SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home
SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - What is Hidden City Ticketing?
Hidden city ticketing, also known as point beyond ticketing or throwaway ticketing, is a clever strategy travelers can use to score significantly cheaper fares on certain routes. The basic premise involves booking a flight with a connection, but disembarking at the layover city instead of your final booked destination.
For example, say you want to fly from New York to San Francisco. A nonstop flight might cost $300, but you find a flight from New York to Seattle with a layover in San Francisco for just $200. You would book the New York to Seattle flight, with no intention of ever getting back on the plane when it lands in San Francisco. You simply get off during the layover and skip the last leg of the trip to Seattle.
This technique takes advantage of the fact that airlines will often price flights with a connection cheaper than nonstop flights between the same two cities. By booking only a portion of the full route, you can save a bundle. The downside is that the airline likely won't let you check a bag since you aren't completing the full journey.
Hidden city ticketing works best for trips where your destination and layover cities are major hubs with plenty of traffic. Think routes like New York to Los Angeles via San Francisco or Chicago to Dallas via Houston. Complicated routes with multiple stops likely won't save you much money.
The other key is that the layover city has to fall roughly midway through the full route, give or take a few hours. If the layover is at the very beginning or end, the airline will easily catch on and you risk getting your entire reservation canceled. Aim for layovers around the halfway mark of the full trip.
What else is in this post?
- SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - What is Hidden City Ticketing?
- SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - Know the Risks Before You Try It
- SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - Finding Hidden City Flight Options
- SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - Best Routes for Hidden City Savings
- SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - Tips to Avoid Getting Caught
- SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - Booking Hidden City Flights Strategically
- SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - Using Skiplagged to Find Deals
- SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - Maximizing Savings with Hidden City Flights
SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - Know the Risks Before You Try It
While hidden city ticketing can unlock huge savings, it does come with some risks that travelers should weigh before trying it. This strategy technically violates most airlines' contracts of carriage, so you run the risk of them canceling the rest of your reservation if caught.
Several major U.S. airlines like Delta and United have added language to their contracts allowing them to cancel any remaining segments if they determine you misused hidden city ticketing. For instance, if you buy a flight from New York to Los Angeles via San Francisco and get off in San Francisco, Delta could then cancel the San Francisco to Los Angeles portion and even potentially refuse to let you board your flight home. You'd then have to buy a brand new return ticket likely at a super inflated last-minute fare.
Getting caught comes down to how carefully the airline monitors booking patterns and whether your behavior raises any red flags. If you make this a regular habit and the airline picks up on it, repercussions are more likely. Similarly, if you try to manipulate very complex routes with lots of segments, that makes it easier for the airline to prove you misused the booking.
One safeguard is to avoid checking bags when using hidden city ticketing. Since you aren't taking the whole trip the airline likely won't let you check luggage anyway. But even trying risks the airline pulling your bag at the layover and canceling the rest of your itinerary. Stick to carry-ons only.
You should also be aware that the airline won't rebook you if you misconnect on one of these trips. For example, if your New York to San Francisco flight gets delayed and you miss your connection to Seattle, the airline won't put you on a later Seattle flight since you aren't really headed there anyway. You'd have to buy a wholly new ticket on your own dime.
Partner award travel booked through an airline alliance like Oneworld and Star Alliance adds another wrinkle. The partner airline operating one leg of your trip likely won't take kindly to you violating the full fare rules. Expect them to come after any remaining award miles in your account, even if you credited to a different loyalty program like American AAdvantage versus British Airways Avios.
It's also worth keeping in mind that hidden city ticketing often only saves money on one-way fares. If you try to book the entire roundtrip this way by including two layover cities as your turnaround point, it likely won't work out to be much cheaper than a standard roundtrip. The hassle of rebooking your return flight will usually offset any potential savings.
SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - Finding Hidden City Flight Options
Think through city pairs like New York to Los Angeles or Chicago to Dallas. Which major hub cities sit at logical midpoints that could serve as potential hidden city airports? San Francisco, Denver, Atlanta, Houston, and other busy hubs start to emerge.
Next, you need to search for flights that connect through those hubs. Don’t limit yourself to nonstop flights from your origin to the hub city itself. Look for one-stop options too with other connections along the way. Sometimes the cheapest fares will be on indirect routes.
For example, a flight from New York to San Francisco could connect through Chicago or another city before getting to SFO. The airline likely priced this as part of a longer journey spanning multiple flights. As long as your hub city falls near the midpoint, it still works as a hidden city option.
When searching, cast a wide net across airlines too. Limiting to a single carrier will restrict your options. And check both national carriers and budget airlines. Spirit, Frontier and Allegiant can be sources of hidden city deals despite their barebones reputations.
Flexible travel dates also help uncover possibilities. Airlines change pricing frequently, so check a wide range of days for travel. Tuesday or Wednesday departures are often cheaper than weekends. And departing earlier in the day typically has lower fares too.
It takes persistence and creativity to piece together hidden city options. Routes that connect through the right hubs at favorable price points won’t always be obvious. Having the right search tools makes the hunt easier.
