hidden-city

[ hid-n-sit-ee ]

adjective

1. relating to or engaged in the practice of purchasing an air ticket for a flight with a layover at one’s true destination, getting off at the layover point, and skipping the last leg of the flight in order to avoid paying a higher fare for a direct flight to one’s destination: Compare skiplagging ( def ).

   The website helps travelers find hidden-city itineraries.

   Hidden-city ticketing is explicitly banned by some airlines’ terms of use.

   Hidden-city travelers do not disclose their intentions even when booking through a third party.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hidden-city¹

First recorded in 1995–2000

Example Sentences

In a practice called skiplagging and hidden-city ticketing, travelers book a flight that includes at least one stop, but they leave the plane during a layover.

From Washington Times

These terms and conditions also often explicitly forbid hidden-city ticketing and lay out a raft of consequences should travelers circumvent the rules.

From New York Times

On the last day of June, American Airlines agents at Gainesville Regional Airport in Florida canceled a North Carolina teenager’s flight after realizing that he had used a booking tactic called “skiplagging” or “hidden-city travel,” forbidden by airlines but used by some travelers to net flight bargains.

From New York Times

Airlines say that exploitation of hidden-city fares results in empty seats that could have been booked by others.

From New York Times

What’s new: Earlier this year, Lufthansa dropped a lawsuit against a customer who used hidden-city ticketing.

From Washington Post