Skiplagged
Skiplagged is a bootstrapped, New York-based consumer travel search platform that uses a proprietary algorithm to surface hidden-city ticketing deals, helping budget-conscious travelers save up to 80% on flights, with adjacent hotel and car rental booking services monetized via affiliate commissions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Skiplagged does
Skiplagged is a privately held, New York-based consumer travel search platform founded in 2013 by Aktarer Zaman (current CEO) and operated by a small team of 11-50 employees. Its core technology is a proprietary algorithm that identifies hidden-city ticketing opportunities, i.e., itineraries where exiting at the layover city is cheaper than booking a direct ticket to that destination, by exposing structural inefficiencies in airline pricing. The company asserts users save up to 80% on flights versus standard fares, with an average hidden-city saving of approximately $128 per itinerary. Beyond flights, Skiplagged offers hotel search with proprietary "skiplagged rates" (claimed up to 60% off) and car rental search, all delivered through a self-serve web platform and iOS/Android mobile apps localized in 20+ languages and operating across 20+ countries.
The business model is 100% affiliate-commission based: Skiplagged charges no direct fee to users and earns referral revenue from airline, hotel, and car rental partners when bookings are completed. Customer acquisition is product-led and driven by earned media (NYT, Forbes, CNBC, Business Insider, Fast Company, Inc., Entrepreneur, CBS News), a TikTok Partner Program that pays creators in travel credits rather than cash, a referral/rewards program offering $10 signup bonuses and up to $25 per booking, and an SEO-optimized destination guide library. In August 2025 the company launched two consumer-protection modules, Price Hacker (post-booking fare-drop refunds) and Skiplagged Guarantee (cancellation and change protection), shifting the platform from a pure search utility toward a more integrated travel product.
Skiplagged has been the target of repeated airline litigation, having prevailed against United Airlines and Orbitz in earlier disputes and currently contesting a $9.4 million copyright damages judgment awarded to American Airlines in a Texas federal court in October 2024, which American Airlines is appealing. The company has no disclosed venture or private equity funding, indicating a bootstrapped capital structure, and ownership remains concentrated with the founder.
Skiplagged firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Skiplagged
- Legal name
- Skiplagged
- Website
- https://skiplagged.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Skiplagged is a bootstrapped, New York-based consumer travel search platform that uses a proprietary algorithm to surface hidden-city ticketing deals, helping budget-conscious travelers save up to 80% on flights, with adjacent hotel and car rental booking services monetized via affiliate commissions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Skiplagged industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Travel Search & Booking
- NAICS
- Travel Agencies (56151), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Other (4879)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Cruise Transfers & Tender Services (Water Taxis, Support Boats) (THAEAEAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Booking Engines & Direct Web Booking (THALACAD)
Keywords
Where Skiplagged is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Skiplagged business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Affiliate/Referral Commissions: When users book flights through Skiplagged's platform, the company earns commissions from airline affiliates or booking partners. The rewards program ($10 signup bonus, up to $25 per booking) indicates affiliate-based revenue sharing with travel suppliers.
- Hotel Bookings: Hotel search and booking services featuring 'skiplagged rates' that reportedly save users up to 60% on hotel bookings. Revenue likely generated through hotel affiliate partnerships.
- Car Rental Bookings: Car rental search and booking services, generating revenue through commission-based affiliate relationships with rental companies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Free platform access with affiliate revenue model |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Skiplagged product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Skiplagged is a consumer travel search platform that helps users find significantly cheaper flights by identifying hidden-city ticketing opportunities, where travelers exit at the layover city of a multi-leg itinerary rather than the final ticketed destination. The platform also provides hotel booking with discounted 'skiplagged rates' and car rental search, monetizing through affiliate commissions on bookings routed to travel suppliers.
Product overview
Skiplagged operates as a unified travel search platform combining four core services: flight search (including hidden-city/skiplagged ticketing), hotel booking with exclusive rates, and car rental search. The platform differentiates through its proprietary algorithm that exposes airline pricing inefficiencies, particularly hidden-city ticketing where travelers exit at layover destinations rather than final ticketed destinations to save money. The core product is complemented by add-on modules: Price Hacker (post-booking fare monitoring with refunds), Skiplagged Guarantee (cancellation/change protection), Rewards Program (referral credits), and TikTok Partner Program (social media-based earning). The company positions itself as a consumer-empowerment tool that has faced legal challenges from airlines, most notably a $9.4M copyright damages ruling from American Airlines.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Price Hacker: A tool that provides refunds for fare drops after booking.
