A North Carolina resident was detained and “interrogated” at a Florida airport after he attempted to use a popular travel hack, according to his father.
Hunter Parsons’ teenage son had a plane ticket to travel from Gainesville, Florida, to New York City but was stopped by a gate agent before he was allowed to board because he had a North Carolina license and the flight had a layover in Charlotte, North Carolina. The elder Parsons told WJZY that an American Airlines gate agent suspected the teen of “skip lagging” – or intending to travel to the connecting city, rather than the destination on their boarding pass, in an effort to save money.
They then notified security and his son was “taken to a security room” and was “interrogated a little bit,” the father said, according to the report.
“They kind of got out of him that he was planning to disboard [sic] in Charlotte and not going to make the connecting flight,” the father told the outlet. He also said an American Airlines representative canceled the ticket and forced the family to purchase a direct flight ticket instead.
Skip lagging, also known as hidden city ticketing or point beyond ticketing, violates the travel policies of most major airlines.
FOX Business reached out to American Airlines, which pointed out that the airline’s prohibited booking practices include “purchasing a ticket without intending to fly all flights to gain lower fares.” They also confirmed the traveling teen was questioned during the incident and said a member of American’s customer relations team has communicated with the family.
Other major airlines, like Delta and United Airlines, also prohibit skip lagging.
The Parsons patriarch confirmed his son was skip lagging and said the family has used Skip Lagged, a website that specifically lists hidden-city ticketing trips, for at least five to eight years.
The website warns travelers who use their service that their checked luggage could be sent to the final destination instead of where they intend to stop, among other potential issues.
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The father clarified that he would not have done so if he knew it would have resulted in his son being stopped and questioned, WJZY reported.
Parsons told WJZY that the family was concerned when they learned the airline “put a minor in that situation.” Instead, he said his son should have received “a stern warning.”