last week, American Airlines filed a lawsuit against a controversial ticketing website that allows customers to skiplag.

It comes after the airline barred a teenager from boarding a flight in the US after airport staff discovered he was planning to disembark at his stopover city.

Businesses argue the practice amounts to fraud because customers are purchasing flights they don't intend to travel on, while skiplaggers believe they are simply exploiting a loophole in ticket pricing.

The skiplagging travel hack

Skiplagging is buying a ticket to a destination with the intention of never completing the full journey.

It works like this: Say, for example, you're planning to fly from New York to Los Angeles, but the airfare is expensive. So, instead, you buy a ticket from New York to San Diego with a layover in Los Angeles, which is cheaper than the direct flight.

When it comes time to make your journey, you disembark at the stopover in Los Angeles and skip the next flight.

While the name has changed over the years, the idea has been around for a long time, says Robert Mann, an aviation analyst and a former airline executive.

"It really dates back to the era when airlines issued you paper tickets with red ink on them," he said.

The hack is not illegal, but it does violate a carrier's terms and conditions — that small box people tend to tick on autopilot when they purchase a flight.

Airlines are cracking down as fares skyrocket

Last month, skiplagging attracted attention online after a teenager was taken in by security at a US airport over concerns he was planning to disembark at his stopover city.

Seventeen-year-old Hunter Parsons was about to board his first flight alone, from Gainesville, Florida to New York City with a layover in Charlotte.

The plan was for the teen to get off the plane in Charlotte where he lives, his father told local television station Queen City News , but before he could board his flight, he was stopped by gate agents and taken to a room.

When questioned, the young man revealed he had been intending to skiplag in Charlotte and had his flight cancelled. The airline asked him to purchase a new direct flight, and banned him from flying with the carrier for three years.

Mr Mann is not familiar with the specific details of the incident, but says it is unusual for security to be involved in cases of skiplagging.

He says airlines have been cracking down on the practice in recent years, in part because they believe it is costing them revenue.

"Airfares have been high this summer, they were high last year, and the bigger the price — and the bigger the losses — the greater attention it gets [from airlines]," he said.

It is not clear how widespread skiplagging is in the US, though interest appears to have grown as websites facilitating the practice have spread online.

Opinions on the hack are mixed. There are analysts like Mr Mann who are firmly against it and believe it is immoral, while others argue the airlines have done this to themselves.

"Their pricing models are incredibly complex. It's not like when you go into a supermarket and a bottle of milk costs this price and it's the same price charged to every customer that goes in and buys that product that day," says Chris Chamberlin, a travel journalist at frequent-flyer tips site Point Hack.

"Every time you book a flight, the price can be different."

Airline pricing systems are determined by a range of variables, including competition, popularity and the type of route.

Mr Mann uses a "gravity model" to explain pricing between major hubs in America. If the cities are big and the demand is huge, then prices settle at a higher point because there is a higher amount of gravity between large objects.

Or to put it another way, most people prefer to avoid stopovers so there is more demand for a direct flight from point A to point C, pushing the price up.

Since there is less demand to fly from point A to point C via point B, the price point is lower.

Over the years, airlines have tried suing to claw back what they say are financial losses caused by skiplagging, either by targeting individuals or sites that facilitate the practice, but making their case in court has proven tricky.

The case of the airline giant and travel hacker

Tech entrepreneur Aktarer Zaman appears to have been one of the first to create a website devoted to finding hidden city flights

In 2014, the then 22-year-old started Skiplagged, an airfare search engine for cheap flights with layovers, while working at a tech startup, according to CNN .

The site is now one of the most recognisable brands in the space, a detail that has not escaped airlines' notice.

Last week, American Airlines accused the company of engaging in "unauthorised and deceptive ticketing practices"  in a 37-page lawsuit lodged in Fort Worth, Texas.

It claims the website improperly acts as a middleman, "inserting itself between American [Airlines] and flight consumers", and promises to deliver savings, but often charges consumers more than if they had booked a ticket directly with the airline or an authorised agent.

"Skiplagged deceives the public into believing that, even though it has no authority to form and issue a contract on Americans' behalf, somehow it can still issue a completely valid ticket. It cannot. Every 'ticket' issued by Skiplagged is at risk of being invalidated," it said.

In a statement to the ABC, a Skiplagged representative said: "Skiplagged is proud to stand on the side of the traveller and continue the fight against American Airlines and their monopolistic pricing."

"The result of skiplagging is that travellers have been able to put extra money in their pockets instead of the pockets of American Airlines executives and shareholders," they said.

This is not the first time Skiplagged has been sued. In 2014, United Airlines and its travel partner, Orbitz, claimed Zaman's website created "unfair competition" and sued to recoup $US75,000 ($116,872) in lost revenue.

"This practice violates our fare rules and we are taking action to stop it to help protect the vast majority of customers who buy legitimate tickets," the airline said at the time.

Zamen used GoFundMe, asking for $US10,000 to help cover the cost of his court battle.

"I was not optimistic that I could take on the legal fight," Zaman told CNN in 2014.

But  he raised $US81,000  and Orbitz eventually backed out of the suit after quietly settling with Zaman, while United Airlines had their case dismissed in a Chicago court.

The judge ruled he did not have jurisdiction because Zaman did not live or work in the city, according to CNN Money.

Southwest Airlines also sued the website in 2021, alleging it worked in concert with another travel company, Kiwi.com, to sell its flights without authorisation. But the case was dismissed by a judge after both parties reached an undisclosed settlement.

Mr Mann believes airlines have a legal case, but there is still a question of whether they can prove it in front of a judge.

"So far, judges just pull out their hair and say, 'Well, you know, we don't understand this, we don't really think anybody has any damages because, after all, they pay you something and so what if they didn't use it all?'"

Can you skiplag in Australia?

Mr Chamberlin says it's possible to find cheaper multi-stop flights in Australia, when compared to direct flights to busy hubs like Sydney or Melbourne.

