It’s a holiday travel week and airlines are bracing for a record-breaking number of travelers.

According to AAA, over 4.7 million people are expected to fly over Thanksgiving. This includes some who in an effort to save money, may end up being served a fraud accusation this Thanksgiving.

Airlines have become more aware of travelers’ efforts to “skiplag.” Katy Nastro with Going.com joined The National Desk to explain the term and why airlines are cracking down.

Going.com suggests “skiplagging” as a way to beat the airlines and save.

Nastro said skiplagging is a term called “hidden city ticketing,” describing it as a way for people to fly to their destination without paying a direct flight price tag.”

For example, saying you wanted to fly from Orlando to New York. You know, see the city, but the price tag is a little bit out of budget. Maybe it’s $150,” Nastro said. “However, you found a flight from Orland to Richmond via New York and that’s only $88, which is a pretty nice savings,” Nastro said.

Nastro said you can take the flight from Orlando to New York and technically you’re supposed to stay on that flight and continue to Richmond.

“However you got off in New York and you paid a fraction of the price for that direct flight price, but you bought a connecting flight,” Nastro said. “So, in essence, it’s basically like you bought a direct flight without the direct flight cost.”

It has been reported that some airlines have been canceling flights for some passengers that they catch in the act skiplagging and some have even wiped out passengers’ loyalty points and miles.

But, does it break the law?

That’s a great question and technically, it’s not illegal. But, it is forbidden in the fine print with the airline,” Nastro said. “It totally undermines the contract of carriage that you basically agree to when you purchase the flight.

Nastro said there is an agreement you make with the airlines that you were going to get on and get off where you say your purchase will. She said skiplagging is “undermining how the airlines price for different routes.”

“You know, additionally, they’re losing money from a seat that they could have potentially sold knowing that you weren’t, in fact, going to take that second flight,” Nastro said. “So it’s a missed opportunity for them.”

Still, skiplagging isn’t for everyone. For example, Going.com says to pull this off, you should only travel with a backpack.

But if you are willing to take risks to skiplag, Nastro said it is not for the novice traveler.

It is definitely for someone who has traveled, you know, once or twice,” Nastro said. “But you shouldn’t be doing this multiple times a year, maybe once in a while, you know, every few years. You know, you don’t want to tell anybody you’re doing this, especially the airline, because, again, like you had mentioned, they could cancel your entire ticket.

Nastro said you do not want to check bags, as the bags will head to that final destination on the ticket.

She also said this would only work for one-way flights because if you do not get on the second flight, you are counted as a no-show.

“So there’s definitely things to remember and again…while it’s not illegal, it is definitely not for the person that travels once in a while,” Nastro said.

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