Hidden city ticketing: hack airlines do not want you to use

(CNN) – No one has sold you this instant oatmeal, this multivitamin jar, this soap, this scent-free laundry detergent, the latest bestseller, NASCAR tickets or anything that Gwyneth Paltrow sells on his website, will ensure that your purchases are used.

But the biggest airlines in the world could.

They require you to do all the flights you have booked or pay the price. They could deprive you of your frequent flyer miles, ban you from the airline or even sue you.

"So, if I do not eat all my steak at Peter Luger, will they sue me now?" Billy Stocklin, a faithful traveler of Delta Air Lines. "It's my ticket and my seat, I bought it, whether I use it or not, it's none of your business."

Airlines imply to differ.

What is the hidden city ticket office?

The "ticket office in a hidden city" is a long-standing practice and under the radar of the most astute travelers. The complaint filed by Lufthansa, one of the largest airlines in the world, now occupies a central place.

Lufthansa is suing a pbadenger who jumped on the last leg of his purchase, claiming the money that he would have paid for his actual trip. (The case was dismissed, but the airline appealed.)

It can become complicated. Suppose you have to travel from New York to Los Angeles and the cheapest ticket you can get sells for $ 500. Another New York-Reno (Nevada) flight – with stops in Los Angeles – costs only $ 350.

If you get off the plane in Los Angeles – throw the second flight from Los Angeles to Reno – you will get La La Land a "discount".

Airlines generally prohibit it in small print. Most pbadengers do not read because they prefer that you pay $ 500 to $ 350 for your flight.

The box office in a hidden city may have remained hidden, but for a young man in his twenties named Aktarer Zaman. Zaman launched Skiplagged, a website designed to take advantage of the complexity of airline ticket pricing methods.

Airlines charge more when they can

"Fares tend to be higher in more popular cities or where airlines are not very competitive," she says. "For example, fortresses hubs such as Frankfurt for Lufthansa, Atlanta for Delta, Dallas / Fort Worth for American and Newark for United offer higher fares, as more pbadengers pbad by them to get where they need to go."

"Cities with low demand may actually be more expensive because of the limited number of return flights," says Price. "When there are only one or two flights a day departing from some of these smaller airports, the airlines charge the costs borne by the market."

It is not the specific tariff

Lufthansa, which had realized $ 41.5 billion the previous fiscal year, sued the unidentified pbadenger of $ 2,392 for using this technique. While he defends himself, others might not be able to fund a defense against a major airline.

Lufthansa spokesman Tal Muscal declined to comment, citing the ongoing dispute.

The airline claims that their customer booked a return flight between Oslo and Seattle with a stopover in Frankfurt. On return, the customer came down to Frankfurt, did not fly to Oslo, but booked a separate Lufthansa flight between Frankfurt and Berlin. (He showed his hand by booking the second flight with the same airline as his first flight.)

"If the transport is not used on all the individual stages or in the sequence provided on the ticket with otherwise unchanged travel data, we will recalculate the fare according to your modified route", reads in the Lufthansa contract.

"The fare will be determined, which you would have had to pay for your actual itinerary in your price group on the day of your reservation.This fare may be higher or lower than the fare you originally paid."

There is a price to pay

Even if the airline loses on appeal, it sends a message to airmen willing to play with the system, telling them that it can come at a cost.

At the same time, the lawsuit highlights how airlines can charge customers more for cheaper travel.

"It's easy to understand why some travelers are tempted to take the risk, especially if you live in a city where you do not have a lot of airline choices," Wilson said.

But she warns that you could be penalized if you are caught. "It can go on to require you to pay the full fare that you have tried to avoid or even delete your frequent flyer miles."