There may be an opportunity to skiplag domestically or internationally, but it's unclear whether people are actually doing this and on what scale.

Customers would need to spend time researching and comparing different fares, flights and prices and complete their journeys undetected, analysts say.

And if they do skiplag, they run the risk of a last-minute change being made to their ticket, which may result in a different layover city being used or avoided altogether.

If airlines discover a person is skiplagging, they can cancel their flights, take away their points or ban them from flying with them.

Hidden city sites in the US offer guidance to passengers on how to avoid getting caught, including not linking frequent flyer points when booking and only using carry-on baggage, a possible deterrent to customers using Australian airlines, which tend to crack down on cabin bags, Mr Chamberlin says.

Mr Mann says there is also an ethical element to the travel hack, which should  deter people from engaging in skiplagging.

"If you do it yourself, you're subject to all these potential clawbacks. But if you use a piece of software to do it, well, you're giving business to somebody whose business it is to defraud suppliers."

Others have also argued that by skiplagging you are taking away a seat from another passenger who needs it, but Mr Chamberlin says airlines often overbook flights.

"It's a very common practice in the aviation industry that airlines will always sell more tickets, if they can, than the seats that they have on the plane, because they know that a certain volume of passengers will not show up or between the time that they bought those flights and the time it comes to depart, they'll change or cancel their ticket," he said.

The best travel tips to save on your next flight

Mr Chamberlin says skiplagging isn't something he would personally recommend, but he says there are other ways people can save when they fly.

He says to make sure you book early, since prices are highest if you're booking last minute. It also pays to be flexible with your flight schedule, particularly around the time and day of the week.

"I always tend to find the flights first thing in the morning on weekdays, last thing in the morning on weekdays, [and anything] at the very beginning and very end of weekends to be the most expensive because that's where most leisure travellers want to fly," he said.

"So if you want to save money on tickets, it's probably easier to be flexible on your travel ... take a flight at lunchtime one day instead of trying to be in the office by 9:00am after landing. You can sometimes fly for half the price."

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How Skiplagging Can Save You Money

What is skiplagging? Have you heard this term buzzing around lately? Well, we’ll define it for you and help you decide if it’s right for you!

Skiplagging is a relatively new term in the travel lexicon. But it’s something every savvy traveler should know about! Put simply, skiplagging means booking a flight ticket with a connecting flight but then getting off at your layover airport instead of your final destination. Also known as hidden city ticketing or throwaway ticketing, skiplagging can save you some major bucks, particularly when you’re booking flights between two major hubs.

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The Let’s Roam Guide to Skiplagging

Below, you’ll find our guide to skiplagging. Our aim is to help guide you through the process of booking skiplagged tickets and give you lots of tips, tricks, and travel hacks so you can save oodles of money. 

Disclaimer: I’ve personally booked skiplagged tickets when I’ve been trying to fly between very expensive airport hubs. I’ve never had any issues using hidden city tickets, but I do know of people who have lost their frequent flyer miles when their preferred airline caught them. This is definitely not my favorite way to score cheap flights due to the risk of something going wrong and the restrictions that come with it. Rather than being my go-to way of booking flights, I usually use it as a worst-case scenario when I can’t find another way to get reasonable flights.

How exactly does skiplagging work?

As many of you have probably noticed, there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason as to why legacy airlines like United Airlines, Delta, or American Airlines structure their fares the way they do. Sure, the price goes up when there is a lot of demand. But sometimes prices seem to be really high without any obvious reason. This is where skiplagging comes in!

Skiplagging offers travelers a way to get deeply discounted tickets by booking an itinerary with a connecting flight that they have no intention of using. Rather than getting off at the final destination on their ticket, they will get off at the layover airport. It seems like this strategy has only started trending recently. But travel agents, travel aficionados, and skiplaggers have been doing this for decades. 

As you can probably imagine, airlines frown upon customers doing this. For most airlines, it goes against their conditions of carriage; they claim that they can no longer sell the empty seats and have lost revenue. But it’s a great loophole that allows you to save money by getting lower fares. 

How can you book a skiplagged ticket?

Like with most things travel-related, the key to booking a skiplagged ticket is taking the time to research all of your different options to get to your desired destination. For example, let’s say you want to fly from New York City to Atlanta but keep encountering high airfares. Start broadening your search a bit! Think about what airlines use Atlanta as a hub, and find out what additional destinations they service. You can then start doing different searches on Skyscanner or Kayak to see what flight itineraries can help you get to your intended destination. 

This may sound like a lot of work. To be honest, it kind of is. If you want to take the easier route, we recommend starting your search on websites like Skiplagged.com. Here, you can search for flights from Point A to Point B, and the website will show you both direct flights and hidden city tickets. You can then easily book a skiplagged ticket on travel websites like Expedia and Orbitz or the airline websites. 

What’s the catch?

Saving money on flights sounds pretty amazing. However, there are a few things you have to keep in mind before you book a hidden city ticket. Read carefully before you start making your bookings! You’ll need to assess if this method of saving money is worth it for you.

One-Way Tickets

First off, you must remember that this only works if the flight you’re skipping is the final leg on the itinerary or if you’re booking one-way tickets. Virtually all airlines will cancel your entire unused itinerary if you miss one leg of your flight. This means that if you book a round-trip ticket from New York to Birmingham, Alabama, and stay in your layover city of Atlanta, your airline will cancel your flight from Birmingham to New York. 

You would then need to purchase your return ticket separately. That can end up being expensive. It’s a good idea to check how much the flight home will be before booking your skiplagged flight. After all, a round-trip flight is likely to end up being cheaper than two one-way tickets. 

Carry-on Bags Only

You also need to travel with carry-on luggage only as checked bags will be sent through to your final ticketed destination. If you’re someone who is used to traveling with a lot of baggage, this may give you just the push you need to downsize your baggage! Not only does it allow you to take advantage of skiplagged tickets, but it also saves you a ton of money on checked baggage fees. 

