Oxman
Well-Known Member
Is this common?
www.nydailynews.com
German airline Lufthansa is suing an unnamed passenger for skipping the last leg of his flight in an attempt to crack down on the so-called hidden city style of travel.
“Hidden city” ticketing is when someone books a flight with a layover that is really his or her ultimate destination. Basically, you embed your actual destination within the flight route, get off there, and skip the final leg listed on your ticket.
In this case, “an unnamed male passenger booked a return flight from Oslo to Seattle, which had a layover in Frankfurt,” CNN reported. “The passenger used all legs of the outbound flight, but did not catch the Frankfurt to Oslo return flight. He instead flew on a separate Lufthansa reservation from Frankfurt to Berlin.”
Airlines lay out specific terms and conditions prohibiting this type of booking and travel, claiming that it costs them money.
“When we fly, we agree to airlines’ Conditions of Carriage, or similarly named small print,” saysLonely Planet. “These prohibit buying connecting tickets with the intention to only use half of them.”
The idea behind it is that a non-direct flight is cheaper for the passenger than a direct flight, so a passenger is liable for the lost revenue, Lonely Planet said. The airline is “legally entitled to
come after you” for the price difference between the one-stop flight and the direct flight.
In the current case Lufthansa is seeking €2,112, or about $2,385, CNN said. The airline is appealing the December dismissal of its initial case in a Berlin district court.
It’s not the first such lawsuit, CNN noted. In 2015 United and Orbitz sued the founder of Skiplagged.com, a popular website devoted to revealing “hidden city” flight deals as the preferred way of booking. The suit was thrown out on a technicality.
Lufthansa sues passenger for skipping last leg of flight, wants more than $2G
German airline Lufthansa is suing an unnamed passenger for skipping the last leg of his flight in an attempt to crack down on the so-called hidden city style of travel. “Hidden city” ti…
www.nydailynews.com
German airline Lufthansa is suing an unnamed passenger for skipping the last leg of his flight in an attempt to crack down on the so-called hidden city style of travel.
“Hidden city” ticketing is when someone books a flight with a layover that is really his or her ultimate destination. Basically, you embed your actual destination within the flight route, get off there, and skip the final leg listed on your ticket.
In this case, “an unnamed male passenger booked a return flight from Oslo to Seattle, which had a layover in Frankfurt,” CNN reported. “The passenger used all legs of the outbound flight, but did not catch the Frankfurt to Oslo return flight. He instead flew on a separate Lufthansa reservation from Frankfurt to Berlin.”
Airlines lay out specific terms and conditions prohibiting this type of booking and travel, claiming that it costs them money.
“When we fly, we agree to airlines’ Conditions of Carriage, or similarly named small print,” saysLonely Planet. “These prohibit buying connecting tickets with the intention to only use half of them.”
The idea behind it is that a non-direct flight is cheaper for the passenger than a direct flight, so a passenger is liable for the lost revenue, Lonely Planet said. The airline is “legally entitled to
come after you” for the price difference between the one-stop flight and the direct flight.
In the current case Lufthansa is seeking €2,112, or about $2,385, CNN said. The airline is appealing the December dismissal of its initial case in a Berlin district court.
It’s not the first such lawsuit, CNN noted. In 2015 United and Orbitz sued the founder of Skiplagged.com, a popular website devoted to revealing “hidden city” flight deals as the preferred way of booking. The suit was thrown out on a technicality.
Last edited:
