Hidden City Ticketing Explained: How It Works, Risks, and Alternatives

Hidden city ticketing, also called skiplagging or throwaway ticketing, is one of the most discussed flight hacks on the internet. It exploits a quirk in how airlines price flights, and it can save travelers hundreds of dollars on certain routes. It is also controversial, technically against airline rules, and comes with genuine risks that most "flight hack" articles gloss over.

This guide explains exactly how hidden city ticketing works, when it can save you money, the real consequences if you get caught, and five legitimate alternatives that achieve similar savings without the risk.

How Hidden City Ticketing Works

The concept is straightforward. Instead of booking a direct flight from City A to City B, you book a connecting flight from City A through City B to City C, and you simply get off at City B (your actual destination) without taking the final leg to City C.

A Concrete Example

Let's say you want to fly from New York (JFK) to Denver (DEN) on a specific date. The direct flight costs $450. But a flight from New York to Portland (PDX) that connects through Denver costs only $280. Both flights arrive in Denver at the same time. By booking the cheaper New York to Portland itinerary and simply walking out of the Denver airport instead of boarding the Portland connection, you save $170.

This pricing anomaly exists because airlines use hub-and-spoke systems. Flights connecting through major hubs are often priced to compete with other airlines on the full route, creating situations where the connecting itinerary is cheaper than flying to the connection city directly.

Why Airlines Price Flights This Way

Airline pricing is based on market demand, not distance. A flight from Chicago to Des Moines might cost more than a flight from Chicago to Los Angeles that connects through Des Moines because:

• The Chicago-Des Moines route has limited competition (maybe one or two airlines serve it directly)
• The Chicago-Los Angeles route has intense competition from multiple carriers
• Airlines slash prices on competitive routes, even if those routes include stops at smaller cities

This creates an inherent pricing inconsistency that hidden city ticketing exploits.

The Platform: Skiplagged

Skiplagged (skiplagged.com) is the most well-known tool for finding hidden city fares. Founded by Aktarer Zaman in 2013, the site searches for flights where the connecting city is your actual destination and the full itinerary is cheaper than a direct ticket.

United Airlines actually sued Skiplagged in 2014, arguing that the site facilitated breach of the airline's contract of carriage. The lawsuit was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds, and Skiplagged continued operating. The publicity from the lawsuit arguably made the site more popular.

How to use Skiplagged:

1. Enter your origin, destination, and dates
2. Skiplagged shows you both standard fares and hidden city fares
3. Hidden city fares are labeled with the connection city and the savings amount
4. You book through the airline's own website (Skiplagged redirects you)

Other tools that surface hidden city fares include Google Flights (indirectly, by comparing connecting and direct fares manually) and Kiwi.com (which sometimes pieces together similar itineraries).

When Hidden City Ticketing Works

Hidden city ticketing is not universally useful. It works under specific conditions:

One-Way Trips Only

This is the most important constraint. Hidden city ticketing effectively only works for one-way travel or the last leg of a round trip. Here is why: if you book a round trip from JFK to PDX connecting through DEN, and you skip the DEN-PDX leg on the outbound, the airline will automatically cancel your return flights. Airlines treat a missed segment as a no-show and cancel all subsequent segments on the itinerary.

Workaround: Book two separate one-way tickets. Use a hidden city fare for the outbound (JFK to PDX via DEN, skip the last leg). Book a separate one-way ticket for the return (DEN to JFK direct).

Carry-On Luggage Only

If you check a bag on a hidden city itinerary, your bag will be checked through to the final destination (City C), not your actual destination (City B). You will arrive in Denver, but your suitcase will continue to Portland. There is no way to request your bag at the connection city without raising red flags.

Workaround: Travel with carry-on luggage only. This is non-negotiable for hidden city ticketing.

No Airline Loyalty Status at Stake

If you are a frequent flyer with status on the airline (Gold, Platinum, etc.), hidden city ticketing puts that status at risk. Airlines can revoke frequent flyer miles, status, and even close your account if they detect a pattern of skiplagging. More on this below.

Domestic Flights Only (Usually)

International hidden city ticketing is more complicated due to immigration and customs requirements. When you arrive at an international connecting airport, you may need to clear customs and immigration for the connecting country, which can be time-consuming and sometimes requires a visa for that country even for a connection.