Overdoing It

Don’t book skiplagged flights too often! The airlines are obviously not too happy with people taking advantage of the airline pricing model that they themselves have created. According to the contract of carriage, skiplagging is not allowed. While they’re unlikely to punish people who purchase a skiplagged ticket every once in a while, they may ban repeat offenders from flying on the airline for a certain period of time. 

As I mentioned earlier, it’s a good idea to use skiplagging only when you really need to. Otherwise, try to be flexible with dates, departure airports, and layover cities, and you may end up saving even more money!

Does skiplagging work on international flights?

Yes, skiplagging can work on international flights. However, we recommend that only experienced travelers try it as there are a few aspects that can make this more complicated. 

The first thing you need to check before booking a hidden city ticket to an international destination is whether or not you need a visa to your final destination. If so, the gate agents are extremely unlikely to issue you a ticket at check-in. This means that you would probably miss your flight as well as lose the value of your ticket. Always check and then double-check whether or not you need a visa for any of the international destinations on your itinerary, including your intended destination! 

Let’s say you would like to travel to Frankfurt from New York City. Direct flights are very expensive, but you can find a Lufthansa flight that goes to Istanbul with a layover in Frankfurt. The airline check-in agents may request to see your Turkish visa before they will let you board the flight even if it is possible to get a visa on arrival for U.S. citizens. In this case, if you’re saving enough money on the flight, you may want to consider simply buying the visa online. They only cost around $50 and are valid for six months. 

The next thing you need to check is whether or not you will be allowed to exit the plane at your layover destination. Some flights will allow passengers to enter and exit the plane only at the final destination on their ticket. For example, I was once on a flight from Istanbul to Cancun. The layover airport was Mexico City. Once we arrived at Mexico City Airport, the only people who were allowed off the plane were people who had booked the flight to Mexico City. Everyone with onward flights to Cancun had to stay on the plane while it refueled and while other passengers boarded the plane.

What are the downsides of booking a skiplagged ticket?

If you’re a budget traveler always on the lookout for cheap tickets, skiplagged tickets can feel like a dream come true. You can save hundreds of dollars on flights and you don’t have to book low-cost carriers that charge you a small fortune to bring your carry-on bag with you. 

However, as we mentioned above, there are some things you must keep in mind. As a general rule, your flights must be one-way, and you can only bring a carry-on. If that’s fine with you, then there are a few more things you need to think about. The first is that you run the risk of getting banned from an airline if they catch you using a skiplagged ticket. Most travelers choose to avoid airlines they have frequent flier miles with as the airline could potentially freeze your account, causing you to lose all of the miles you accrued. 

If you frequently purchase hidden city tickets with the same airline, they may not allow you to board your flight at the gate. You would then have to purchase a new one-way ticket to get to your destination. That could end up costing you significantly more money than you would’ve paid simply for purchasing a regular ticket on Southwest or Frontier in the first place.

Future Unknowns

When you book a flight far in advance, you do have a larger risk that the airline may re-route you through another connecting city that ultimately gets you to the same destination. This could easily happen if you’re trying to get a skiplagged ticket from Washington D.C. to Frankfurt with a layover in Amsterdam. The airline may choose to change the flight path so that rather than going to Amsterdam, you would have your layover in Charlotte, where you would then have to board a direct flight to Frankfurt. This could end up causing a major disruption to your travel plans. So definitely think about whether or not you’re willing to take the risks involved! 

So, Ready to Roam?

We hope this guide has given you all the info you need to start skiplagging! You may be able to get lower fares on nonstop flights to destinations around the world. However, that’s only if you’re willing to take a risk. Do careful research beforehand, and plan for the worst-case scenario.

If you want to learn more about great travel hacks or awesome places to visit, head over to the Let’s Roam Explorer blog . Here, you’ll find hundreds of articles covering everything from the best places to visit in Africa to the ultimate Vegas bachelorette party ! 

And don’t forget to download the Let’s Roam app , which gives you easy access to not only our exciting scavenger hunts but also tons of user-generated recommendations and cost-saving ideas from travelers just like you!

Frequently Asked Questions

Skiplagging is a ticket-hacking strategy where you buy a flight ticket that includes a layover flight. Rather than taking the second leg, you end your journey at the layover city.

Skiplagging can help you save hundreds of dollars on your flights to places like NYC and Chicago . There are some very important restrictions that you need to be aware of, though.

When you purchase a skiplagged ticket , you run the risk of the airline canceling your other flights or banning you from flying with them again. Also, you can only use them on one-way flights.

If you’re using a skiplagged ticket, you can only bring carry-on luggage with you as checked luggage would be checked through to the final destination on your ticket.

It’s easiest to find skiplagged tickets for destinations that are considered airline hubs, such as New York , Atlanta , Detroit , Frankfurt , or London . Before you book, do your research!

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Simple Flying

Skiplagging: what it is, and why it is controversial.

Airlines have been cracking down on the practice for years.

• Skiplagging is a controversial practice where passengers book longer journeys and intentionally skip one leg of their trip to save money.
• Airlines dislike skiplagging because it leaves empty seats on flights and goes against their contracts of carriage.
• While courts have ruled that skiplagging is legal in some cases, airlines may still have leverage over passengers through frequent flyer programs and can ban them from future flights.

Recently, Simple Flying examined ticket prices on United Airlines' services from Houston to Panama City, which were recently expanded to thrice daily next summer . While tickets directly between the two cities start around $1,200 roundtrip, originating the ticket in Chicago and adding a stop in Houston can see these prices drop as low as $800.

Here, passengers are incentivized to book the longer journey and simply not take the first leg of the service. This is an example of a complex process known as skip-lagging, one that has become ever-more popular over time.

