Posted on 12/30/2014 10:25:05 AM PST by george76
A young computer whiz from New York City has launched a site to help people buy cheap plane tickets. But an airline company and its travel partner want to shut him down.
United Airlines and Orbitz filed a civil lawsuit last month against 22-year-old Aktarer Zaman, who founded the website Skiplagged.com last year.
The site helps travelers find cheap flights by using a strategy called “hidden city” ticketing.
The idea is that you buy an airline ticket that has a layover at your actual destination. Say you want to fly from New York to San Francisco — you actually book a flight from New York to Lake Tahoe with a layover in San Francisco and get off there, without bothering to take the last leg of the flight.
This travel strategy only works if you book a one-way flight with no checked bags (they would have landed in Lake Tahoe).
(Excerpt) Read more at kdvr.com ...
forgive my ignorance, but is there something wrong with that? It’s something I’ve considered doing in the past.
He should launch an antitrust lawsuit.
Airlines practice various forms of price discrimination and have for years.
I give up. Why is it illegal?
Technically if you do it and get caught, the airlines have the right to deny you the return flight.
BS... This has been done for decades...
About 10 years ago, a Canadian comedian had a piece on flying from say Montreal to Vancouver. It was cheaper to take a bus to the nears US airport, fly to the nearest US airport to Vancouver, and take a bus from there, and still have plenty left over to buy beer.
Yes, there is something terribly wrong with it: Peasants are punished if we violate so much as the spirit of the laws or rules. Elites are only punished for violating the letter of the laws or rules, if that. (Jon Corzine.) Clearly, if you book a ticket to Lake Tahoe, you’re supposed to go to Lake Tahoe, and anything else is fraud. When we do it.
Stupid airline move. First, very bad publicity. Second, they will probably be laughed out of court after paying some lawyers between six to seven figure $’s for the effort. The kid apparently just found and exploited a loophole the airline itself left open. They should fire the bozos who missed that loophole and hire this kid before another airline has a chance to. He is evidently smarter and knows their systems better than they do.
Yes although the trick is to take one-way flights. The airlines can pick up on this pretty quickly though. I am part of a few frequent flier programs. They will give you the boot and take away your miles if you violate the fare rules.
Hell, I’d sell the second leg of the flight.
That’s why you buy a one-way ticket.
Cute idea, and sort of obvious. Maybe the airlines could require a deposit and not refund it to passengers disembarking early.
Several years ago I needed to meet Mrs Submareener in Dallas. One way from Tucson to DFW was more expensive than a round trip so I booked a RT and skipped the return.
I did it back in the 70s and was far from the first
Airlines charge more for New York to San Francisco than New York to San Francisco to Lake Tahoe?
Many years ago, we had a regional VP who would fly out of Dallas, OFTEN used this trick to save loads on airfare, having his travel agent figure out the routes he needed.
If the airline is getting their full fare up front, what do they care if somebody jumps off early?
Yes it has
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