'Skiplagging' is the controversial travel hack that could get you a cheaper flight.

If you're a serial TikTok scroller, you may have noticed a new money-saving flying hack called 'skiplagging' doing the rounds.

Right now, skiplagging is pretty rare Down Under, and mostly happening in the USA. Perhaps because it's risky.

"Some people know they are doing the wrong thing and are trying to cheat the system to get a better price," travel agent Anna Shannon told Mamamia.  "Others are not even aware it's risky or wrong and it's a case of 'you don't know what you don't know.'"

So, what is skiplagging? And why is it risky? We have all the answers.

Watch: TikTok influencer reveals cheap flight travel hack. Post continues after video.

What is skiplagging?

Essentially, skiplagging is a sneaky way to save on flights. 

"Skiplagging is when you book a flight with a layover/stopover in another destination (that is your true final destination), and don't take the next leg of the journey," agent Shannon told Mamamia.

"It's to take advantage of cheaper fares."

For example, if you're travelling from Sydney to Adelaide and notice that a flight to Phuket via Adelaide is cheaper than a direct Sydney-to-Adelaide flight, you book the longer route, then hop off in Adelaide.

Is skiplagging illegal?

No, skiplagging is not illegal. But it's against most airline policies, Shannon explained.

"When travellers book flights online, the fare comes with a set of strict terms and conditions about how the ticket can be used," she told Mamamia. "Most travellers tick the 'agree' box without reading these, but as travel agents or airfare experts, we are all over these rules."

The agent went on to say that airline revenue models are complicated, and based on capacity and availability.

"Airlines often include higher pricing for direct flights or good connections as these are more in demand, so skiplagging undermines their pricing model by giving travellers cheaper options, also holding seats that will then fly empty, affecting their yield management."

Skiplagging, Shannon said, can financially impact the airline industry, and passengers by extension, by increasing pricing on certain routes. 

What are the risks of skiplagging?

Shannon said that there are a few risks when it comes to skiplagging, which include:

Penalties

"Airlines know (skiplagging) tactics and can pick up on what you're trying to do," Shannon warned.

"If they don't, they soon will when you don't take the remaining flight(s). Penalties will be given. These could be anything from being fined, being blacklisted by the airline, losing frequent flyer miles accrued, or even your entire membership, or any future tickets with that airline cancelled."

Lost luggage

"From a trip completion point of view, your luggage is usually checked through to your final destination (depending on transit time / layover) so if you want checked baggage, there are another set of issues and risks here," Shannon added.

Voided tickets

"Almost all tickets by any airline will automatically void any remaining flights if you miss taking a flight on the itinerary of that ticket. In the industry it's called a 'No-Show'. So when you miss your connecting flight because you are skiplagging, any other flights on that ticket are automatically cancelled by the airline's system at nil refund and virtually impossible to get back or appeal," Shannon said.

Airline schedule changes

"Airlines are often changing their timetables and this affects any reservations on that flight. If a non-direct flight ends up being re-routed to another hub [for layover] due to cancellation or time change of the connecting flight, you could end up missing your intended destination all together and be routed via another city," Shannon told us.

"Each airfare has different terms and rules around your rights and options when it comes to schedule changes, but asking questions to try and get your original layover hub would be a red flag to an airline for skiplagging."

How do airlines detect skiplagging?

Like we said, skiplagging is sneaky — meaning you have to be cunning to get away with it. Airlines certainly have ways to figure out what you're doing.

"Sometimes it's as simple as the traveller giving themselves away, for example asking at check-in for luggage to only be checked through to their transit destination, or schedule changes trying to be negotiated back to the prior transit point. These are red flags," Shannon told us.

"Even the simple questions from the check-in counter staff — 'What takes you to XXX?', or, 'Is XXX your final destination?' may also be part of the airline's strategy to identify and stop these passengers before boarding."

Airlines are also using technology to monitor patterns in their systems.

"You may not get caught, but you might, and it's more likely you'll be caught if you've done it before. Airlines can track you closely if you have a FF membership with them. They can flag you on their system if a flight is missed and if this becomes repeat behaviour in the future, you're more likely to be caught and penalised."

What are some alternatives to skiplagging?

We're all for a cheap flight hack, but if you're finding skiplagging a bit too risky, we asked the travel agent for safer, less controversial options for scoring a bargain. Aside from booking early, here's what Shannon suggested.

"Most travel arrangements are priced based on availability and capacity, so late Jan to mid March is usually the most cost effective time for Aussies to fly almost anywhere in the world," she shared.

"Because most of the country has just taken time off over Christmas, the planes are flying emptier and need to fill capacity, so more likely to offer competitive deals. There are a few exceptions that can be peak at this time of year, eg Japan ski, but on the whole, [it's] pretty good. It is an especially cheap time to fly to the US and Europe.

"Choose weekdays for departure and return," she added. "Fly out Tuesday-Thursday and return Monday-Wednesday. More people fly on a weekend to maximise their weekend days if they are having a week off work. So flying out Tues-Thurs and coming back Mon-Wed is often cheaper because less people want to do it, the planes aren't as full therefore the prices are less.

"When you book online you think you are getting the cheapest price. But in reality, you are getting the cheapest price you can see. There are always other options for those who know how to construct fares, read complex fare rules or access wholesale airfares. Travel agents book via a central reservation system and can construct fares and routing according to fares available, we don't book on a point and click web interface only seeing what is available to the general public."

Is skiplagging worth it?

To save money? Maybe. Give the risks and potential implications? Maybe not.

"There are not too many airlines that fly around the world from Australia — get on their blacklist and you'll need to get even more creative with how you travel from this part of the world," Shannon told us.

"Many Aussie travellers are so focussed on getting the cheapest price they have blinders on around everything else and don't consider the travel itself to be a special experience and investment in their wellbeing and precious family memories. People will take horrible flight connections or book flight times at ungodly hours to save $20 and then whinge about how terrible their flight connection was or how annoying it was, they had to get up at 3am and be tired for the first few days of their precious holiday.

"Was it worth it? In most cases, unlikely. Treat your holiday like an investment, look at the big picture, work with an expert to plan for the outcome you want to experience, rather than just focusing on price only and booking the best deal."

Feature Image: Getty