- Skiplagged Guarantee
Products and services
- Skiplagged Flight Search Travel search engine exposing hidden-city ticketing loopholes and standard cheap fares, allowing consumers to compare and book significantly cheaper flights than direct-route pricing.
- Skiplagged Hotels
Quantifiable outcome
- Users save nearly 50% of their ticket price on average
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Skiplagged
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Skiplagged technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
Skiplagged partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Skiplagged competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kayak: Operates a global travel metasearch engine aggregating flights, hotels, and cars from hundreds of suppliers. Direct competitor to Skiplagged in fare comparison and deal discovery, though Kayak does not surface hidden-city ticketing.
- Skyscanner: Global flight and hotel metasearch platform with millions of users across 30+ markets. Directly comparable to Skiplagged in showing cheapest fares and affiliate-driven booking, and an equally strong SEO-led acquisition engine.
- Hopper: Mobile-first travel app combining flight and hotel booking with price prediction and deal alerts. Closely comparable to Skiplagged in the consumer deal-discovery space, though focused on price prediction rather than hidden-city ticketing.
- Going (formerly Scott's Cheap Flights): Subscription-based flight deal service sending error fares and mistake fares to members. Closely aligned with Skiplagged's audience of budget travelers hunting non-standard cheap airfare, though Going is deal-alert vs. transaction-based.
- Momondo: Travel metasearch engine owned by Booking Holdings, aggregating flights, hotels, and cars. Comparable to Skiplagged in fare-comparison depth, multilingual global presence, and affiliate-based revenue model.
Broad incumbents
- Google Flights: Dominant flight search product from a major incumbent (Google/Alphabet), offering fare comparison and itinerary discovery across virtually every route. Competes with Skiplagged for high-intent flight search queries and can outbid on SEO/ads.
- Expedia: Major OTA offering flights, hotels, cars, and packages globally. Comparable to Skiplagged as a one-stop travel booking destination, but operates a merchant model and previously sued Skiplagged (Orbitz/Expedia, 2015).
- Booking.com: Dominant global hotel OTA with attached flight and car products. Comparable to Skiplagged's hotel affiliate stream and global reach, but with a vastly larger inventory and enterprise sales motion.
- Tripadvisor: Travel metasearch and review platform covering flights, hotels, and experiences. Comparable to Skiplagged as a content-plus-metasearch travel destination, with overlapping SEO-driven acquisition of high-intent travel shoppers.
Emerging players
- Airfarewatchdog: Long-running flight deal aggregator highlighting low and mistake fares. Overlaps with Skiplagged's budget-traveler target audience and deal-discovery thesis, though with a smaller, more niche audience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Skiplagged social profiles
Digital presenceSkiplagged financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Skiplagged leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Skiplagged funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Skiplagged M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Skiplagged
What does Skiplagged do?
Skiplagged is a consumer travel search platform that helps users find significantly cheaper flights by identifying hidden-city ticketing opportunities, where travelers exit at the layover city of a multi-leg itinerary rather than the final ticketed destination. The platform also provides hotel booking with discounted 'skiplagged rates' and car rental search, monetizing through affiliate commissions on bookings routed to travel suppliers.
Is Skiplagged a public or private company?
Skiplagged is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Skiplagged founded?
Skiplagged was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Skiplagged based?
Skiplagged is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Skiplagged make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Affiliate/Referral Commissions are the primary driver. The others are hotel Bookings and car Rental Bookings.
Who are Skiplagged's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kayak, Skyscanner, Hopper, Going (formerly Scott's Cheap Flights) and Momondo. Broad incumbents are Google Flights, Expedia, Booking.com and Tripadvisor. Airfarewatchdog is listed as an emerging player.
Does Skiplagged have an API?
No public API is recorded for Skiplagged.
What industry is Skiplagged in?
Skiplagged's product category is Online Travel Search & Booking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAEAEAJ, Private Cruise Transfers & Tender Services (Water Taxis, Support Boats), with a secondary code of THALACAD, Booking Engines & Direct Web Booking. Its NAICS code is 56151 and its SIC code is 7990.