Why You Shouldn’t Book a Plane Ticket to the Hidden City
In February, German airline Lufthansa sued a passenger for deliberately missing one leg of his flight, taking advantage of such a whispered-about “hidden city” loophole.
If you’re not familiar with this, selling tickets to hidden cities is a simple concept; you book a connecting route but miss your connecting flight because you are already at your final destination. (In the above case, a passenger booked a trip from Seattle to Norway with a stopover in Germany, but flew out in Germany – a decision that could now cost him more than € 2,000 in compensation.)
As noted by Vox , some travelers take advantage of this because direct flights are in higher demand than connecting flights, and therefore more expensive. And while it’s unclear if the hidden city-ticket booth is considered legal (although this is against the rules in the multiple carrier contract), it probably isn’t worth the risk.
Most likely, you will not be sued, but you can lose status
In addition to the risk of litigation, Seth Kaplan , an author and airline expert, said there is a strong possibility that the airline will void any frequent flyer miles you have earned if they discover that you deliberately missed your flight; One American Airlines traveler was threatened with loss of elite status if he did not pay for the missed flights.
Kaplan also explained that there is a lesser known but equally important risk in selling tickets to hidden cities. “Let’s say you’re trying to fly to Charlotte but book a one-way trip to Tampa on American Airlines with a connection in Charlotte because it’s cheaper,” he said in an email. “Then suppose your flight to Charlotte is canceled and American redirects you to Delta, connecting in Atlanta. What are you going to do, tell the American that you really really want to hang out in Charlotte? … In that case, you might be stuck paying for a much more expensive last minute flight. “
It is unlikely that the airline will catch you on a ticket for a hidden city (unless you do it often); after all, people miss flights all the time. But you should be aware that airlines have teams looking for passengers traveling with tickets to hidden cities, and any savings you can accumulate probably won’t be worth the threat of losing your status or getting sued.
In addition, it may affect the plans of other passengers. By occupying an unnecessary seat, you prevent another traveler from taking that seat. Worse, Kaplan said the decision could affect the overall cost of travel for others. “This is tantamount to deliberately using a coupon to buy the wrong product — you take money from the company, and people who don’t cheat pay more,” he said.
If you still insist on tickets to the hidden city, don’t abuse the loophole. And don’t check your bag, or it may end up in the wrong destination. Also, if you’ve booked a roundtrip flight, keep in mind that the airline will likely cancel all subsequent flights after you’ve missed your connecting flight, so don’t be surprised if you don’t have a return flight when you return to the airport.