Latest news with #Skiplagged
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
I Asked ChatGPT for 5 Legit Ways To Find the Cheapest Airline Tickets
With the general cost of living remaining high, who doesn't want to cut down on travel expenses so you can truly enjoy your downtime? In a high-tariff economy, however, costs are likely not coming down anytime soon. So how can travelers get the best deals on airline tickets? For You: Up Next: Without an immediate solution at hand, I thought to ask ChatGPT if it had some tips or tricks for legit ways to find the cheapest airline tickets — and it sure did. Some of these require a little creative planning and perhaps the airlines might not want you to know about them, but here are five AI-suggested ways to find cheap airfare. Use Hidden City Ticketing (Cautiously) ChatGPT suggested a sneaky little backdoor route known as 'hidden city ticketing' by using sites like Skiplagged to 'exploit pricing loopholes where flights with layovers are cheaper than direct routes.' Also known as skiplagging, here is how it works: You might book a ticket from Los Angeles to Atlanta with a layover in Dallas, but just get off in Dallas and pay less than if you'd flown direct to Dallas. There are cons and risks to this move, though. For example, you can't check bags and you can't do this for round trips. Additionally, airlines don't love this tactic and could cancel your future flights if you are caught doing it. They also might start raising prices to combat the trick. That's Interesting: Book With Points and Cash via Foreign Airline Portals If you've been using the same sites to book flights repeatedly or even through your own travel credit card site, you might be paying too much. ChatGPT suggested that sometimes international carriers (e.g., Turkish Airlines, ANA, Aeroplan) offer cheaper fares for the same flights. You can also try going direct to the airlines' websites. ChatGPT said, 'Some airlines offer lower prices on their home-country domains. Use a VPN to access those (e.g., Singapore Airlines Singapore site vs. US site).' Currency exchange rates can work in your favor, too. Also, try using tools like or AwardHacker to find 'award flight sweet spots.' Utilize Timing and Flex Tricks Timing and flexibility can go a long way toward a cheaper flight, ChatGPT suggested. You can try the following techniques: Book one-way tickets separately: Sometimes, it turns out that mixing and matching airlines can save more than round-trip tickets — especially on budget carriers, ChatGPT said. Use the 'cheapest month' or 'everywhere' option: Tools like Skyscanner can help you discover unexpected cheap destinations and dates. Set up alerts at offbeat times: If you don't mind rising in the middle of the night or early morning, tools like Hopper or Google Flights can score you some good deals, ChatGPT insisted. They work best when paired with alerts checked during off-peak hours (like 2-5 a.m.). Try Browser and Tech Hacks Another hack you might not know about is to open a 'clean' browser using Incognito mode, or initiate a VPN (or do both) so that you can fly under the radar of pricing manipulation that the search engines initiate as soon as you start searching for flights. Additionally, some sites specifically offer discounted flights for people who bought 'error fares' or who need to cancel a trip, such as: Going (formerly Scott's Cheap Flights) Airfarewatchdog Secret Flying Truly Out-of-the-Box Ideas If you really want to save money, ChatGPT suggested you can act like a travel agent and purchase ITA Matrix Software. This is the 'super-detailed flight search tool used by travel agents,' ChatGPT said. 'You can filter for specific airlines, routing codes, layover durations, and even fuel surcharges.' Better yet, if you're able, connect with local or regional travel agencies in the places you want to go, particularly internationally. ChatGPT just cautioned that you 'verify they're legit and accept foreign cards.' If you do this successfully, however, you might end up being the go-to booker for your friends and family. While many travelers could probably find these suggestions themselves, ChatGPT's helpful aggregation makes for a good to-do list of strategies the next time you need to book an airline ticket. More From GOBankingRates 3 Luxury SUVs That Will Have Massive Price Drops in Summer 2025 10 Genius Things Warren Buffett Says To Do With Your Money 7 Luxury SUVs That Will Become Affordable in 2025 This article originally appeared on I Asked ChatGPT for 5 Legit Ways To Find the Cheapest Airline Tickets
Skift
16-06-2025
- Business
- Skift
Skiplagged Ordered to Pay $9.4 Million to American Airlines – 'They Want to Take Us Down,' CEO Says
It's probably not the only issue at play, but if Skiplagged wasn't issuing hidden-city tickets, it might be a lot easier to get American's permission to use the airline's logo. American Airlines said it will appeal a Texas federal court ruling that sided with Skiplagged's use of the airline's name — the ruling, however, still left the flight-booking site on the hook for $9.4 million in copyright damages for use of American's logo. The ruling is the latest step in a long-running feud over Skiplagged's promotion of so-called hidden-city ticketing, which has stoked the ire of airlines for disrupting their operations. Under this scenario, flyers score cheap tickets by booking a connecting flight and departing at the connecting stop rather going on to the ultimate destination. About 30% of the flights booked on Skiplagged are for hidden-city tickets. The court ruling, which took up post-trial motions following a jury decision in October 2024, came down in early May. "We are pleased the District Court has affirmed the jury's award of $9.4 million, plus pre- and post-judgment interest, and a permanent injunction against Skiplagged for its unlawfu
