American Airlines canceled a teenager's 'skiplagging' ticket after realizing he wasn't planning to board the connecting flight to New York: report

• American Airlines canceled the ticket of a teen who wasn't planning to fly to his final destination.
• He planned to disembark at his layover in Charlotte, North Carolina, instead of New York City.

American Airlines canceled a teenager's ticket after realizing he wasn't planning to board his connecting flight to New York City, so his family had to purchase a direct ticket to Charlotte, North Carolina, instead.

The teenager was scheduled to fly from Gainesville, Florida, to New York City, but he planned to disembark during the layover in Charlotte, according to the local television station Queen City News.

His father, Hunter Parsons, told the outlet that he booked the ticket using Skiplagged, a website that shows flights with layovers that are less expensive than direct routes.

"We've used Skiplagged almost exclusively for the last five to eight years," Parsons told Queen City News, adding that it was the first time his son traveled alone on a plane.

But Parsons said the gate agent in Florida was doubtful of his son's final destination after seeing his North Carolina driver's license. The agent suspected the teenager wouldn't continue flying to New York City, per the report.

"They kind of got out of him that he was planning to disboard in Charlotte and not going to make the connecting flight," Parsons said in the report, adding that his son was taken to a security room to be questioned.

An airline representative then canceled the teenager's ticket, per Queen City News. His family then bought him a new direct ticket to Charlotte.

The family said they weren't aware that skiplagging — the controversial practice of booking a flight with a layover and skipping the second leg — was prohibited by American Airlines and many other airlines. Skiplagging is a strategy that helps passengers save money on tickets, but this often results in lost revenue for airlines.

"Purchasing a ticket without intending to fly all flights to gain lower fares (hidden city ticketing) is a violation of American Airlines terms and conditions and is outlined in our Conditions of Carriage online," the airline told Queen City News in a statement, adding that it was in contact with Parsons.

Parsons said in the report that he was concerned about his son being detained and questioned by gate agents in Florida.

"Our records indicate the customer was questioned only at the ticket counter about their travel while attempting to check-in for their flight," a representative for American Airlines told Insider in a statement. "A member of our Customer Relations team has been in touch with them to address their concerns."

Parsons told Queen City News that his son shouldn't have been detained because he was a minor and that gate agents should have given him "a stern warning, 'hey this is frowned upon, if you do it again, there would be consequences, financial penalties."

In January 2021, American Airlines announced in a memo that it would begin cracking down on skiplagging — and in recent years, it hasn't hesitated to punish passengers caught skipping their final destinations.

In August 2020, a passenger said they were charged $2,500 for skiplagging 52 times on American Airlines flights. Four months prior, another passenger said he was kicked out of the airline's frequent-flyer program for skiplagging on 95 flights.

Parsons did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 12:40 p.m. with a statement from American Airlines.

Taylor Rains contributed reporting to this story.