Airlines may not like Springboard, but travelers who use it to save on flights certainly do.
This practice involves purchasing a connecting flight without intending to take the second leg of the journey. Travelers do this when they find that a connecting flight (with a stop at their intended destination) is cheaper than a direct flight.
Skiplagged.com, a website that helps travelers find these flights, says its customers save about $180 on average, including $54 million last year alone.
But there are risks. Most airlines prohibit ticket bounces or “hidden city ticketing.”
“Purchasing a ticket to get a lower fare without intending to take all flights” is a prohibited booking practice American Airlines Conditions of Carriage. Violators may have their tickets canceled, banned from flying, or the airline may “not refund otherwise refundable tickets.”
Aktarer Zaman, founder of Skiplagged.com.
Source: Aktare Zama
However, company founder Aktarer Zaman said he did not believe fare evasion would result in a lifetime ban from the airline.
“In the 11 years we’ve been around, I’ve never heard of anyone being banned for slacking off. Anything you read online about someone being banned is just a rumor,” Zaman said.
Why long-haul flights can be cheaper
Zaman explains why some connecting flights (and therefore longer) are cheaper than direct flights. For example, he said, a flight from London to Boston with a stop in New York might be cheaper than a direct flight to New York.
London to New York is a more popular route, and therefore more expensive, creating the deals Skiplagged found, he said.
I advise people not to abuse this.
Aktaray Zaman
Founder of Skiplagged.com
But Zaman said his site isn’t the only way to find “hidden city” deals. Some travelers find these flights through travel agents or spend hours searching for flights themselves.
Zaman said about 300,000 customers booked flights through his website last year. It was this success that put it in the spotlight of major airlines, he said.
three lawsuits
Zaman said American sued the company in August 2023 but voluntarily dropped the unfair competition charges before the suit went to trial. In October 2024, Skiplagged was ordered to pay American Airlines $9.4 million in copyright infringement fees for the unauthorized use of the American Airlines logo on its website.
Zaman calls this a win for his company.
“It was a huge win for us (that) we were free to show the opportunity to go above and beyond,” Zaman said. “This will probably stop every other airline from challenging us. We now have the foundation in place to move forward.”
Skiplagged has also been previously sued by United Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Zaman said the lawsuits were either dismissed or settled out of court. He said these are three lawsuits filed by about 800 airlines listed on the Skiplagged platform.
Zaman added that evidence emerged during the trial that American Airlines did not have a no-fly list for fare evaders.
Clearer guidance on skipping lag
After American Airlines trial ends, Skiplagged issues clearer message guide On how to safely skip delays — Zaman’s key message to passengers: err on the side of caution and change the airline you fly.
“I would advise people not to abuse this. Thank you for saving some money, but don’t try to do it constantly,” he said.
Aktarer Zaman compares jumping rope to buying a value meal at Burger King. “You want some of those items, not all of them, but it’s still cheaper than buying everything individually.”
Source: Aktarer Zaman
More than 340 Skiplagged.com customers were asked to pay higher fares for nonstop journeys last year, according to the company.
Airlines may also revoke a passenger’s frequent flyer points, so Skiplagged also advises people not to link their frequent flyer accounts to bookings.
Most importantly, Zaman said, Skiplagged.com only books one-way tickets to avoid customers having to cancel their return tickets if they fail to complete their outbound flight.
Skiplagged also recommends bringing your passport with you when flying internationally, even if your destination is within your home country. Zaman said this was an issue faced by 198 Skiplagged customers in the past 12 months.
The same applies to visas. In the past 12 months, 22 Skiplagged.com customers have been in trouble after failing to produce flight visas.
Finally, the website recommends that travelers carry a small bag that can be placed under their seat when flying. Checked bags were sent to the final destination on the ticket, an oversight that affected 67 Skiplagged customers in the past year, according to the company.
However, such issues only affected 0.3% of Skiplagged customers, Zaman said.
Skiplagged’s data comes from users who report issues to the company.
“They are more likely to report any issues they have to us – people with travel issues tend to have high complaint rates,” a company representative told CNBC Travel. “Even if you assume that 50% of people who have issues don’t report it , this will only reduce the success rate from 99.7% to 99.4%.”
“Does this make sense?”
As for Zaman, he said he doesn’t “skip” often. But he said the reason wasn’t because his name was blacklisted by the airline.
“I’ve done it several times, it’s just a matter of whether it makes sense,” he said. “Everyone has to evaluate for themselves. Now, I can’t travel as easily as I used to, so it probably doesn’t make sense for me to keep doing that much.”
He said that although the $9.4 million in damages awarded to American Airlines represents a large portion of the site’s $20 million in annual revenue, Zaman remains committed to helping travelers save money.
“Even as we face the challenge of these losses, I’m motivated to win because I know we’re doing a good job here. One of the things that keeps me going is hearing about the impact Skiplagged has on people’s lives – like… helping people far away Distance,” Zaman said.
“This is not just a competition between American Airlines and Skiplagged,” he said. “It’s American versus Skiplagged versus real people.”
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