Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick

Level 2 l Upper intermediate

1 Warmer
You need to travel for personal reasons to a city at the other end of the country, approximately 800 km
away. Would you prefer to go there by car, coach, plane or train? Say why.

2 Key words
Match the key words with the definitions. Then find them in the article to read them in context. The
paragraph numbers are given to help you.

skipping determination sue hub inconsistent

layover revenue commercialize loophole stranded

1. something that has been left out of a law or legal document that people can use to avoid doing what it says
_______________________________ (para 1)
2. an airport that passengers can fly to from smaller local airports in order to make international or long-distance
flights _______________________________ (para 2)
3. avoiding doing something _______________________________ (para 2)
4. make a legal claim against someone, usually to get money from them because they have done something bad
_______________________________ (para 4)
5. a short stay somewhere between two parts of a journey _______________________________ (para 5)
6. the refusal to let anything stop you from doing what you have decided to do
_______________________________ (para 6)
7. income from business activities _______________________________ (para 7)
8. develop something so that you can sell it and make a profit _______________________________ (para 8)
9. not matching or agreeing with something else _______________________________ (para 9)
10. left somewhere with no way of going anywhere else _______________________________ (para 12)
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NEWS LESSONS / Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick / Upper intermediate
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Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
‘Hidden-city’ travel: why airlines are
cracking down on a discount trick
Edward Helmore
17 February, 2019
1 Airlines are cracking down on a ticketing loophole
that can reduce the cost of travel by thousands
of pounds – but the fight back is just giving more
publicity to the advantages of “hidden-city” travel.
2 Hidden-city ticketing is when a passenger buys
a ticket to a less popular, and therefore cheaper,
destination that stops en route at a more popular,
and more expensive, hub destination. The
passenger gets off there, skipping the last part
of their journey. Anyone can do it, providing that
they travel only with carry-on luggage.
3 It’s something people have done for years, but
thanks to renewed publicity – and websites that
help you find the best fares – airlines have called
in their lawyers.
4 Proof that the industry wants to act against the
practice came in a Berlin court in February, 2019.
Lufthansa is trying to sue a European business-
class traveller who used a hidden-city ticket to
save thousands on a transatlantic flight.
5 The unnamed male passenger booked a
return flight from Oslo to Seattle, which had
a layover in Frankfurt. He skipped the final,
Frankfurt-to-Oslo return flight and flew to Berlin
on a separate ticket.
6 The ticket switch, which sounds harmless
enough, cost Lufthansa around €2,112, the
amount the airline now wants to get back from
the customer. Whether the scheme was illegal
or not is up for debate. But the airline’s action
reveals the industry’s determination to close
the loophole.
7 Once a practice offered by clever travel agents,
it’s now become automated through sites like
Skiplagged. This annoys airlines, who claim they
are losing revenue from travel to the passenger’s
intended destination (in this case Berlin and not
Oslo) and the ability to sell the seat the person
hasn’t used.
© Springer Nature Limited 2019. Macmillan Education is part of the Springer Nature Group.
NEWS LESSONS / Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick / Upper intermediate
8 According to airline-industry analyst Robert
Mann, the issue of hidden-city ticketing has
always been there, but it was only when
websites, including the US-based Skiplagged,
began to commercialize the system that the
industry took notice.
9 “Airlines’ pricing is complicated, especially when
prices can vary by a factor of ten for almost the
same product, but if a customer chooses to use
the ticket or a part of it that’s inconsistent with the
terms of sale, it becomes an issue,” he said. “If
the practice becomes common knowledge and
attempts to use it increase, it goes from being a
tiny hole in a big bucket to a huge hole spilling
out revenue.”
10 Mann believes that Lufthansa’s decision to take
action may be one of scale. Playing the system
within the US may cost airlines a few hundred
dollars, based on the company’s ability to re-sell
the seat that wasn’t used, but the loss for the
airlines on international fares can total thousands.
11 “This is a highly competitive industry, so when
it comes to international ticketing, the numbers
very quickly become big enough not to ignore,”
Mann says.
12 The practice of hidden-city ticketing also holds
dangers for passengers. An airline may not notice
that a ticket holder has not appeared for a part of
flight, but if the practice is repeated or obvious,
customers may find themselves stranded in the
wrong city, find that the return part of their trip
has been cancelled or that they’ve been removed
from loyalty programmes.
13 In some instances, passengers have been met
at the gate by airline lawyers and asked to pay
additional fees.
14 “It’s a calculated risk,” said Mann, “but the
numbers are big enough to make it a crime in
some cases.”
© Guardian News and Media 2019
First published in The Guardian, 17/02/19
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 Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
3 Comprehension check
Are these statements true (T) or false (F) according to the article? Correct any that are false.

