Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick

Level 1 l Pre-intermediate / Intermediate

1 Warmer
You need to travel to a city at the other end of the country, for personal reasons. It’s 800 km away. Do you
go there by car, coach, plane or train? Say why.
E.g. It’s cheaper / faster / easier / less stressful.
I can sleep / read / listen to music on the way.

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

hub layover action sue loophole

1. something that has been left out of a legal document that people can use to not do what the document says
______________________________ (para 1)

2. an airport where you can connect from local airports in order to make international or long-distance flights
______________________________ (para 2)

3. go to court usually to get money from someone because they have done something bad to you
______________________________ (para 3)

4. a short stay somewhere between two parts of a journey ______________________________ (para 4)

5. something you do, especially to stop a bad situation from continuing ______________________________
(para 6)

terms of sale stranded loyalty programmes issue common knowledge

6. the agreement between the buyer and seller of a product or a service ______________________________
(para 8)

7. a problem ______________________________ (para 8)

8. something that everyone knows ______________________________ (para 8)

9. left somewhere with no way of going anywhere else ______________________________ (para 9)

10. schemes passengers can join to get benefits or discounts ______________________________ (para 9)
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NEWS LESSONS / Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick / Pre-intermediate / Intermediate
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Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick
Level 1 l Pre-intermediate / Intermediate
‘Hidden-city’ travel: why airlines are
cracking down on a discount trick
Edward Helmore
17 February, 2019
1 Airlines are trying to close a loophole that
can make air travel much cheaper. But
because of their efforts to close the loophole,
more people now know about the advantages of
“hidden-city” travel.
2 Hidden-city travel is when a passenger buys a
ticket to a less popular and cheaper destination
that stops, on the way, at a more popular, and
more expensive, hub destination. The passenger
gets off at the hub and does not take the last part
of the journey on their ticket. Anyone can do it if
they travel only with carry-on luggage.
3 The practice is not new – people have done
it for many years. But now airlines want to do
something about it. In Berlin, Lufthansa is trying
to sue a European business-class traveller who
used a hidden-city ticket to save thousands on a
transatlantic flight.
4 The passenger booked a return flight from Oslo
to Seattle, which had a layover in Frankfurt. On
his return flight, he got off at Frankfurt and flew to
Berlin on a different ticket.
5 This sounds harmless, but it cost Lufthansa
around €2,112. The airline now wants that money
back from the passenger.
6 It is not clear whether the method is illegal or not.
But Lufthansa’s action shows that airlines are
trying to close the loophole.
© Springer Nature Limited 2019. Macmillan Education is part of the Springer Nature Group.
NEWS LESSONS / Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick / Pre-intermediate / Intermediate
7 In the past, only some travel agents knew how
to do it, but now you can book hidden-city travel
through websites like Skiplagged. This annoys
airlines, who say they are losing money.
8 Airline analyst Robert Mann says, “Airline pricing
is complicated, but if a passenger chooses to use
the ticket or a part of it in a way that goes against
the terms of sale, it becomes an issue. If the
practice becomes common knowledge, and
more people do it, it will cost airlines more and
more money.”
9 The practice of hidden-city travel also holds
dangers for passengers. If the practice is
repeated or obvious, passengers may be
stranded in the wrong city, the airline might
cancel the return part of their trip, and they may
be removed from loyalty programmes.
10 In some cases, airlines have sent their lawyers
to meet passengers at the airport gate, and the
lawyers have asked the passengers to pay the
airline extra money.
© 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 1 l Pre-intermediate / Intermediate
3 Comprehension check
Are these statements true (T) or false (F) according to the article?

1. When a passenger does ‘hidden-city’ ticketing, he buys a ticket to a cheaper destination but gets off the plane
when it stops at a hub airport.
2. Airline tickets to international hubs are often cheaper than tickets to less popular destinations.
3. Airlines want to stop passengers from leaving the plane before the destination on their ticket.
4. You can only take advantage of this loophole if you book your ticket through a travel agent.
5. One airline is taking a passenger to court to get the money from him that he saved by hidden-city travel.
6. Airlines do not lose money on hidden-city travel.
7. Court cases against passengers are making hidden-city travel more well known.
8. If passengers are caught doing hidden-city travel, the airline might not allow them to get on the plane to
go home.

4 Key words and expressions

Use some of the key words and expressions from task 2 to complete the sentences.

1. London Heathrow, Chicago and Frankfurt are all important ______________________________ airports.
2. I belong to three ______________________________: for an airline I often fly with, a coffee shop and my
local supermarket.
3. The ______________________________ are clearly written on our website.
4. It’s ______________________________ that travelling during school holidays is more expensive.
5. We had a three-hour ______________________________ at Singapore when we flew to Australia.

5 Discussion
• Did you know about hidden-city travel before you read this article?
• Which statement do you most agree with? Why?
o Passengers who use hidden-city tickets are criminals.
o Passengers who use hidden-city tickets are good at saving money.
• Are you a member of a loyalty programme? If so, what benefits does it give you?
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NEWS LESSONS / Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick / Pre-intermediate / Intermediate
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 Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick
Level 1 l Pre-intermediate / Intermediate
6 Air travel
a. Place a cross on each line to show what you do when you travel by air.

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 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– carry-on bag
bag or rucksack –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– suitcase
buy ticket online –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– buy ticket from travel agent
pay for a special seat –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– let airline choose your seat
take own snack –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– buy a snack on board
paper boarding pass –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– boarding pass on phone

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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© 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 / Pre-intermediate / Intermediate
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Why airlines are cracking down on a discount trick
Level 1 l Pre-intermediate / Intermediate
KEY

2 Key words 4 Key words and expressions

1. loophole 1. hub
2. hub 2. loyalty programmes
3. sue 3. terms of sale
4. layover 4. common knowledge
5. action 5. layover
6. terms of sale
7. issue
8. common knowledge
9. stranded
10. loyalty programmes

3 Comprehension check

1. T
2. F
3. T
4. F
5. T
6. F
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 / Pre-intermediate / Intermediate
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