Realized I was booking flights wrong for years after a trip to Denver

I always booked the cheapest flight I could find, no matter what. Then last spring I flew to Denver and had a 6 hour layover in Chicago both ways. My buddy told me he uses the 'skiplagging' trick to avoid long layovers and save cash. Now I actually check layover times and routes before hitting buy. Anyone else get burned by a cheap flight with a terrible schedule?

3 comments

3 Comments

robert_bell27d ago

Tell me about it @uma_taylor47, sounds like we both learned that lesson the hard way.

the_miles28d ago

Hold up, skiplagging isnt really for avoiding long layovers, its more about buying a cheaper flight where your real destination is the layover city and you just skip the last leg. You could get stuck with a 6 hour layover doing that too if you pick a bad route. Plus airlines are getting real stingy about it, banned a bunch of people from flying with them for trying it. Just check the total travel time and layover durations before you click buy, thats the real trick.

uma_taylor4727d ago

United actually caught me doing it once on a flight from Denver to Chicago. I had booked a cheaper ticket through Minneapolis, figured I'd just skip the last leg to Milwaukee. Got flagged at the gate, they threatened to cancel my return ticket and ban me from the program. Had to play dumb and say I missed my connection, which was a lie they didn't buy. So yeah, the real trick is knowing that you're gambling with your travel plans, not just scoring a deal.

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