The Real Risks

Most flight hack articles list the risks in a single sentence and move on. Here is a more honest accounting:

1. Airline Account Termination

Airlines explicitly prohibit hidden city ticketing in their contracts of carriage. If an airline detects a pattern (and they do track this), they can:

• Revoke all accumulated frequent flyer miles (potentially worth thousands of dollars)
• Strip your elite status
• Ban you from their frequent flyer program permanently
• In extreme cases, ban you from flying the airline entirely

United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines have all been reported to enforce these penalties. Lufthansa sued a passenger in Germany in 2019 for hidden city ticketing and won, forcing the passenger to pay the fare difference.

2. Involuntary Rerouting

Airlines can change your routing at any time before departure. If the airline reroutes your flight so that it no longer connects through your intended city, you are stuck with a ticket to a destination you do not want to go to, and your recourse is limited.

For example, if your JFK-DEN-PDX itinerary gets changed to JFK-SFO-PDX (connecting through San Francisco instead of Denver), you now have a ticket that is useless for your purposes. Airlines are not obligated to maintain the specific routing.

3. Gate Changes and Aircraft Swaps

Even without a formal rerouting, operational disruptions can redirect you. A gate change, an aircraft swap, or a weather delay could result in the airline rebooking you on a different connection that does not go through your target city.

4. The Return Flight Problem

As mentioned above, if you skip any leg of an itinerary, all subsequent legs are automatically canceled. This is not a risk -- it is a certainty. You must book hidden city tickets as one-way fares or accept that your return flights will be canceled.

5. Checked Baggage Loss

Your checked bags go to the ticketed final destination. If you deplane at the connection city, your bags continue without you. Retrieving bags that have been delivered to the wrong city is a logistical nightmare that can take days.

6. Legal Precedent

While no US court has ruled against individual passengers for hidden city ticketing, the Lufthansa case in Germany established a legal precedent in Europe. Airlines are increasingly willing to pursue legal action, particularly for repeat offenders or when the fare difference is substantial.

The Ethical Debate

Hidden city ticketing occupies a gray area. Proponents argue:

• Airlines set prices based on market manipulation, not cost of service. A shorter flight should not cost more than a longer one.
• Passengers are entitled to purchase a product and use it however they wish, including not using part of it.
• Airlines profit from overbooking and cancellations. Using fare structures creatively is simply playing by the same rules.

Opponents argue:

• Hidden city ticketing raises prices for other passengers. When airlines detect skiplagging patterns on specific routes, they may increase fares on the segments being exploited.
• It takes a seat away from a passenger who might need the final leg. The empty seat on the DEN-PDX connection could have been sold to someone who actually needed it.
• It violates the contract of carriage that you agree to when purchasing a ticket.

Both sides have valid points. The decision is ultimately a personal one that balances savings against risk and ethical considerations.

When Hidden City Ticketing Is NOT Worth It

Even if you are comfortable with the risks, there are situations where skiplagging simply does not make sense:

• The savings are less than $100. The risk-reward ratio does not justify the hassle for marginal savings.
• You need to check a bag. Non-negotiable. Your bag will not be at your destination.
• You have elite status on the airline. Losing years of accumulated status and miles is not worth saving $200 on one flight.
• You are traveling internationally. Visa requirements, customs procedures, and immigration checks make international hidden city ticketing impractical and sometimes illegal.
• You are traveling with a group. If one person in the group gets rerouted, the entire trip plan unravels.
• The flight is for a time-critical event. If you absolutely must be in Denver for a wedding, do not rely on a hidden city ticket that could be rerouted through San Francisco.

5 Risk-Free Alternatives to Hidden City Ticketing

If hidden city ticketing feels too risky, here are five legitimate strategies that can achieve similar savings without violating any airline policies.

Alternative 1: Use Flight Comparison Tools Aggressively

Google Flights, Skyscanner, and Kayak all allow you to search flexible dates and compare prices across airlines. The "Explore" feature on Google Flights shows you the cheapest destinations from your airport on a map, which can reveal unexpectedly cheap fares.

