It is a question we hear frequently from savvy travelers who have seen a "viral hack" on social media. The scenario usually looks like this: You want to fly to Dubai. A direct ticket is expensive. However, you find a cheaper ticket from Johannesburg to London with a layover in Dubai.
The question is simple: "Can I book the flight to London, get off in Dubai, and just throw away the last leg of the ticket?"
This practice is known as "Skiplagging" or "Hidden City Ticketing." While it might seem like a clever way to outsmart the system, it carries severe risks that can leave you stranded, banned, or out of pocket.
The "Cancelled Return" Rule
This is the single most immediate danger of skiplagging.
Airline tickets are sold as a sequence of coupons that must be used in order. If you miss any flight segment, the airline’s system automatically cancels all remaining flights on your itinerary.
If you book a return ticket to London and get off in Dubai on the way there, your return flight home to South Africa will be voided the moment the gate closes for the London leg. You will be left stranded in Dubai with no valid ticket home, forced to buy a last-minute, full-price one-way fare.
The "Checked Bag" Trap
Skiplagging is impossible if you have luggage.
When you check in your bags, they are tagged to your final destination printed on your ticket (London), not your layover point (Dubai). If you get off in Dubai, your clothes and toiletries will continue to London without you.
For security reasons, airlines will eventually offload your bag if you are not on board, but this causes flight delays and flags you immediately to airline security as a security risk. Retrieving your bag from a destination you are not in is a logistical nightmare.
The Risk of Airline Bans
Airlines consider hidden city ticketing a violation of their Contract of Carriage. They are aggressively cracking down on this practice using sophisticated tracking algorithms.
If you are caught skiplagging, airlines can:
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Ban you from flying with them for life.
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Revoke all your frequent flyer miles and status (which can be worth thousands of Rands).
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Charge your credit card for the price difference between the fare you paid and the actual fare to the hidden city.
Furthermore, travel agents like NAC Travel can be fined or lose their license for knowingly booking these tickets. We protect our clients by only booking legitimate, secure itineraries.
The Legitimate Alternative: Stopover Programs
You do not need to break the rules to save money or see two cities for the price of one. Many top-tier airlines offer official Stopover Programs designed exactly for this purpose.
These programs allow you to stay in the hub city for several days at no extra airfare cost, and often include incredible perks:
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Emirates (Dubai): Offers "Dubai Connect" or stopover packages that can include discounted hotels and 24-hour check-in.
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Qatar Airways (Doha): Offers amazing stopover packages starting from as little as $14 USD per night for 4-star and 5-star hotels.
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Etihad (Abu Dhabi): Frequently runs "Free Stopover" campaigns where your hotel stay for up to two nights is completely free.
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Turkish Airlines (Istanbul): Provides "TourIstanbul" (free city tours) for layovers or free hotel stays for longer stopovers for eligible passengers.
How NAC Travel Finds You the Right Deal
Instead of risking a ban, let us build you a smart itinerary. The travel experts at www.nac-travel.org use legitimate ticketing methods to get you the best value:
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Official Stopovers: We book the specific airline stopover packages that give you a "mini-holiday" in Dubai, Doha, or Istanbul legally.
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Open-Jaw Tickets: We can book a "Multi-City" ticket where you fly into one city (e.g., London) and out of another (e.g., Paris), saving you the time and cost of backtracking.
Don't risk your return ticket for a "hack." Book smart, travel safe, and enjoy your journey with peace of mind.