American Airlines won a lawsuit against travel website Skiplagged on October 15. The airline is set to receive $9.4 million after a federal jury in Fort Worth found the website promoting “skiplagging.”
Skiplagging is a travel hack where passengers book connecting flights with the intention of skipping the final leg to reach their destination at a lower cost. By doing so, travelers exploit fare differences between direct and multi-leg routes to save money on airfare.
American Airline sued Skiplagged last fall, claiming that passengers were deceived into thinking they had bought valid tickets. The airline also claimed that the travel site promoted fares that violated its policy.
According to the airline, the website was using its logo. Skiplagged is due to pay American $4.7 million in actual damages for copyright infringement, and another $4.7 million for “ill-gotten” revenues.
In a statement, American Airlines’ spokesperson said, “This was an important next step in protecting American’s intellectual property and valuable brand.”
But even with penalties, the site’s lawyer William Kirkman approved of the jury’s decision to reject the trademark infringement claim.
Ban on Skiplagging Passenger
In 2023, American Airlines issued a three-year ban on a 17-year-old passenger who tried using a New York-bound ticket to get to Charlotte from Gainesville. While skiplagging isn’t illegal, airlines consider it as a policy violation, citing losses in revenue.
The airline accused the site of buying tickets directly from their website, posing as a customer. Skiplagged then instructs passengers to not let the airline know of this practice. In American Airlines’ 37-page complaint, it accused the website of doing a “bait and switch” tactic. The airline also claimed that Skiplagged intentionally displayed fares higher than those available via American Airlines and authorized dealers.
American Airlines’ lawyer Paul Yetter revealed that the website generated $90 million using the airline’s trademarks. Skiplagged charged customers $10 per one-way ticket or 10% of the ticket’s base fare.
