American Airlines sues Skiplagged over ticket price loophole

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American Airlines Group Inc sued the travel website Skiplagged, which claims to help passengers save money using loopholes in ticket pricing that the airline alleged are bogus.
Skiplagged isn’t authorised to sell American tickets and is deceiving customers into thinking they can book a cheaper flight using “hidden city fares,” according to the federal lawsuit filed in Texas.
The website claims its algorithms identify cheaper tickets with layovers in the desired destination, allowing the customer to exit before taking a connecting flight. In one example, Skiplagged showed it might be more expensive to buy a direct flight from Atlanta to Orlando than a connecting flight to Dallas with a layover in Orlando.
“But many of the fares displayed on Skiplagged’s website are higher than what the consumer would pay if they simply booked a ticket on American’s website or through an actual authorised agent,” the airline said.
A representative of Skiplagged couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.
The lawsuit claims the website’s tickets sales violates American’s policies and that Skiplagged encourages its users to lie to airline officials if questioned about their intentions.
“Skiplagged even provides personalised, scripted guidance that is unique to the consumer’s specific booking,” American said in the lawsuit. “This practice is expressly prohibited…because Skiplagged knows this, it even expressly advises customers on what steps to take to avoid getting caught.”