Money is a finite resource, so catching a seat sale can be tricky when it comes to air travel, especially when travel dates are fixed. Skiplagging is one practice that enables travelers to get from point A to point B for "less than the going rate." However, doing so is controversial and most certainly frowned upon by airlines. Let's look at the practice of skiplagging and why airlines hate it.

What is skiplagging?

Skiplagging is the practice of booking an itinerary where the stopover is the actual and intended destination of the traveler. Using our 'point A to point B' phrasing, passenger could book a ticket that takes them from point A to point C, with a stopover at point B. The passenger's actual destination is point B, and they leave the airport at this point, leaving their seat empty on the B-to-C portion of the journey.

It is important to note that this practice will not work if the traveler wants to travel with checked baggage. After all, the luggage is tagged to the final (ticketed) destination. If you tried it, there would be severe consequences as the airline would likely have to offload your checked baggage after realizing your boarding pass wasn't scanned for the second leg of the journey.

Attempting to skiplag with checked baggage is extremely harmful for several reasons. Primarily, as airlines aren't allowed to take off with baggage checked by someone not present on the flight, this practice can result in heavy delays. Furthermore, it can result in one's return ticket being canceled if an airline is able to confirm the intended skiplagging.

Want answers to more key questions in aviation? Check out the rest of our guides here .

Another major hurdle to navigate when it comes to skiplagging is the challenge of having to purchase multiple one-way tickets. On a roundtrip itinerary, one would likely have return tickets canceled if an airline realized that a passenger skiplagged on the way there.

An example of skiplagging

Previous research by Simple Flying found that one example of a route where airfares conducive to skiplagging could be found was Air Canada's domestic corridor between Toronto and Vancouver. By buying a connecting ticket from Toronto to Seattle via Vancouver, we found that the price could drop by as much as 25%.

Based on fuel and labor costs alone, a lower fare on a longer journey seems confusing. However, there are a few reasons for this price differential. Air travel is a competitive business, and specific routes will have more competition than others. If an airline knows it runs one of the few direct services to a city, it will charge as much as customers are willing to pay.

However, airlines know that passengers greatly prefer direct flights and, as a result, will lower fares on connecting itineraries to better compete with other airlines. Furthermore, airlines, especially those in North America, might have to pay more in airport fees for passengers disembarking in a particular location as opposed to another. Such costs often do not apply to connecting or "transit" passengers.

With bookings soaring at an all-time high this year, skiplagging has surged in the news. Business Insider reported this week that a flight between New York and Amsterdam in late June is about $2,850, flying with KLM. Instead, a flight between New York and London City via Amsterdam is $2,150. Theoretically, a passenger could avoid the final segment to London City and get a better deal, but KLM wouldn't be too happy about it.

Why is skiplagging controversial?

It should not come as a surprise that airlines dislike this practice. Essentially, they cannot fill a physically empty seat for one flight because an absent skiplagger is supposed to be sitting there. Many airline contracts of carriage these days expressly forbid the practice of skiplagging. Therefore, the airlines can claim that they are just enforcing the fine print when it comes to lawsuits.

If we take a look at Air France's regulations, we can see a warning against skiplagging at the bottom of the document:

"The fare is applicable for a ticket used fully, in sequential order for the specified journey and on the specified dates. As outlined in the General Conditions of Carriage, any non-compliant use noticed on the day of travel may incur an additional flat-rate fee at the airport for the amount of: €125 in the Economy cabin and €300 in the Business cabin, for flights within Europe... €500 in the Economy and Premium Economy cabins, €1,500 in the Business and La Première cabins... for intercontinental flights."

Smarter Travel notes that courts seem to be legally on the travelers' side, with Lufthansa and United having lost lawsuits against skiplaggers. A court in Spain even specifically ruled that skiplagging and hidden-city ticketing is legal.

Despite this, there are other things to consider, as airlines might have a certain amount of leverage over you. This could include your hard-earned, accumulated frequent flyer mileage, elite status, and membership. Airlines could even ban you outright. Considering all this, even if you think you can win a legal battle, you may not have the time, energy, or money to fight them in court.

One of the biggest catches for travelers who want to skiplag is that they cannot check a bag. After all, checked-in bags are sent to the final destination, and a passenger cannot retrieve them if they stop the journey at a middle point.

Ultimately, if carriers are forced to accept skiplagging as a legitimate legal practice, they will adjust algorithms to account for a higher no-show rate on flights. This will likely lead to more overbookings, hurting the consumer's wallet and experience in the long run.

Skiplagging in the news

Airlines are in a more financially sensitive position after the impacts of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As such, skiplagging has been in the news more recently as carriers look to crack down on the practice to avoid lost revenue.

For example, January 2021 saw American Airlines issue a warning to travel agents regarding the practice . Specifically, it informed these companies that it would monitor bookings to reduce instances of it occurring.

Have you ever engaged in the practice of skiplagging before? Do you think it is an ethically justifiable practice? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

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Moscow for everyone: Here's how to enjoy the Russian capital whatever your passion

Flanked by the imposing buildings of the Kremlin, the stepped granite blocks of Lenin’s Mausoleum and the fanciful onion domes of St Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow's Red Square is nothing short of legendary, but only a taste of what the Russian capital has to offer.

Manicured gardens and parks, brutalist monuments, quirky museums, open-air cinemas and glitzy boutiques co-exist in this storied city, which burst into the 21st century with a slew of restaurant openings and grand urban schemes.

Visitors have never had it so easy, with a raft of digital innovations designed to facilitate and enhance the tourist experience.

One such is the RUSSPASS , a new e-service that allows users not only to plan and book attractions in Moscow and across Russia, but also to create bespoke itineraries to suit every type of interest and budget. The RUSSPASS app is available in English and Spanish and allows tourists to buy e-tickets and to top up the balance of a Moscow transport card.

