This frequent flyer who's been 'skiplagging' for a decade says she has 'no remorse and no angst'
A "skiplagging" passenger said she had "no remorse" because of what airlines charge for flights.
Sophie Partlow said the approach gave travelers more control and that she had never faced backlash.
She said airlines were cracking down more and that passengers should be aware of the risks.
A frequent flyer who's been "skiplagging" for more than a decade says she doesn't feel guilty because airlines have a "choke hold on prices."
Skiplagging — or "hidden-city" ticketing — is a practice where travelers book flights with a layover in a city they want to visit and then don't take their second flight to the supposed final destination.
Sophie Partlow learned about the approach from an article she read and started using the flight-booking website Skiplagged.com. She said she had been using it for many years and saved hundreds of dollars on flights.
"Ultimately, I have no remorse and no angst about using hidden-city tickets," she told Insider. "I feel like because of the fact that airlines have had a chokehold on prices and availability for as long as they have, then more power to Skiplagged for giving some of that control back to the travelers."
Partlow recently paid $71 for a flight to Savannah, Georgia, from New York with a connection in Charlotte, North Carolina. Insider has viewed documentation showing how much she paid for the flight.
Skiplagging has its risks, however. Airlines have attempted to crack down on it, and some have even canceled return journeys, taken away miles, and banned passengers from future flights, Insider's Taylor Rains reported.
Partlow said she had never been caught or faced backlash for skiplagging, but as a frequent flyer, she was aware that airlines were trying to clamp down on it.
"They really try to get you if you're getting a hidden-city ticket," she said. "You need to know what you're facing when you do it."
Partlow, who's still in Charlotte, said some airline staff would compare your destination with the address on your ID.
"If it matches with the connecting flight and not your final destination, you're gonna get grilled whether you bought a hidden-city ticket or not," she said.
If that happens, Partlow said she told customer agents that she was traveling to the final destination on her ticket if they asked where she was headed.
Read the original article on Business Insider