American Airlines is suing the travel website Skiplagged.com for a service to find rates which helps people book "skiplag tickets" or flights with the planned stopover city as the destination.
More specifically, skiplagged is a way for you to travel more cheaply using your stopover destination as your final destination. For example, if you want to fly to Paris, but direct tickets Bucharest - Paris are expensive, then look for a cheap route via Paris and stop in Paris. Airlines do not condone this practice.
As evidence, American Airlines sued Skiplagged Inc. in a Texas court, accusing the site of fraud. American Airlines threatened to cancel all tickets sold by Skiplagged. In a practice called skiplagging, travelers book a flight that includes at least one stopover, but use the stopover destination as their final destination. This technique is generally not illegal, but airlines say it violates their policies.
American Airlines accuses the site of defrauding travelers by selling flights American Airlines without the appropriate consent of the agency, risking that these tickets are invalid. The company also accused the website of infringement copyright for his use of the American Airlines logos.
“Many of the fares displayed on the Skiplagged website are higher than the consumer would pay if they were to simply book a ticket on the American Airlines website or through an authorized travel agency.” – a statement that cannot stand as long as American Airlines accuses a site of practicing techniques through which passengers travel cheaper.
The airline is seeking damages from that site for deceptive techniques, use of the logo and information without consent. Although American Airlines has expressed its disdain for the technique, it is not the only company that wants to block Skiplagged.
In 2014, United Airlines and Orbitz sued Skiplagged.com just a year after launch, accusing founder Aktarer Zaman of "unfair competition" and "deceptive behavior". Southwest Airlines then filed a lawsuit against Skiplagged in 2021 after it showed the airline's ticket prices. In the complaint, attorneys for Southwest said the website was not authorized to “display Southwest fares or sell Southwest flights".