Google Flights lets you easily filter by stops, view full route maps, and toggle between calendar and map views to visualize pricing. Experienced travelers suggest setting up alerts to notify you when deals emerge. And the ITA Matrix has powerful features for constructing multi-segment routes.
Partner award charts can reveal hidden city chances too. Say you find an attractively priced British Airways Avios award from New York to San Francisco with a connection in Chicago. Since Chicago is part of American’s hub network, you may be able to book a separate award ticket home using AA miles.
SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - Best Routes for Hidden City Savings
Finding the best routes for hidden city ticketing savings takes some creative thinking. You need to identify city pairs where major hub airports fall roughly halfway in between. These hubs essentially serve as the hidden city where you get off the plane, while the airline prices the ticket based on the full route.
One absolute classic route is New York to Los Angeles with a layover in San Francisco. Flights from JFK to LAX routinely top $250 for a roundtrip, even months in advance. But you can often snag flights from New York to Seattle or Portland in the $150 range with a lengthy layover at SFO. The airline prices it as part of the longer west coast journey, while you simply disembark in San Francisco. Just be sure to avoid checking bags since you won't complete the full trip.
Chicago to Dallas via a connection in Houston can produce big savings too. Nonstop flights average around $200 roundtrip, but flights with a Houston layover and final destination like Austin or San Antonio often price under $150. You may have to toggle between Hobby and Bush airports to find the optimal route. Again, stick to carry-ons only.
Looking internationally, New York to Madrid via Barcelona on Iberia or American Airlines is a possible winner. You can sometimes save $150 or more compared to direct New York to Madrid pricing. Just be extra careful about misconnects since European airlines likely won't protect you. Have backup options in case of a several hour delay into Barcelona.
DC to London is another classic, with Boston or New York functioning as the hidden midpoint city. Cast a wide net across carriers like Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, American Airlines and United to cover all possibilities. Flexible dates help find the biggest discrepancies in direct versus connection pricing.
Don't forget to scour budget carriers too like Norwegian Air and WOW. Flights like New York to Stockholm via Copenhagen with lengthy layovers can produce big savings. The barebones carriers base pricing strictly on mileage, so longer routes with hidden city potential cost less per mile. Just know you'll pay extra for any checked or carry-on bags.
SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - Tips to Avoid Getting Caught
Hidden city ticketing can be risky business if you don't take precautions to avoid getting caught. While not outright illegal, this practice violates most airlines' contracts and they can retaliate harshly if they determine you deliberately misused a booking. Your entire reservation could get canceled on the spot or you may find yourself banned from the airline for good.
Frequent contributors on forums like FlyerTalk recommend several best practices to avoid attracting attention. First, don't make a habit of hidden city flights on the same airline. Occasional use likely won't ring alarm bells, but repeated manipulation does. Similarly, don't solely book routes involving your home airport. Create variety in your origin and destination cities.
When possible, favor nonstop flights on the airline over connections. If all your bookings involve lengthy layovers at hidden cities, that's a dead giveaway. Mix in some regular nonstops along with your hidden city flights. Also, book trips well in advance whenever possible rather than at the last minute. Last-minute reservations are highly scrutinized.
Choose flight numbers that could plausibly make sense for the full route. For example, pick a flight sequence like UA123 and UA456 versus UA123 and UA965 on United. Try to mimic typical online connections. The jarring flight number change is evidence you're hopping off mid-journey.
Never call the airline to ask questions or make changes to hidden city itineraries. Discussing the booking over the phone creates a record they can reference later. Take advantage of self-service options and avoid discussing it with an agent. Only involve a human if absolutely necessary.
Finally, recognize that perfectly valid reasons for changing plans do come up. Aircraft swaps, family emergencies, work conflicts - all understandable reasons to alter an existing reservation. Have a reasonable cover story prepared in case an airline agent asks why you exited your journey early or otherwise deviated from the original booking. Acting cagey or defensive only arouses more suspicion.
SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - Booking Hidden City Flights Strategically
Booking hidden city flights takes strategy and know-how to maximize savings and avoid potential pitfalls. Approach it thoughtfully and you can unlock incredible airline deals; dive in haphazardly and you risk headaches at the airport or worse. We’ve crunched the data and tapped fellow experts to outline battle-tested tips for booking hidden city fares successfully.
The consensus is clear - only book one-way flights when using hidden city ticketing. Trying to manipulate roundtrip bookings rarely works out cheaper once change fees and last minute airfares for your return come into play. Stick to booking two separate one-way fares with your hidden city as the destination on the outbound.
Many savvy flight hackers plan their travel dates around optimal airline schedules rather than personal preference. Say you find a great hidden city fare from LA to New York via Chicago on a Tuesday. But you really want to leave on Saturday. Don’t assume another hidden city fare will materialize then. Be flexible and make Tuesday work if it nets you hundreds in savings.
When evaluating options, calculate total trip duration as if you were taking every flight. Connections that look very tight or overly long on paper are red flags. The airline will scrutinize bookings with illogical connection times. Pad connections to fall within reason if traveling this route directly.
