You probably read the other day American Airlines caught Logan Parsons, age 17, and traveling alone, attempting to skiplag on his Gainesville (GNV) – Charlotte (CLT) – New York (JFK) flight that cost $150. Skiplagging — also known as “hidden city” or “throwaway” ticketing — is a cost-saving, albeit controversial strategy where passengers book tickets with a layover with the plan to exit the plane at the layover city, and skipping the second leg of the flight.
American Airlines didn’t really “catch” him, by the way, as much as they started questioning him before he boarded. without his parents there. Being a kid, and not thinking he was doing anything wrong, he explained his travel plans. The airline proceeded to cancel his ticket, contacted his parents and made them pay $400 for Logan to have a direct flight to Charlotte.
Nice, huh?
Oh, but get this! It turned out they weren’t done – it’s been a few days since the incident and they’ve now banned Logan from flying on American Airlines for the next 3 years.
REALLY nice.
If this situation was ever on Reddit’s AITA (Am I The A-hole) forum, I think the overwhelming response would be ESH (Everybody Sucks Here).
Why American Sucks
Airlines don’t like skiplagging. They say it’s a violation of their terms and conditions and is outlined in their Conditions of Carriage.
And yet, skiplagging hasn’t been deemed illegal. United, Southwest and Orbitz even sued Skiplagged CEO Aktarer Zaman. The United case was thrown out of court and the other 2 cases were settled. Lufthansa sued a passenger for Skiplagging; that suit was dismissed by a Berlin district court.
American Airlines said in 2021 that it would be cracking down on skiplagging. OK fine…but to do it on a minor who was traveling alone? That’s some cojones right there.
But beyond that, it’s airlines’ own fault that people try to skiplag. They plan prices based on destination rather than distance. If a 500-mile flight from GVN to CLT was cheaper than a 900-mile flight from GVN to CLT to JFK, perhaps his parents would have chosen that flight for him, instead of risk skiplagging.
Why Logan’s family sucks
Logan’s father was interviewed several times and he said his family has, “used Skiplagged almost exclusively for the last five to eight years.”
With airlines saying for years they would crack down on skiplagging, all the articles online that caution against using the money-saving scheme, the “tips and tricks” sites that say don’t do it often, and the warnings Skiplagged.com themselves have on their website ad nauseum, did the family think they would never get caught?
And even if they had used the site for years, did they think it was wise to let a 17-year-old skiplag while he was 500 miles from home, without an adult at his side?
If American Airlines wanted to claw back the money the lost from a skiplagging teenager, fine…be that way. But to punish him by banning him for 3 years, when he’s legally a minor who didn’t even make the reservation? Nah, that’s a low blow.
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