A teenager was flying from Gainesville to Charlotte. The price of a nonstop ticket was $255 one-way. But he found that the price of a ticket from Gainesville to New York with a change of planes in Charlotte was just $121. So he bought a ticket to New York and planned to get off at Charlotte and “miss” the connecting flight to New York. But not completing a ticketed trip violates the rules of most airlines, so when airline agents at check-in noted ID documents showing he lived in Charlotte, they confiscated his original ticket and made him buy a new one at a much higher fare. That story has been making the rounds of the air travel blogosphere, and it’s an example of a practice typically called “hidden city” or “point beyond” ticketing. I’m repeating it here as either a “clever hack” or a no-no, depending on how you look at the practice.

Airlines set fares based on what they think the market is willing to pay, not cost. And that results in some anomalies:

The risk is basic: Point-beyond ticketing specifically violates airline rules and the contract you accept when you buy a ticket. In addition to making you buy a new ticket, an airline can kick you out of its frequent-flyer program, confiscate your miles, and even put you on its no-fly list. But there are other risks:

Point-beyond ticketing is not illegal: Airline rules do not have any status in law other than contract issues. But you do violate a contract you legally accepted and an airline is within its legal rights to enforce its contract.

The ethics are not so clear-cut. Airlines say the ethical issue is straightforward—entering a contract you intend to violate is unethical. Period. Travelers respond that airlines do not bring ethically clean hands to the issue:

I’m not taking sides here. But if you are willing to accept the risks, opportunities to cut airfare costs are easy to identify. The best place to find them is Skiplagged (https://skiplagged.com/). Keep in mind that point-beyond isn’t always the lowest cost option. Skiplagged also shows where circuitous routing can sometimes undercut even a point-beyond rate—without any of the risks and limitations. But the point-beyond routing almost always has the best schedule.

The recent case is unusual—it’s the first time I’ve seen an airline act against an occasional traveler rather than repeat offenders. Maybe there’s a crackdown? Again, you decide.

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