Beyond caviar and ballet

Moscow’s burgeoning gastronomic scene has been causing a stir locally and internationally. Published for the first time in 2021, the Michelin Moscow Guide awarded its prestigious stars to no fewer than nine of the city’s restaurants. A total of 69 restaurants were recommended, with three of them awarded ‘green stars’ for sustainability. Fifteen restaurants received the ‘Bib Gourmand’, which acknowledges excellent cooking at affordable prices.

Time-honoured haunts for blinis and caviar include the baroque Café Pushkin and the formidable soviet-themed Dr Zhivago , while the glass-domed White Rabbit , whose chef starred in Netflix's 'Chef's Table', continues to dazzle with creative twists on classic dishes. Also creating a stir is Twins Garden , which focuses on wildly inventive vegetable dishes and home-grown produce.

As the country emerges from the pandemic, music, theatre and exhibitions are also back on the agenda. A performance from the matchless Bolshoi Ballet has been a hot ticket since the 18th century, but the Bolshoi Theatre is just one of more than 700 Moscow cultural centers.

These include world-renowned palaces of art such as the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts , a remarkable collection bringing together masterpieces from every major Western movement as well as Egyptian antiquities.

Lesser-known but equally fascinating galleries lie all over the city. An offshoot of the Tretyakov Gallery, the New Tretyakov Gallery also focuses on modern Russian artists, and features works by Kandinsky, Chagall and Popova, among many others.

Moscow's wealth of parks and curious architecture make it a great place for children. The fairytale colours of buildings such as St Basil's Cathedral are every match for the architectural whimsy at Dream Island , a huge indoor theme park where cartoon characters wander through the crowds.

The shiplike Northern River Terminal, built in the 1930s in a Stalinist style, is also a favourite, and has recently undergone dramatic renovation. It now includes a wealth of children’s playgrounds, heating swimming pools and a winter ice rink.

Other ways to keep the little ones entertained include catching a movie at the Khudozhestvenny cinema or a trip on the Moskva River cable car. This vertiginous ride has panoramic views over the city, taking in the Moscow river, the Ostankino TV and radio tower and the skyscrapers of the business district.

These and other activities for children and families are laid out in the official city tourist portal, discovermoscow.com . Here you’ll find information on every type of attraction, from which animals can be petted at the VDNH city farm to the best street food snacks and where they can be found.

It’s a huge and colourful resource, covering the most obscure museums and secret parks, with suggestions for different days of the week and a blog-style news section. On a practical level it lays bare the transport system, COVID-19 protocols, Wi-Fi possibilities and where to hire bikes and scooters.

Rising to current challenges with innovation

Not only its attractions, but also Moscow’s enormous efforts to face the health crisis in practical and forward-thinking ways have been acknowledged on the international stage. In 2021 it has been nominated for both World’s Leading City Destination and Europe’s Leading City Destination at the World Travel Awards.”

The authorities’ support for the travel industry in troubled times has seen dozens of online events and international tourism conferences, as well as the launch of the Moscow Travel Hub, a collaborative platform to promote the creation and development of new products and services.

The spring of 2021 saw the Moscow Travel Hack, an extensive hackathon in which finalists were offered financial support for the implementation of their products, at a time when digital tourism solutions have never been so integral.

Digital tourists can use discovermoscow.com to take a virtual trip to the ballet or opera and even watch cooking or fashion shows. Together with the wealth of detail and endless images of the site, even armchair travellers can experience the wonders of Russia’s greatest metropolis.

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Car rental at Moscow Domodedovo Airport

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Cheap car rentals at Moscow Domodedovo Airport

Top tips for renting a car at moscow domodedovo airport.

• Car hire at Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME) is a great option to connect directly to the city of Moscow in the comfort of your own vehicle and giving you the added advantage of being able to avoid busy public transport options, especially if you have a lot of luggage or are travelling as a group, which could also work out more economical. Situated around 25 miles from the airport, you can reach Moscow city centre in just over an hour by the A105 highway. If you are driving via the Moscow Ring Road, you should take Exit 25.
• Moscow city and the surrounding road networks can get particularly busy, especially in the rush hour periods, which tend to fall between the hours of 08:00-10:00 in the morning and again between 17:00-19:00 in the evening rush. Weekends tend to be less busy. If you find your connection falls in the busy times, try to avoid this, if possible, by arriving earlier or taking advantage of the calmer afternoon period to return your Moscow Domodedovo Airport car hire. On your return, take the Kashira Highway in a southerly direction and merge onto the Domodedovo Airport Road, which will lead you to the terminals.
• Moscow Domodedovo has just one terminal, so you can find several facilities on hand whilst in the airport. You can find numerous cafes, bars, and refreshments in the Arrivals hall, alongside exchange and ATM facilities. There is also a children’s centre if you are travelling as a family and several information points to assist your trip.
• If you need to refill your fuel tank before returning your car hire at Moscow Domodedovo Airport, you can find several large 24h outlets such as BP and Shell on the main Garden Ring, which is Moscow’s main circular ring road. You can also find several located along the airport road, nearer to the airport itself.
• Book your rental car at Moscow Domodedovo Airport at least 3 weeks before your trip in order to get a below-average price

FAQs about renting a car at Moscow Domodedovo Airport

Where is the car hire at moscow domodedovo airport situated.

You can find many of the major car rental desks on level one of the terminals in the Domestic Arrivals area and some also located in the International Arrivals hall. There are also others located a short distance away on the airport road near to Parking Lot 1. Several larger companies such as Avis and Hertz offer free pick-up and drop-off services to your required location and one-way rentals are also available. Check with your chosen provider to find arrangements that will suit your requirements. Office hours vary with closing times averaging between 21:00-22:00, although you can find some open 24h such as SIXT car hire.

Which car hire at Moscow Domodedovo Airport is easiest to access?

You can find the Hertz car hire company’s office directly from the airport in less than a mile away in the Domodedovo District with the counter desk located in the International Arrivals hall. The airport location allows for easy access and a range of services, which include after-hours drop-off and pick-up for your convenience. You can choose from a wide range of vehicles from economy basic cars, luxury high speed vehicles or range rovers, and child car seats can be arranged when you make your reservation. There is also a handy online check-in service to save you time at the airport, allowing you to simply pick up your car and get you on your way.