Consider airline operating carriers beyond the marketing airline. Your American Airlines flight operated by Cathay Pacific may work differently than one run directly by American. Partner policies impact changeability, baggage allowances and more. Research trip reports to understand nuances.
Save every page from your booking confirmation as PDFs. If the airline later cancels remaining flights or mileage redemptions, you’ll need documentation of original reservations and rules. Don’t assume anything remains accessible online after a cancellation.
Have backup options planned in case of misconnects, cancellations or aircraft swaps.European-based specialists suggest established alternatives on separate airlines as hidden city flights have no protection. Stay clear of airports prone to major disruptions like London Heathrow.
When problems do arise at check-in or boarding, act with courtesy and respect. Gate agents hold immense power. Feigning ignorance or frustration only hurts your case. Politely ask for help while acknowledging you should have understood rules better.
SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - Using Skiplagged to Find Deals
Skiplagged stands apart as one of the most powerful tools for uncovering hidden city flights. Founded by a teenage coder who went by “Aktarer Zaman”, Skiplagged taps hidden city ticketing to find dramatically cheaper fares on certain routes. Rather than booking Point A to Point B, you book Point A to Point C with a lengthy layover at Point B – your true destination.
As Zaman told The New York Times, he discovered hidden city possibilities while puzzling over a flight from New York to Dallas with a layover in Chicago. The NY to Chicago leg was priced at $250, while the full NY to Dallas journey cost just $160 thanks to the connection. Zaman realized travelers could book the full trip, disembark at the layover point, and pocket the savings. Thus, Skiplagged was born.
The site displays a calendar view highlighting the cheapest travel dates combining direct and hidden city flights. You choose dates then toggle between nonstop, direct and hidden city options to compare pricing. While built around hidden city ticketing, Skiplagged now integrates regular flight search results too. Its clean interface shows full route maps and details on aircraft and seat config.
Users praise Skiplagged as a quick way to identify hidden city options Google Flights may miss. The stacked calendar format visualizes pricing discrepancies at a glance. Frequent contributors on FlyerTalk claim Skiplagged has saved them hundreds off regular nonstop fares, especially along major routes like LAX to JFK. As one user put it: “It’s become my go-to starting point before checking Google Flights and Momondo.”
The site does warn passengers about potential risks like flight cancellations, though emphasizes airlines must still transport you to original destinations. As always, avoid checking bags and stick to carry-ons to prevent issues. Skiplagged also recommends waiting until 24 hours before departure before revealing hidden city plans to avoid advance cancellation.
Some airlines like United and Orbitz have tried suing Skiplagged claiming fare abuse. But cases mainly focused on the site’s opaque booking feature, which concealed traveler identities. Skiplagged has since dropped opaque booking to reduce legal risks. Sites like Google Flights now promote hidden city ticketing anyway.
SkipLagged: How to Use Hidden City Ticketing to Score Cheap International Flights Home - Maximizing Savings with Hidden City Flights
Hidden city ticketing opens the door to major savings, but only if done right. Follow tips from veteran flight hackers to ensure you extract every dollar of value from these bookings. Remember, the goal is getting from Point A to Point B for less, not necessarily taking the most nonsensical waypoint-filled route.
First, run flight searches across multiple sites, but make your actual booking directly on the airline's website, not a third party. If an issue arises, you want it to be strictly between you and the airline, with no outside agency involved. Booking directly also means you can select your seat in advance for free rather than get stuck with an undesirable middle.
When evaluating options, calculate total trip duration as if traveling the full route. Connections that look tight or overly long will draw scrutiny. Always allow enough time to reasonably make each leg in sequence. The airline will examine that when reviewing your ticket.
Avoid hidden city on hometown airports or repeatedly on the same airline. Mix up your origin cities and destinations. Similarly, don't discuss tactics with airline reps or even utter the term "hidden city". Feigning ignorance goes further than flaunting your plans.
On departure day, check in right at 24 hours pre-flight to avoid advance flagging of your reservation. Print or screenshot your boarding passes so you have backup documentation. Carry-on only, with no trace you intended to go anywhere besides your layover.
If your first leg gets delayed, promptly rebook yourself on a later connection, even if it involves a separate ticket. Don't depend on the airline to protect you. Have backup airports identified in case weather impacts your primary. At some point in the journey, delays happen.
Minimize discussion of your routing, but have a reasonable cover story ready for check-in and boarding in case asked. Death in the family, urgent work matter, etc. Act remorseful you can't complete the trip as originally intended. Feign sincerity.
Avoid hidden city for special events like concerts or conferences when flights are packed. Even if your airline plays along, fuller planes mean volunteers more likely to get bumped on oversold flights. Leave wiggle room in your plans.
Partner award bookings add complexity when exiting early. Expect loyalty programs to claw back miles, even if credited elsewhere initially. Have top-off points ready to cover when that redemption disappears.
Think twice before celebrating too publicly online or especially on social media. No need to flaunt tactics where airlines can see it. Enjoy your savings discreetly. You might even inspire copycats who make this harder for everyone. Stay one step ahead.