Why deliberately missing a flight could save you hundreds

THIS evil genius trick may save you hundreds on your flight. But be warned: it is extremely risky stuff.

THERE are many ways passengers can get cheap flights, but most of them involve a lot of work, such as signing up to frequent flyer clubs and various credit card schemes.

But there is a pretty simple way to get a lower fare, and you might have already done it without even knowing — deliberately missing the second leg of a flight.

The practice, which is known as “hidden city ticketing,” can knock hundreds off the price of a trip, The Sun reports.

The website Skiplagged first came up with the idea of passengers leaving the flight during a stopover instead of carrying on to the final destination.

For example, let’s say someone wants to fly from New York City to Chicago. A flight between those cities could cost $500. But another flight, from New York City to Los Angeles with a stopover in Chicago, could cost $250.

By booking the stopover trip and simply leaving the airport at Chicago, the traveller would save half of the ticket price.

However, while the practice isn’t illegal, it is hugely unpopular with airlines and other travellers.

The first reason is because the price of the seats on the second leg of the journey would have been pushed up for other passengers, because the plane looked fuller than it was.

Secondly, the second flight will also suffer delays as the plane will be forced to wait to see if the passenger is running late for the connection.

The trick isn’t foolproof for travellers either — checking in luggage is pretty much impossible, as it will continue the full journey and end up at the final destination.

It could also land passengers in trouble with the law, as some airlines ban the practice of “hidden city ticketing” in their fine print as a breach of contract. At the very least, could be barred from a loyalty scheme.

But some thrifty passengers might be willing to meet those risks if the savings are large enough.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission.