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Skiplagged

Skiplagged.com is an online travel agency and metasearch engine for booking flights and hotels. It popularized the tactic of hidden city ticketing,[1][2] also known as skiplagging.

History

The website was started by Aktarer Zaman in 2013, when he was 20 years old.[3][4]

In November 2014, United Airlines and Orbitz filed a civil lawsuit for $75,000 in lost revenue, claiming that the website violated fare rules.[5] The Orbitz lawsuit was settled out of court, in which Skiplagged agreed not to redirect traffic to Orbitz sites or use Orbitz branding.[6] The United lawsuit was dismissed by the courts on procedural grounds.[7] United did not pursue further legal action.[8] Donors contributed for legal expenses via GoFundMe.[9]

In 2021, Southwest Airlines sued Skiplagged for displaying the airline's fares.[10] The lawsuit was settled out of court.[11]

In 2023, Skiplagged was sued by American Airlines.[12] In August 2024, a district court judge in Texas ruled that Skiplagged had not breached contract, but had violated American's copyrights.[13]

See also

References

  1. Melanie Lieberman. Why Hidden City Ticketing Really Is Too Good to Be True (Video) Travel + Leisure, August 11, 2017^
  2. George Hobica. Why airlines hate hidden-city ticketing (and maybe you should too) USA Today, January 6, 2015^
  3. oscar raymundo. Meet the 22-Year-Old Who's Fighting the Airline Industry In Court to Save Travelers Money Inc., January 9, 2015^
  4. Skiplagged site helps navigate cheaper airfare CBS News, December 19, 2014^
  5. Patrick Gillespie. Why is United Airlines suing a 22-year-old? CNN, December 31, 2014^
  6. Patrick Gillespie and Aaron Smith. United Airlines doesn't back off suit against 22-year-old, even though Orbitz drops it CNNMoney, 2015-02-13, retrieved 2023-08-05^
  7. Patrick Gillespie. Judge throws out United Airlines lawsuit against 22-year-old CNN, May 1, 2015^
  8. Patrick Gillespie. How a 23-year-old beat United Airlines CNN, December 31, 2015^
  9. Aaron Smith. 22-year-old raises $33,000 in fight with United Airlines CNNMoney, 2014-12-31, retrieved 2023-08-05^
  10. Kevin Shalvey. Southwest sues Skiplagged in Texas, escalating its legal challenge against flight-search sites that display its fares Business Insider, retrieved 2023-08-05^
  11. Natalie Musumeci. Airlines have tried to fight the computer whiz who popularized 'skiplagging' in court. Their lawsuits have been either thrown out or settled. Business Insider, retrieved 2023-08-05^
  12. Airlines are cracking down on this travel hack and one website is in the crosshairs ABC News, 2023-08-25, retrieved 2024-09-13^
  13. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/american-airlines-gets-copyright-win-in-mixed-skiplagged-ruling^