1. When a passenger does ‘hidden-city’ ticketing, they buy a ticket to a hub but get off at a less
popular destination.
2. Airline tickets to less popular destinations are often cheaper than tickets to international hubs.
3. Even though the airlines do not lose money when passengers do this, they want to stop passengers from
leaving the plane before their paid-for destination.
4. It’s only possible to take advantage of this loophole if you book your ticket by yourself online.
5. One airline is taking a passenger to court to get the money from him that he saved by ‘hidden-city’ travel.
6. Airlines are not worried that the scheme will become well known.
7. Court cases against passengers are making the practice more well known.
8. If passengers are caught using this trick, they may not be allowed to board the plane to get home again or to
belong to loyalty programmes.

4 Expressions
Rewrite the statements using these expressions from the article instead of the sections in bold.

common knowledge cracking down on called in

is up for debate providing that took notice

1. Airlines are getting stricter with passengers who do not fly to the final destination on their ticket.
2. The practice works but only if you fly with just carry-on luggage.
3. It has not been decided whether hidden-city travel is illegal or not.
4. The airlines’ lawyers have been asked to take action.
5. Airlines paid attention when they saw that Skiplagged was making money from the practice.
6. The practice is now becoming something everyone knows about.

5 Discussion
• Had you heard about hidden-city travel before reading this article?
• What do you think about the practice? Do you think passengers who do it are criminals or just clever?
• Are you a member of an airline loyalty programme? If so, what benefits does it give you?
• Do you know of any other ways to save money on expensive journeys?
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NEWS LESSONS / Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick / Upper intermediate
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 Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
6 Air travel
a. What are your preferences when it comes to air travel? Put a cross on each line to show what
you prefer.

For example, if you usually choose a window seat, mark the line like this.
aisle seat –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– window seat

front of plane –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– back of plane

pay for extra legroom –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– not pay for extra legroom
aisle seat –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– window seat
hold luggage –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– only a carry-on bag
bag or rucksack –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– suitcase
buy ticket online –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– buy ticket from travel agent
early check-in –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– last-minute check-in
self check-in machine –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– manned check-in desk
pay for seat allocation –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– let airline allocate a seat
budget airline –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– national airline
take own snack –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– buy a snack on board
paper boarding pass –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– digital boarding pass

b. Draw a vertical line to join your crosses from top to bottom. Compare your lines and talk about your
preferences and the reasons for them.
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NEWS LESSONS / Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick / Upper intermediate
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Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
KEY

2 Key words 4 Expressions

1. loophole 1. cracking down on

2. hub 2. providing that
3. skipping 3. is up for debate
4. sue 4. called in
5. layover 5. took notice
6. determination 6. common knowledge
7. revenue
8. commercialize
9. inconsistent
10. stranded

3 Comprehension check

1. F – They buy a ticket to a less popular, and

therefore cheaper, destination but get off at a hub.
2. T
3. F – Airlines lose money when passengers do this,
and they want to prevent passengers from leaving
the plane before their paid-for destination.
4. F – There are websites that will find and book this
kind of ticket for you.
5. T
6. F – Airlines are worried that the scheme will
become well known.
7. T
8. T
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© Springer Nature Limited 2019. Macmillan Education is part of the Springer Nature Group.
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NEWS LESSONS / Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick / Upper intermediate
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