What documentation is needed for car hire at Domodedovo Airport?

UK drivers must hold a valid photographic driving license, which has been held for at least one year. It may be necessary to obtain an International Driving Permit, you can check this with your local licensing authority who will be able to process this for a small fee. Make sure to use a major credit card registered in your name when you make your booking and you may find there will be a surcharge if you are a driver under 25, and you could also be exempt from some vehicle categories. In all cases, you need to be at least 21 years of age to rent a car in Russia.

Which car rental companies will pick you up at Moscow Domodedovo Airport?

Car rental companies that offer shuttle or pick-up services from Moscow Domodedovo Airport to off-airport locations include Avis, Hertz, Rentmotors, Sixt, and TIS Car.

Moscow Domodedovo Airport car rental reviews and directory

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One location in Moscow Domodedovo Airport

Locations in Moscow Domodedovo Airport

Domodedovo Apt/Office K238

+7 926 626 45 75

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Domodedovo Apt Office K238

+7 926 626 4575

Domodedovo Air Ter Arrival Hall

+7 495 640 82 82

keddy by Europcar

Moscow Domodedovo Airport- International Arrivals, Counter K9

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Travel Itinerary For One Week in Moscow: The Best of Moscow!

I just got back from one week in Moscow. And, as you might have already guessed, it was a mind-boggling experience. It was not my first trip to the Russian capital. But I hardly ever got enough time to explore this sprawling city. Visiting places for business rarely leaves enough time for sightseeing. I think that if you’ve got one week in Russia, you can also consider splitting your time between its largest cities (i.e. Saint Petersburg ) to get the most out of your trip. Seven days will let you see the majority of the main sights and go beyond just scratching the surface. In this post, I’m going to share with you my idea of the perfect travel itinerary for one week in Moscow.

Moscow is perhaps both the business and cultural hub of Russia. There is a lot more to see here than just the Kremlin and Saint Basil’s Cathedral. Centuries-old churches with onion-shaped domes dotted around the city are in stark contrast with newly completed impressive skyscrapers of Moscow City dominating the skyline. I spent a lot of time thinking about my Moscow itinerary before I left. And this city lived up to all of my expectations.

Travel Itinerary For One Week in Moscow

Day 1 – red square and the kremlin.

Metro Station: Okhotny Ryad on Red Line.

No trip to Moscow would be complete without seeing its main attraction. The Red Square is just a stone’s throw away from several metro stations. It is home to some of the most impressive architectural masterpieces in the city. The first thing you’ll probably notice after entering it and passing vendors selling weird fur hats is the fairytale-like looking Saint Basil’s Cathedral. It was built to commemorate one of the major victories of Ivan the Terrible. I once spent 20 minutes gazing at it, trying to find the perfect angle to snap it. It was easier said than done because of the hordes of locals and tourists.

As you continue strolling around Red Square, there’s no way you can miss Gum. It was widely known as the main department store during the Soviet Era. Now this large (yet historic) shopping mall is filled with expensive boutiques, pricey eateries, etc. During my trip to Moscow, I was on a tight budget. So I only took a retro-style stroll in Gum to get a rare glimpse of a place where Soviet leaders used to grocery shop and buy their stuff. In case you want some modern shopping experience, head to the Okhotny Ryad Shopping Center with stores like New Yorker, Zara, and Adidas.

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To continue this Moscow itinerary, next you may want to go inside the Kremlin walls. This is the center of Russian political power and the president’s official residence. If you’re planning to pay Kremlin a visit do your best to visit Ivan the Great Bell Tower as well. Go there as early as possible to avoid crowds and get an incredible bird’s-eye view. There are a couple of museums that are available during designated visiting hours. Make sure to book your ticket online and avoid lines.

Day 2 – Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Tretyakov Gallery, and the Arbat Street

Metro Station: Kropotkinskaya on Red Line

As soon as you start creating a Moscow itinerary for your second day, you’ll discover that there are plenty of metro stations that are much closer to certain sites. Depending on your route, take a closer look at the metro map to pick the closest.

The white marble walls of Christ the Saviour Cathedral are awe-inspiring. As you approach this tallest Orthodox Christian church, you may notice the bronze sculptures, magnificent arches, and cupolas that were created to commemorate Russia’s victory against Napoleon.

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Unfortunately, the current Cathedral is a replica, since original was blown to bits in 1931 by the Soviet government. The new cathedral basically follows the original design, but they have added some new elements such as marble high reliefs.

Home to some precious collection of artworks, in Tretyakov Gallery you can find more than 150,000 of works spanning centuries of artistic endeavor. Originally a privately owned gallery, it now has become one of the largest museums in Russia. The Gallery is often considered essential to visit. But I have encountered a lot of locals who have never been there.

Famous for its souvenirs, musicians, and theaters, Arbat street is among the few in Moscow that were turned into pedestrian zones. Arbat street is usually very busy with tourists and locals alike. My local friend once called it the oldest street in Moscow dating back to 1493. It is a kilometer long walking street filled with fancy gift shops, small cozy restaurants, lots of cute cafes, and street artists. It is closed to any vehicular traffic, so you can easily stroll it with kids.

Day 3 – Moscow River Boat Ride, Poklonnaya Hill Victory Park, the Moscow City

Metro Station: Kievskaya and Park Pobedy on Dark Blue Line / Vystavochnaya on Light Blue Line

Voyaging along the Moscow River is definitely one of the best ways to catch a glimpse of the city and see the attractions from a bit different perspective. Depending on your Moscow itinerary, travel budget and the time of the year, there are various types of boats available. In the summer there is no shortage of boats, and you’ll be spoiled for choice.

