Travel startup Skiplagged has agreed to stop using Orbitz Worldwide sites to find so-called "hidden city" airline tickets.
Last November, Orbitz joined a United Airlines lawsuit against Skiplagged, which assists travelers in pinpointing itineraries that stop in the city they want to travel to on the way to its final destination.
Users of the site no longer can book a ticket with a single click. They instead see the message:
“Sorry for the inconvenience, but Skiplagged can’t help you book this specific itinerary right now."
Skiplagged's founder Aktarer Zaman told Tnooz that his lawyers said he couldn't comment to the media. About 3,000 people donated about $75,000 to fund the 22-year-old entrepreneur's legal defense. Orbitz published its statement online.
The case with United is ongoing. The airline has several arguments, one of which is that the company is illegally using false affiliation.
What is hidden-city ticketing?
Sometimes nonstop flights to a destination are more expensive than booking a multi-stop flight that happens to lay over at a flier’s true destination.
In a sly trick, a daring traveler can buy the round-trip fare and then only use a portion of the ticket to reach his or her “hidden city” destination.
The policy is not illegal, but it is in violation of the US airlines' terms and conditions for purchasing a ticket, as noted by Nate Silver in a cheat sheet to the tactic.
To learn more, read United, Orbitz sue tiny Skiplagged, which crowdfunds its defense.
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