Aktarer Zaman, the CEO of Skiplagged spoke to Travel + Leisure His best tips include using VPN, setting price alerts, and comparing the prices of different sites.
You can also find out more about us on our website. travel hacking The following are some of the ways to get in touch with us: flying during the shoulder seasonWhen planning a trip, there are countless ways to save some extra money. One surprising trend involves booking flights a passenger never intends to board—and it has helped some travelers save thousands.
Also known as “skiplagging“The concept is to book a flight that has a connecting flight, which is cheaper than flying directly to the destination. If a traveler wants to go from New York City directly to Miami, it may be more cost-effective to book a flight between New York City and Chicago, with a stopover in Miami. Then, they can skip the second leg.
While people scoured airline sites for the best deals on skiplagging, startups such as Skiplagged Travelers can now find discounts by using the internet. Skiplagged CEO Aktarerzaman said: “Last minute bookings have increased, especially among young travelers who prefer to wait for price reductions instead of planning ahead.” Travel + Leisure.
Zaman says that skiplagging has grown in popularity due to the rising cost of airline tickets as well as consumers becoming more aware of how airlines set their fares. He said that those who use price alerts and tools such as VPN to hide their location or compare prices on multiple sites will likely find better deals when compared with booking directly through the airline.
Aktarer zaman, Skiplagged Chief Executive Officer
The airlines don’t like the practice of skiplagging, because it exposes their overpriced routes. In reality, if the airlines wanted to end this practice they could adjust their pricing in order to make direct flight more affordable.
— Aktarer Zaman, Skiplagged CEO
The amount of money you can save by using skiplagging is different. Skiplagged reported to T+L how passengers saved $10,716 recently on two tickets from Tokyo New York City. Another passenger in the U.S. saved $4,255 by purchasing two tickets between Houston and Seattle.
Skiplagging is a unique method of booking a flight, but it has recently been criticized. American Airlines filed a lawsuit against Skiplagged in 2024 The company was accused of violating the copyright and engaging in unfair business practices. a federal jury awarded the carrier $9.4 million. American Airlines spokesperson, T+L: “American is happy that the jury recognized Skiplagged’s infringing trademarks and awarded copyright infringement damages of $9.4 Million.” This was a crucial step to protect American’s valuable brand and intellectual property.
Zaman, for its part said that the practice allows more people travel and democratizes airfare prices. Zaman told T+L that “Airlines dislike skiplagging, because it exposes their overpriced route pricing.” If airlines really wanted to stop this practice, then they would simply have to adjust their prices to make direct flights cheaper. Instead, they have chosen to enforce regulations that benefit their bottom-line while leaving the consumers with fewer choices.
Airlines for America (an industry group that represents carriers in the United States) did not respond at the time of publishing to a question for comment.
Skiplagged says that 99.7% percent of its customers have flown successfully. There are some limitations. For example, you cannot check your bags at the final destination. If a flight is rebooked, or switched directly to the destination without a layover, it could result in passengers having to take a completely different vacation… or even “skiplag” home.