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If you find yourself in Moscow during the winter months, I’d recommend going with Radisson boat cruise. These are often more expensive (yet comfy). They offer refreshments like tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and, of course, alcoholic drinks. Prices may vary but mostly depend on your food and drink selection. Find their main pier near the opulent Ukraine hotel . The hotel is one of the “Seven Sisters”, so if you’re into the charm of Stalinist architecture don’t miss a chance to stay there.

The area near Poklonnaya Hill has the closest relation to the country’s recent past. The memorial complex was completed in the mid-1990s to commemorate the Victory and WW2 casualties. Also known as the Great Patriotic War Museum, activities here include indoor attractions while the grounds around host an open-air museum with old tanks and other vehicles used on the battlefield.

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The hallmark of the memorial complex and the first thing you see as you exit metro is the statue of Nike mounted to its column. This is a very impressive Obelisk with a statue of Saint George slaying the dragon at its base.

Maybe not as impressive as Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl Tower , the skyscrapers of the Moscow City (otherwise known as Moscow International Business Center) are so drastically different from dull Soviet architecture. With 239 meters and 60 floors, the Empire Tower is the seventh highest building in the business district.

The observation deck occupies 56 floor from where you have some panoramic views of the city. I loved the view in the direction of Moscow State University and Luzhniki stadium as well to the other side with residential quarters. The entrance fee is pricey, but if you’re want to get a bird’s eye view, the skyscraper is one of the best places for doing just that.

Day 4 – VDNKh, Worker and Collective Farm Woman Monument, The Ostankino TV Tower

Metro Station: VDNKh on Orange Line

VDNKh is one of my favorite attractions in Moscow. The weird abbreviation actually stands for Russian vystavka dostizheniy narodnogo khozyaystva (Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy). With more than 200 buildings and 30 pavilions on the grounds, VDNKh serves as an open-air museum. You can easily spend a full day here since the park occupies a very large area.

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First, there are pavilions that used to showcase different cultures the USSR was made of. Additionally, there is a number of shopping pavilions, as well as Moskvarium (an Oceanarium) that features a variety of marine species. VDNKh is a popular venue for events and fairs. There is always something going on, so I’d recommend checking their website if you want to see some particular exhibition.

A stone’s throw away from VDNKh there is a very distinctive 25-meters high monument. Originally built in 1937 for the world fair in Paris, the hulking figures of men and women holding a hammer and a sickle represent the Soviet idea of united workers and farmers. It doesn’t take much time to see the monument, but visiting it gives some idea of the Soviet Union’s grandiose aspirations.

I have a thing for tall buildings. So to continue my travel itinerary for one week in Moscow I decided to climb the fourth highest TV tower in the world. This iconic 540m tower is a fixture of the skyline. You can see it virtually from everywhere in Moscow, and this is where you can get the best panoramic views (yep, even better than Empire skyscraper).

Parts of the floor are made of tempered glass, so it can be quite scary to exit the elevator. But trust me, as you start observing buildings and cars below, you won’t want to leave. There is only a limited number of tickets per day, so you may want to book online. Insider tip: the first tour is cheaper, you can save up to $10 if go there early.

Day 5 – A Tour To Moscow Manor Houses

Metro Station: Kolomenskoye, Tsaritsyno on Dark Green Line / Kuskovo on Purple Line

I love visiting the manor houses and palaces in Moscow. These opulent buildings were generally built to house Russian aristocratic families and monarchs. Houses tend to be rather grand affairs with impressive architecture. And, depending on the whims of the owners, some form of a landscaped garden.

During the early part of the 20th century though, many of Russia’s aristocratic families (including the family of the last emperor) ended up being killed or moving abroad . Their manor houses were nationalized. Some time later (after the fall of the USSR) these were open to the public. It means that today a great many of Moscow’s finest manor houses and palaces are open for touring.

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There are 20 manor houses scattered throughout the city and more than 25 in the area around. But not all of them easily accessible and exploring them often takes a lot of time. I’d recommend focusing on three most popular estates in Moscow that are some 30-minute metro ride away from Kremlin.

Sandwiched between the Moscow River and the Andropov Avenue, Kolomenskoye is a UNESCO site that became a public park in the 1920’s. Once a former royal estate, now it is one of the most tranquil parks in the city with gorgeous views. The Ascension Church, The White Column, and the grounds are a truly grand place to visit.

You could easily spend a full day here, exploring a traditional Russian village (that is, in fact, a market), picnicking by the river, enjoying the Eastern Orthodox church architecture, hiking the grounds as well as and wandering the park and gardens with wildflower meadows, apple orchards, and birch and maple groves. The estate museum showcases Russian nature at its finest year-round.

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If my travel itinerary for one week in Moscow was a family tree, Tsaritsyno Park would probably be the crazy uncle that no-one talks about. It’s a large park in the south of the city of mind-boggling proportions, unbelievable in so many ways, and yet most travelers have never heard of it.

The palace was supposed to be a summer home for Empress Catherine the Great. But since the construction didn’t meet with her approval the palace was abandoned. Since the early 1990’s the palace, the pond, and the grounds have been undergoing renovations. The entire complex is now looking brighter and more elaborately decorated than at possibly any other time during its history. Like most parks in Moscow, you can visit Tsaritsyno free of charge, but there is a small fee if you want to visit the palace.

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Last, but by no means least on my Moscow itinerary is Kuskovo Park . This is definitely an off-the-beaten-path place. While it is not easily accessible, you will be rewarded with a lack of crowds. This 18th-century summer country house of the Sheremetev family was one of the first summer country estates of the Russian nobility. And when you visit you’ll quickly realize why locals love this park.

Like many other estates, Kuskovo has just been renovated. So there are lovely French formal garden, a grotto, and the Dutch house to explore. Make sure to plan your itinerary well because the estate is some way from a metro station.