Specific tips:

• Search in incognito/private browsing mode (some airlines track searches and raise prices on repeated queries)
• Check one-way fares on different airlines rather than round trips on the same airline (mix and match for the cheapest combination)
• Use the "flexible dates" option to see prices across a range of dates (flying Tuesday instead of Friday can save 30-50%)

Alternative 2: Set Up Fare Alerts

Rather than searching reactively, set up alerts that notify you when prices drop on your desired route.

Best tools:

• Google Flights: "Track prices" toggle emails you when fares change on a specific route and date range
• Hopper: The app predicts whether prices will rise or fall and recommends when to book. Their predictions are correct about 95% of the time.
• Secret Flying and The Points Guy: These sites publish "mistake fares" and "deal fares" that can save 40-70% off standard pricing. Subscribe to their newsletters and act fast when a deal appears (mistake fares typically last only a few hours).
• Scott's Cheap Flights (Going.com): A subscription service ($49/year for premium) that sends curated deals from your home airport. Members report average savings of $550 per ticket.

Alternative 3: Fly from Alternate Airports

If you live near multiple airports, comparing prices across all of them can reveal dramatic differences. A flight from Newark (EWR) might cost $200 less than the same flight from JFK or LaGuardia, and all three airports serve the New York City area.

Common alternate airport pairings:

• Los Angeles: LAX, BUR (Burbank), SNA (Orange County), LGB (Long Beach), ONT (Ontario)
• San Francisco Bay Area: SFO, OAK, SJC
• Washington DC: IAD (Dulles), DCA (Reagan), BWI (Baltimore)
• Chicago: ORD (O'Hare), MDW (Midway)
• London: LHR (Heathrow), LGW (Gatwick), STN (Stansted), LTN (Luton)

Alternative 4: Use Points and Miles

Credit card sign-up bonuses and strategic spending can accumulate enough points for free flights without any fare manipulation. The Chase Sapphire Preferred (60,000 point sign-up bonus, worth $750+ in travel), the Capital One Venture X (75,000 mile bonus), and the American Express Gold Card (60,000 point bonus) can each fund one or more domestic round trips.

Transfer points to airline partners for maximum value. For example, 25,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to United MileagePlus, which can book a round-trip domestic economy ticket worth $400+.

Alternative 5: Book Position-of-Strength Fares

Airlines often offer dramatically lower fares on routes where they compete directly with ultra-low-cost carriers (Spirit, Frontier, Ryanair, EasyJet). Identify these competitive routes and you can fly major carriers for budget-carrier prices.

Examples:

• Dallas to Las Vegas: American Airlines often matches Spirit and Frontier's $50-$80 one-way fares
• New York to Fort Lauderdale: JetBlue competes with Spirit, creating fares under $60 one-way
• London to Barcelona: British Airways sometimes matches Ryanair's $30-$50 one-way fares

Check whether a budget carrier operates on your desired route. If it does, the legacy carrier's fare on the same route is likely competitive.

Should You Use Hidden City Ticketing?

Here is a decision framework:

Consider it if:

• You are saving $150 or more
• You have no checked bags
• You have no airline loyalty status to protect
• You are booking a one-way domestic flight
• You accept the risk of rerouting and are flexible with backup plans

Avoid it if:

• You have frequent flyer status
• You need to check bags
• You are traveling internationally
• The savings are minimal
• You are traveling for a time-critical event
• You are traveling with a group (a reroute affects everyone)

Use TripGenie for Smarter Trip Planning

Whether you use hidden city ticketing or one of the risk-free alternatives above, the real key to saving money on travel is planning your entire trip holistically. TripGenie helps you build itineraries that account for flights, accommodation, activities, and transportation together, so you can see the full cost picture before committing. Sometimes the cheapest flight leads to a more expensive trip overall because of airport location, connection times, or destination costs. A comprehensive trip plan helps you make the smartest decisions.

The Bottom Line

Hidden city ticketing is a real money-saving technique that works under specific circumstances. It is not a scam, but it is also not risk-free. Airlines are aware of it, they prohibit it in their contracts, and they increasingly enforce penalties against passengers who use it repeatedly.

For occasional use on one-way domestic flights with carry-on only and no loyalty status at stake, the savings can be meaningful. For everything else, the five alternatives listed above offer comparable savings without any of the risk. The smartest travelers use a combination of fare alerts, flexible dates, alternate airports, and credit card points to consistently fly for less than the average passenger pays -- no rule-bending required.