Travel Weekly
26-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Skiplagged founder Aktarer Zaman on selling hidden-city tickets
The metasearch site Skiplagged has been irritating airlines for more than a decade by promoting hidden-city fares that violate airline policies. In October, the practice caught up with Skiplagged in the form of a $9.4 million judgment to American Airlines for copyright infringement for using the American logo. Airlines editor Robert Silk caught up recently with Skiplagged's founder, Aktarer Zaman. Aktarer Zaman Q: Has the judgment changed anything for Skiplagged? A: It's a big number, especially when you look at what it's for. It's definitely sad because it's for a narrow issue -- just the American logo, which we had used since our beginning because we thought we had permission to use it. I respect trademark law, etc., but here was a pretty innocent mistake on our part, and this was our penalty as a result. But that aside, everything else we won. About a year ago we stopped showing the logo for American; [it had] no effect on our business. Q: Can you explain the Skiplagged business model? How do you find these hidden cities? A: What's valuable is when a hidden city leads to a drop in the price. That's what we search for. When you want to go from A to B, we find all the Cs and Ds that lead to A to B being cheaper. We built a system that does this efficiently and well. You just search like you would anywhere else, A to B, and we just show you everything else. And we only show the ones that give you actual value. On average it saves about 50%, or about $180. Q: What percentage of your bookings involve an unused hidden city leg? A: It's only about 30% of the bookings. We're still a great platform for finding all your options, A to B. From our archives: Skiplagged's Aktarer Zaman is In the Hot Seat Q: Why do you irk airlines so much? A: Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that we are saving consumers a lot of money. Airlines hate us for this reason. Q: American lost with its claim of trademark infringement, which if successful could have prevented you from showing flights and prices. You've said that's more important than the logo display issue, right? A: It is a huge victory if you look at the big picture. The $9.4 million is a hefty fine. But at the end of the day this is a short-term obstacle. We can carry on. We can continue showing flights and prices. So this doesn't end the business. Q: The judge, in dismissing American's claim of trademark infringement due to the statute of limitations, wrote, "American got wind of Skiplagged's stinky business practices, but it waited a little too long to extinguish the stench." Not exactly an endorsement. A: What mattered from the summary judgment was that a big important part of the case fell apart. While it's not the nicest of comments, I'd like to think that as the court got to know us they got to thinking that we're not actually a stinky business. We're actually helping a lot of people. Q: I imagine not many travel advisors use you because they'd risk the airline coming down on them. What would you encourage an advisor to do? A: I would encourage them to look at the actual risks versus what they hear as rumors. We have an almost 100% success rate with hidden city. This is from hundreds of thousands of customers. You hear about airlines banning people or miles being revoked. But this almost never happens. In all of 2024, we're not aware of any occasion of this. The actual risks of anything else is super low. My advice for travel advisors is informing customers of their options is always a good thing. Tell them what the real risk is and let them make a decision.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This Flight Hack Airlines Don't Want You to Know About
Airlines are facing a lot of headwinds these days--from falling consumer demand and higher costs to air traffic control issues. Now, the industry has another problem on the horizon-- the upstart Skiplagged. It's a controversial website that uncovers airfare hacks, like skipping the last leg of a flight in order to get a cheaper price. Aktarer Zaman, Skiplagged CEO joined Bloomberg Open Interest to talk about the business model. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Airlines hate him: Skiplagged CEO says Gen Z is flooding the site looking for flight deals — and hardly anyone gets caught
helps people book cheaper fares through a practice airlines hate. The website finds cheaper fares through a hack known as 'hidden-city' ticketing. Its CEO says there is a low risk of getting caught and offers tips to avoid detection. Young people are increasingly turning to a popular travel hack to fly cheaper this year, and the chances of you getting caught are practically nil — assuming you follow some simple rules. That's according to the CEO of a website that helps travellers find "hidden city" tickets. The practice usually involves buying a ticket with a layover, but instead using that stopover city as your destination without boarding the connecting flight. It's often cheaper than a nonstop flight, comes with serious caveats, and makes airlines absolutely furious. CEO Aktarer Zaman says the risk of your airline finding out is actually very low, even though some have threatened to ban passengers who are caught purposely skipping the second legs of their trips. And as fears of an economic