A federal jury in Texas has ruled that a popular but controversial booking trick that travelers use to find cheaper airfare is still legal. ?
Travelers can continue to find so-called “hidden city” fares—in which airline passengers book a flight with a layover, but stop traveling at their connecting airport instead of flying the full itinerary—on the website Skiplagged, according to the ruling in a lawsuit American Airlines brought against Skiplagged.?
The Dallas-based carrier sued Skiplagged in federal court for copyright infringement, as the airfare booking site was using American’s name, logo, and flight information to sell hidden city tickets. “It became a lawsuit about trademark and copyright, trademark being using their name, and copyright being using their logo,” says Skiplagged CEO Aktarer Zaman.?
“That dominated the trial and basically if we had lost this, it would effectively cause a cascading effect with every other airline and essentially destroy the business,” Zaman says. However, jurors in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas Fort Worth Division ruled that the use of the airline’s trademarks—or Skiplagged showing the airline’s name on its own site—was protected under fair use laws.
When booking a hidden city ticket off of Skiplagged, travelers save an average of 50 percent off a normal ticket or about $180, according to Zaman. Although it’s legal, the practice is actually prohibited by airlines, who say it violates their contract of carriage agreements, which all passengers agree to follow when they book a plane ticket. The booking trick undercuts airline’s pricing models, which are carefully calculated across their networks.?
A small handful of passengers who have been found out for repeatedly flying hidden city fares have been punished by airlines, including having their frequent flier miles revoked or even being sued by their carrier. “There are risks versus a regular ticket, but those risks are greatly exaggerated,” Zaman says. “If you follow standard guidelines you can basically eliminate your risk.” Those guidelines include not skiplagging with the same airline often, not associating a hidden city flight with a frequent flier account, and traveling only with a backpack that can fit under the seat in front of you to prevent any gate-checked bags from ending up at the final destination on your itinerary without you.
Some travel experts say that passengers shouldn’t feel guilty for taking advantage of the booking trick, even if it’s against airlines’ rules. “When you buy anything—whether that’s a pizza or a movie theatre ticket—you’re not compelled to use the entire thing,” writes air travel expert Scott Keyes on the travel advice site Going. “You can throw away half your pizza or walk out of the theater midway through the film. Why, then, should we be required to take every leg of a flight itinerary?”
Although the court ruling allows Skiplagged to stay in business, the company didn’t get off scot-free: the jury awarded American Airlines $9.4 million in damages for copyright infringement and “disgorgement from the travel site’s revenues,” according to Courthouse News Service.
“We are pleased the District Court has affirmed the jury’s award of $9.4 million, plus pre- and post-judgment interest, and a permanent injunction against Skiplagged for its unlawful use of American’s copyright,” the airline said in a statement. “We appreciate the time and effort the court and jury put into this matter. American will continue pursuing Skiplagged for its improper and deceptive use of American’s trademarks on its website, including an appeal of that issue.”
The lawsuit was first filed in August 2023. Federal jurors first ruled on the case in October 2024, and then the matter was appealed, with jurors again upholding the ruling on May 6, 2025.
Despite a potential appeal on whether Skiplagged can use the airline’s name in its fare listings, Zaman says that the court ruling “means that Skiplagged is here to stay.” “This is not the first airline that’s sued us, but the big difference here is that this is a precedent-changing lawsuit,” he says. With this ruling, customers “can continue finding hidden city [tickets] as well as regular tickets on our platform and save a lot of money.”?
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