Website Claims To Expose Secret To Cheaper Airfare

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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - If you're looking for a bargain airfare, there's one secret airlines hope you'll never find out. A website makes it easy to find cheap fares. In fact, it has already been sued by one airline.

Alex Thornsen, a University of Minnesota senior, checks it before booking tickets. "I've used it a lot. I check it a lot," Thornsen told CBS News.

The site is called Skiplagged -- an airfare engine that looks just like any other, but it uses hidden city ticketing, which basically means booking flights with a layover, but using that layover city as your final destination. Austin-based airline blogger Daraius Dubash said that people have used hidden city ticketing in the past, but Skiplagged has made it very easy.

Dubash ran a test itinerary for us. A non-stop, one-way fare from DFW to Chicago-O'Hare on October 12, 2016 is $126. But, a fare on the same airline from DFW to Milwaukee with a stop in Chicago is $86. You could buy that cheaper flight and get off in Chicago.

Is it illegal?

Dubash said that there's no law against it. "Airlines usually don't like it," he explained. That is why the site has been sued by Orbitz and United Airlines. Orbitz settled with Skiplagged and a judge dismissed United's lawsuit.

Dubash warned that cheaper fares may come with some inconveniences. He told us that Skiplagged fares works better with one-way tickets, and you cannot check a bag. Also, there is a danger that airlines could block you from their frequent flyer programs after repeated use.

Thornsen, who has used Skiplagged several times in the past, said that she has had no problems with it.