Day 6 – Explore the Golden Ring

Creating the Moscow itinerary may keep you busy for days with the seemingly endless amount of things to do. Visiting the so-called Golden Ring is like stepping back in time. Golden Ring is a “theme route” devised by promotion-minded journalist and writer Yuri Bychkov.

Having started in Moscow the route will take you through a number of historical cities. It now includes Suzdal, Vladimir, Kostroma, Yaroslavl and Sergiev Posad. All these awe-inspiring towns have their own smaller kremlins and feature dramatic churches with onion-shaped domes, tranquil residential areas, and other architectural landmarks.

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I only visited two out of eight cities included on the route. It is a no-brainer that Sergiev Posad is the nearest and the easiest city to see on a day trip from Moscow. That being said, you can explore its main attractions in just one day. Located some 70 km north-east of the Russian capital, this tiny and overlooked town is home to Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, UNESCO Site.

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Sergiev Posad is often described as being at the heart of Russian spiritual life. So it is uncommon to see the crowds of Russian pilgrims showing a deep reverence for their religion. If you’re traveling independently and using public transport, you can reach Sergiev Posad by bus (departs from VDNKh) or by suburban commuter train from Yaroslavskaya Railway Station (Bahnhof). It takes about one and a half hours to reach the town.

Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is a great place to get a glimpse of filling and warming Russian lunch, specifically at the “ Gostevaya Izba ” restaurant. Try the duck breast, hearty potato and vegetables, and the awesome Napoleon cake.

Day 7 – Gorky Park, Izmailovo Kremlin, Patriarch’s Ponds

Metro Station: Park Kultury or Oktyabrskaya on Circle Line / Partizanskaya on Dark Blue Line / Pushkinskaya on Dark Green Line

Gorky Park is in the heart of Moscow. It offers many different types of outdoor activities, such as dancing, cycling, skateboarding, walking, jogging, and anything else you can do in a park. Named after Maxim Gorky, this sprawling and lovely park is where locals go on a picnic, relax and enjoy free yoga classes. It’s a popular place to bike around, and there is a Muzeon Art Park not far from here. A dynamic location with a younger vibe. There is also a pier, so you can take a cruise along the river too.

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The Kremlin in Izmailovo is by no means like the one you can find near the Red Square. Originally built for decorative purposes, it now features the Vernissage flea market and a number of frequent fairs, exhibitions, and conferences. Every weekend, there’s a giant flea market in Izmailovo, where dozens of stalls sell Soviet propaganda crap, Russian nesting dolls, vinyl records, jewelry and just about any object you can imagine. Go early in the morning if you want to beat the crowds.

All the Bulgakov’s fans should pay a visit to Patriarch’s Ponds (yup, that is plural). With a lovely small city park and the only one (!) pond in the middle, the location is where the opening scene of Bulgakov’s novel Master and Margarita was set. The novel is centered around a visit by Devil to the atheistic Soviet Union is considered by many critics to be one of the best novels of the 20th century. I spent great two hours strolling the nearby streets and having lunch in the hipster cafe.

Conclusion and Recommendations

To conclude, Moscow is a safe city to visit. I have never had a problem with getting around and most locals are really friendly once they know you’re a foreigner. Moscow has undergone some serious reconstruction over the last few years. So you can expect some places to be completely different. I hope my one week Moscow itinerary was helpful! If you have less time, say 4 days or 5 days, I would cut out day 6 and day 7. You could save the Golden Ring for a separate trip entirely as there’s lots to see!

What are your thoughts on this one week Moscow itinerary? Are you excited about your first time in the city? Let me know in the comments below!

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24 comments.

Ann Snook-Moreau

Moscow looks so beautiful and historic! Thanks for including public transit information for those of us who don’t like to rent cars.

MindTheTravel

Yup, that is me 🙂 Rarely rent + stick to the metro = Full wallet!

Mariella Blago

Looks like you had loads of fun! Well done. Also great value post for travel lovers.

Thanks, Mariella!

I have always wanted to go to Russia, especially Moscow. These sights look absolutely beautiful to see and there is so much history there!

Agree! Moscow is a thousand-year-old city and there is definitely something for everyone.

Tara Pittman

Those are amazing buildings. Looks like a place that would be amazing to visit.

Adriana Lopez

Never been to Moscow or Russia but my family has. Many great spots and a lot of culture. Your itinerary sounds fantastic and covers a lot despite it is only a short period of time.

What was their favourite thing about Russia?

Gladys Parker

I know very little about Moscow or Russia for the\at matter. I do know I would have to see the Red Square and all of its exquisite architectural masterpieces. Also the CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST THE SAVIOUR. Thanks for shedding some light on visiting Moscow.

Thanks for swinging by! The Red Square is a great starting point, but there way too many places and things to discover aside from it!

Ruthy @ Percolate Kitchen

You are making me so jealous!! I’ve always wanted to see Russia.

Moscow is in my bucket list, I don’t know when I can visit there, your post is really useful. As a culture rich place we need to spend at least week.

DANA GUTKOWSKI

Looks like you had a great trip! Thanks for all the great info! I’ve never been in to Russia, but this post makes me wanna go now!

Wow this is amazing! Moscow is on my bucket list – such an amazing place to visit I can imagine! I can’t wait to go there one day!

The building on the second picture looks familiar. I keep seeing that on TV.

Reesa Lewandowski

What beautiful moments! I always wish I had the personality to travel more like this!

Perfect itinerary for spending a week in Moscow! So many places to visit and it looks like you had a wonderful time. I would love to climb that tower. The views I am sure must have been amazing!

I was lucky enough to see the skyline of Moscow from this TV Tower and it is definitely mind-blowing.

Chelsea Pearl

Moscow is definitely up there on my travel bucket list. So much history and iconic architecture!

Thumbs up! 🙂

Blair Villanueva

OMG I dream to visit Moscow someday! Hope the visa processing would be okay (and become more affordable) so I could pursue my dream trip!

Yup, visa processing is the major downside! Agree! Time and the money consuming process…

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