downturn grow, he says more Gen Zers and younger millennials are turning to the travel hack to save money. Zaman told Business Insider in an interview that Skiplagged has seen hidden-city tickets increase 30% in March and April compared to February. "I think it's due to the economic issues where money is uncertain," he said, noting that the average Skiplagged savings are $180. "People still want to travel, and some have to for reasons they can't avoid, so they're inclined to find discounts." Despite at least three lawsuits from airlines accusing the company of facilitating what they consider a prohibited practice and copyright infringement for using their logos without permission, Zaman said there's little a carrier can do about his website's actual business and vowed to keep at it. For future skiplaggers, he offered tips on how to stay incognito, like only taking a backpack, booking one-way, and paying attention to visa requirements for international itineraries. Airline websites aren't designed to show you every possible flight from A to B. They want to sell you a ticket at a price you're willing to pay that also works for their operation. They see skiplagging as lost revenue and disrupting their schedules. Sure, you could use a guess-and-check method on an airline's website to find a cheaper hidden-city fare, but Skiplagged says it aggregates flights from various sources to generate options that specifically indicate a hidden-city itinerary and the related fare savings. For example, Skiplagged shows a nonstop one-way Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta in July for $299. A hidden-city ticket to Baltimore with a layover in Atlanta costs just $139, saving $160. You would simply not get on the second flight to Baltimore. Zaman said most of Skiplagged's 10 million monthly users are between the ages of 18 and 34. Most use the website as a search engine and then book their desired flight via the airline directly or a third party like Kayak. Only 30% of those customers who book through Skiplagged are actually buying hidden-city tickets, he said, or about 300,000 people in 2024. Data shared with BI shows Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Dallas are the top five destination cities booked via Skiplagged. "It's controversial, but it's a reason we are as big of a success as we are today because consumers have realized how much value [Skiplagged] provides to them," Zaman. He added that the site brings in more than $20 million in annual revenue from user fees and vendor kickbacks. The company is currently fighting a lawsuit from American Airlines, which has had particularly harsh words about the practice of skiplagging. In 2023, the carrier alleged copyright infringement, trademark infringement, breach of contract, and tortious interference. The latter means intentionally damaging another party's contract and causing harm. Skiplagged lost the copyright infringement case and was ordered to pay $4.7 million in damages and another $4.7 million for repayment of "ill-gotten" revenue in October. However, Skiplagged can continue to display hidden-city fares on its website. Zaman said American revealed in trial that it does not maintain a blacklist of passengers caught skiplagging. American did not respond to a request for comment. United and Southwest have also previously sued the company for deceptive practices and violating their terms of service. United's suit was dismissed for jurisdictional reasons, and the other settled outside court. Skiplagged declined to reveal the terms of the settlement. Airlines like Alaska and United specifically say they can punish travelers for skiplagging, including taking legal action or revoking miles or elite status. However, Zaman said skiplagging is actually "not that risky" overall, with 99.7% of hidden-city bookings through Skiplagged going off without a hitch in 2024. "Miles being revoked, and people being banned by airlines, it's so rare, and no one last year reported to us that that happened to them," he said. He said the tiny percentage of people who do get caught typically did something that revealed their plans. Skiplagged outlines some tips on the website to help people know the dos and don'ts before flying. For example, Zaman said some people have booked a skiplag fare with an international destination but a domestic layover and can't fly because they didn't bring a passport. The same goes for people who forget about visa requirements. Other practices to reduce the risk of getting caught skiplagging or ending up somewhere you don't intend to include: Don't skiplag often because it will create a pattern, and an airline may flag you Only bring a backpack. A checked bag will go to your final destination, and a carry-on may be gate-checked Book one-way because if you skiplag on the outbound, the return will likely be canceled Don't associate your frequent flyer account to avoid the risk of miles being revoked Be vigilant of itinerary changes to ensure your layover city hasn't changed before flying Have proof of return travel already booked if you skiplag internationally; make it refundable if you don't plan to actually use it These tips are not 100% foolproof (though they're close), and you could still face repercussions from the airline if they find you breached their contract of carriage. "There are certain airlines where you're free to skiplag all you want; it's not against the rules to miss a flight on purpose," he said. "But, for some airlines, missing on purpose is against their policy, but the numbers show how rare it is to actually get in trouble." Read the original article on Business Insider
