App of the Week – SkipLagged

Published on March 23, 2016

Whether you’re a frequent flyer or just looking to take a getaway, SkipLagged may be the answer to finding the cheapest airfare around.

Available on the web and as a free mobile app for iOS and Android, SkipLagged promises to help consumers find cheap flights through a number of methods, including, most famously, uncovering “hidden-city” fares, which SkipLagged’s founder describes on Reddit as trips “where your destination is a stopover.”

These fares, which airlines typically don’t promote, can lead to enormous savings (up to 80%, according to SkipLagged), but they come with some caveats. You won’t be able to check any bags, for example (since checked bags automatically go to final destinations, not layover stops), and your destination may get dropped from the airline’s itinerary with little notice.

And while this method of finding discounted tickets is legal, it has drawn the ire of some of the big airlines, particularly United, which launched a suit against SkipLagged that was eventually dismissed.

More than just “hidden-city” fares, though, SkipLagged offers other services to make flying a more transparent – and less expensive – endeavor, including helping you find the cheapest combination of departing airports, airlines, and dates; showing the prices of tickets for dates around your travel date; and monitoring and alerting you to real time fluctuations in prices.

Ultimately, every traveler will need to decide for themselves whether it’s worth going through SkipLagged or whether they’re better off searching through another travel app or booking through the airlines themselves.

But the next time you need to fly, we think it’s worth remembering that SkipLagged is a free, easy-to-use option to find alternative fares. And who knows? It could lead to deep savings and the trip of a lifetime!