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Hack 15 of 15 · Against the rules

Hidden-city fares (skiplagging)

A ticket to a city beyond the one you want, connecting in the one you want, that costs less than the direct ticket. You get off at the connection and abandon the last flight. It breaks every major airline's contract of carriage, and we show it for interest only.

Against airline rulesNever in your totalCarry-on onlyOne-way only
What it looks like
The two the example plan turned up
from the example plan
Ticketed Dallas → Manchester, get off at Heathrow
$370 against the $490 London fare, saves $120
Ticketed Madrid → Austin, get off at Dallas
$339 against the $403 home fare, saves $64
What the plan actually books
The $498 red-eye out and the $408 flight home
Effect on the $1,210 total
$0. It is never counted either way

Both of these are real and both are against the airline's rules, so they are printed with the rules first and the price second, and the plan total is the honest one that ignores them. If you take one, you take it knowingly.

When it does not work
  • It only works one-way. The moment you no-show, every later segment on that booking is cancelled, including your flight home.
  • Carry-on only, always. A checked bag goes to the ticketed destination and you do not.
  • You cannot rely on it. Airlines reroute for weather and delays, and a reroute through a different hub means you never reach the city you actually wanted.
  • Internationally you must be admitted to the country of the connection, and the airline may ask for onward proof to a destination you have no intention of reaching.
  • It gets worse as it gets popular: fares to secondary cities get repriced, and a route that works today may not next month.
Risk
Against airline rules

Airlines have cancelled remaining segments, voided frequent-flyer accounts, billed the fare difference and banned repeat offenders. It is not illegal; it is a breach of contract, and the airline holds all the leverage. We do not recommend it.

  • Book one-way only: the airline cancels every later segment on the same booking once you no-show.
  • Carry-on only. Checked bags go to the ticketed destination.
  • Do not add a frequent-flyer number, and don't do this often on one airline; it breaks their contract of carriage and they can cancel miles or refuse future travel.
  • If the airline reroutes you (weather, cancellations), you may be sent through a different hub and miss your real destination.
  • International: you must be allowed to enter the country of the connection; the airline may ask for onward proof for the ticketed destination.
On your plan: “Hidden-city fares · against airline rules”, last inside “Other ways to buy the same trip”, never in the total.Setting: Advanced → include hidden-city fares (on by default; switch it off and the section disappears).skiplagginghidden city ticketingthrowaway ticketing
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Next up

Not illegal, but it breaks the contract you agree to when you buy the ticket. Never counted in your total.

The cheapest order through your citiesVisiting the same cities in a different sequence, staying a different number of nights in each, changes what you pay in airfare, often by hundreds of dollars, for exactly the same trip.Cheaper daysMoving one flight by a couple of days, letting one city get longer while the next gets shorter, can drop that leg's fare without changing the trip you are taking.
See it on a real trip

Give it your cities.

No account needed. It runs all 15 of these on your trip, and tells you which ones found nothing.

Plan a tripSee it on a finished plan