The airlines are waging war against the trick that allows you to travel cheaply

Today, airlines are trying to reduce ticket splits, which are losing thousands of pounds of profit, but are only promoting the so-called "hidden city tour".

According to the Guardian, the idea of ​​a "hidden city" depends on booking a one-way ticket to a less popular and therefore less expensive destination for a ride that stops at your destination. destination of origin. You just have to go down and skip the following stops, expensive travel expenses to popular destinations, where traveling directly is usually more expensive, and you do not have to pack your luggage.

People have been benefiting from the "hidden city" strategy for many years, but their growing popularity and the launch of many of their websites has angered the airlines that sued, including Lufthansa, which doubled last week. . Court in Berlin, to pursue a European traveler used this trick to save thousands of pounds on a transatlantic flight.

According to court reports, the passenger booked a return flight between Oslo and Seattle, then landed in Frankfurt, then took a separate ticket for Berlin, which would have resulted in the loss of the German company $ 2,385, which seeks to recover to the client following the trial lost last December. , Which is being resumed today to try to fill this legal gap.

Robert Mann, an aviation analyst, said booking tickets via the "Hidden City" strategy had long existed, but that websites, including the US site Skiplagged, were forcing airlines to notice them. through marketing. "If this practice commons, they will go from a small hole in a big bucket to a huge hole where airline profits drop."

In 2015, Orbitz filed a lawsuit against Skiplagged, which was visited by more than a million people a month, accusing its founder, the most dangerous period, 22 years, of "deception and unfair competition ". That the site promotes "illegal travel", but lost the case.

Mr. Mann explained that the use of the "hidden city" in the United States could cause airlines to lose a few hundred pounds depending on the price at which the unused seat would be sold. "When it comes to international tickets, the losses will be huge, can be ignored," he said, adding that the prevalence of this strategy could also pose a risk to passengers, companies who may be worried about not reporting to a station and canceling their return trip even if they were stuck in the wrong city.

The law remains unclear as to the legitimacy of the "hidden city" strategy and, although several claims against passengers have been rejected, Lufthansa's decision to appeal this case may indicate that airlines are willing to open a new front against this type of fault. , Which has become an attractive use for a large number of travelers.