Provided that connecting flights are sometimes marketed and sold as cheaper than direct ones, customers have grown to utilize the hack of shopping for a connecting ticket with the intention of disembarking at the purpose of layover.
That’s precisely what Logan Parson was suspected of doing when he arrived for his Latest York-bound, Charlotte-connecting, American Airlines flight from Gainesville, Florida.
With ID documents issued in his native Charlotte, keen-eyed airport agents were quick to assume foul play. They alerted security officials, and the teenager was taken into an interrogation room.
The journey
In accordance with The Independent, Logan and his father, Hunter, were visiting Gainesville together, but he was planning on traveling home solo.
When Logan arrived for his flight home, he presented as a NYC passenger, unassuming and inconspicuous. Nonetheless, his driving license suggested he may need chosen that individual flight itinerary given its convenient layover in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, and, accordingly, its less exorbitant fare.
Photo: EQRoy | Shutterstock
The boy was ushered away, and following what has been called an interrogation, enough information was extrapolated to purport his ticket was purchased with the intent of dodging a dearer price.
Hunter Parson expressed to his disapproval on the news his son had been detained and his ticket’s validity expunged. He said:
“Our concerns are he’s a minor and was type of left to fend for himself several states away.”
He added that this was his son’s first time traveling alone and admitted his family had exploited such a loophole almost exclusively for the last five to eight years. Furthermore, it’s his opinion that a warning along the lines of “hey, that is frowned upon, for those who do it again, there can be consequences, financial penalties” would have sufficed.
In response, American Airlines made the next statement:
“Purchasing a ticket without aspiring to fly all flights to realize lower fares (hidden city ticketing) is a violation of American Airlines terms and conditions and is printed in our Conditions of Carriage online.”
Parson was made to buy a brand new direct ticket to Charlotte.
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Why do people skiplag?
People have long exploited methods of cost-cutting when flying. Because the pandemic, the craving for travel has festered all of the more, and web searches for hacks like methods to get free upgrades, methods to secure extra legroom, and methods to gain access to lounges have reached recent peaks.
Photo: Bradley Caslin / Shutterstock
Skiplagging is merely one more trick up customers’ sleeves, but when discovered, they’ll face strong repercussions. And while not illegal, customers could also be faced with strong disciplinary motion for breaking codes of conduct.
What’s the impact to airlines?
In 2014, United Airlines sued popular website Skiplagged and its founder, claiming the corporate “intentionally and maliciously” interfered with its business. The case was dismissed the next 12 months. Moreover, Lufthansa sued a passenger who was booked to fly from Oslo to Seattle via Frankfurt, however the suit was subsequently dropped because the court looked to rule in the person’s favor.
Altogether, airlines don’t take a look at travel tricks with favor. The seat Parson paid for through to Latest York would have remained vacant for the second leg of the journey, meaning the airline loses money and an alternate passenger misses out.
Delays may also be caused as flights wait on the apron for passengers who don’t intend on showing up.
An investigation into Logan’s detention is underway at AA.