Airline Booking Hacks: What Works, and What Might Get You in Trouble

Between bargain-shopping travelers and airlines flashing ephemeral prices, searching for the lowest airfares can feel like a game of cat and mouse. Sometimes, the game carries real-world risks, including the recent news that Lufthansa is suing a passenger who the airline contends intentionally skipped a flight leg using a largely prohibited budget-booking practice known as hidden city.

Bargain hunting has led to a rise in cheap travel websites and rules of thumb for booking, such as flying at off-peak times and on slower days.

“People would like a simple rule, but in practice there isn’t a single day or time to buy,” said Patrick Surry, the chief data scientist for Hopper, an airfare prediction app. Factors most impacting airfares, he said, are “the day you travel, how long you stay and the airport you’re flying.” How far in advance you book can also determine the price you pay.

Airfares reflect the adage that time is money; for bargain-hunters the less money you spend, the more time you’re likely to spend in the airport. Hopper found that fliers can save 5 percent on airfares by changing from direct to one-stop fares, and 2 percent above that for moving from a one- to a two-stop ticket. Of course, those non-direct fares will mean spending more time stuck in airports. Long layovers will also save you money: A layover of more than 12 hours means an average of a 6-percent savings on your airfare.

Having flexibility in travel is one sure way to get the best fare. Many search engines, including Kayak and Hopper, allow users to register for price-alert tracking that recommends whether to buy now or wait for future price drops. The app HitList allows users to track a route with unspecified dates or lengths of travel.

Other booking ploys, surveyed below, may or may not get you into trouble with the airlines.

Hidden city fares

Hidden city fares are one-way tickets through a connecting city where passengers intentionally stay in the layover city. For example, a flier from New York City to San Francisco may find it cheaper to book a one-stop flight to Seattle connecting through San Francisco, disembark there and not take the last leg to Seattle. The practice is known as skiplagging.