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Is it illegal to skip a connecting flight?

September 11, 2022 Chris Normand

Re: Can I intentionally miss 2nd leg of connecting flight? This is called “hidden city ticketing”, and while this is not illegal, it can have consequences, as the airlines don’t like this.

Can I skip a connecting flight?

But by skipping a leg of a connecting flight, you're breaching the airline's Conditions of Carriage, which gives them the right to cancel all of your frequent flyer points and any other bonuses. It's the only REAL penalty that airlines sometimes (but still very rarely) enforce.

Does Skiplagged get you banned?

Answer: Yes, Skiplagged is legal. It's a flight search engine that finds the cheapest flights by considering flights with layovers in your destination city. This technique is called “hidden city ticketing”, and while airlines don't love it, there's nothing illegal about it.

Can I skip the last leg of a connecting flight?

If you are flying within the USA and have no checked baggage to a final destination, then skipping the final leg of a journey is usually fine. There's no penalty for cancelling (as the missed leg is the end of your trip), and you can just leave the flight with hand luggage without any worries.

Is there a penalty for missing a connecting flight?

If you miss a connecting flight, the rules are more relaxed and there typically won't be fees, as long as both legs of the journey were booked together as one ticket and itinerary. In these cases, the airline will book you on the next available flight.

What happens if you don’t take a leg of a flight?

But by skipping a leg of a connecting flight, you’re breaching the airline’s Conditions of Carriage, which gives them the right to cancel all of your frequent flyer points and any other bonuses. It’s the only REAL penalty that airlines sometimes (but still very rarely) enforce.

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What happens if I dont take one leg of my flight?

“Normally what happens is if you miss one leg, your entire itinerary is cancelled,” he said over the phone. “That’s just a standard practice. They assume you can’t catch up or — and it’s an issue with revenue — they’re funny about how you use their tickets.

Is it illegal to miss a flight?

It (typically) violates the airline contract of carriage

While not illegal, intentionally skipping segments on an itinerary does almost always violates airlines’ contracts of carriage.

Can an airline charge you for missing a flight?

Can I get charged for missing a flight? Most airlines only charge a fee for missing a flight if the passenger seems to have a habit of doing it purposely, commonly known as skiplagging, in which a passenger books a ticket with no intention of taking the secondary legs of a trip in order to secure a cheaper fare.

What happens if you no show a flight?

Airlines explicitly state what happens to no-shows in their contract of carriage, which is a legal document that explains the terms and conditions of the fare. In general, if you are a no-show for your flight, any subsequent flights on the same itinerary will be canceled without a refund.

What is a hidden city ticket?

What is hidden city ticketing? Also known as point beyond ticketing, hidden city ticketing is a way to find cheaper nonstop tickets by booking a connecting flight to a final destination beyond yours, but ending your journey at a layover point.

Can you skip the last leg of a flight?

If you are flying within the USA and have no checked baggage to a final destination, then skipping the final leg of a journey is usually fine. There’s no penalty for cancelling (as the missed leg is the end of your trip), and you can just leave the flight with hand luggage without any worries.

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Can a flight leave without you?

This shouldn’t cause a problem as passengers are expected to be at the gate 15-30 minutes before and should have boarded the plane at least 15 minutes ahead of the departure time. If you somehow don’t make it onboard within these timeframes, the flight can absolutely leave without you.

Is it illegal to skip a connecting flight?

Final Words

Skipping the last leg of the flight, however, is perfectly legal, and the only risks are that the connecting airport may change ahead of time, or your bonus points might be canceled for not showing up.

Can I miss a flight on purpose?

If you purposely miss a flight then your ticket will be reallocated to someone on hold. You will lose the value of your ticket. The only reason I can think of that someone might miss a flight on purpose is that it’s sometimes it’s cheaper to book a muli-leg flight and travel one way or leg.

What is a throwaway ticket?

For those who don’t know, throwaway tickets — also known as “hidden city” or “point beyond” tickets — are flights you purchase to an unpopular destination. Say you were trying to buy a ticket from New York to Chicago.

Can you not turn up for a flight?

If you don’t turn up for a flight, you will either be rebooked on another flight, charged a cancellation fee or will lose the entire value of your ticket. Which of these happen will depend on the reasons you are missing the flight, the type of flight/ticket you have booked and whether or not you inform the airline.

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Is it illegal to throw away tickets?

Photo: United Airlines. Passengers use throwaway ticketing to save money. Nonetheless, airlines contend that it is illegal as it violates their contracts of carriage. As a matter of fact, United Airlines’ Booking and Ticketing Policy clearly states that throwaway ticketing is a prohibited practice.

Is it illegal to fly hidden city?

Yes and yes. Hidden city ticketing is both legal, and, according to the New York Times ethicist, ethical.

What happens if you purposely miss a connecting flight?

When you miss that first flight, whether or not you cancel or no-show, the entire ticket becomes void. This rule also applies to connecting flights.

What happens if you don’t turn up for a flight?

Airlines explicitly state what happens to no-shows in their contract of carriage, which is a legal document that explains the terms and conditions of the fare. In general, if you are a no-show for your flight, any subsequent flights on the same itinerary will be canceled without a refund.

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