What is the new ‘skiplagging’ travel trend and why could it see you banned from flying?

Experts have advised against the travel trend 'skiplagging' after growing popular across social media. But what is it?

Skiplagging is when someone books a connecting flight with no intention of boarding the second plane. In some cases, travellers are bagging cheaper flights through trying the method.

However, it's not all positive and does pose some risks, according to one TikToker.

A US-based flight attendant, who goes by the username @traveling.mermaidd, recalled a story of her friend getting banned from American Airlines for trying out the trend.

She detailed how it works: "There are some sites that let you buy flights, let's say to New York, and there is a connection in Washington, D.C. And it's cheaper to do the connection to Washington DC, and then to go to New York, right?"

"But let's say your actual destination is Washington DC, if they catch you not going on that flight to New York, you're going to get banned from the airline. This is like a serious thing, 'cause they flag you."

It didn't take long for fellow TikTokers to chime in with one writing: "Skiplagging is definitely a no-no. If you do it once a year with some normal flights in between you will be okay. But yeah, lifetime ban and it usually carries over to any airline that codeshares."

Another asked: "Do you automatically get banned the first time? What if you just like genuinely missed the flight or had an emergency or something? Seems crazy."

The TikToker responded by saying she believes "it's very situational".

"The gate agent had acc told her when she checked in to her 1st flight that she better be getting on her connecting flight, so she was already on their radar for some reason," she added.

Meanwhile, a third wrote: "I have heard of this before. I also have never found cheaper flights that way in a while. I’ve looked for it."

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