You buy GRU-LIS-MAD. Board in São Paulo, disembark in Lisbon, and skip the Lisbon-Madrid leg. Result: you paid $372 ($0.38) for a flight that would cost $779 ($0.80) directly to Madrid. This is called hidden city ticketing — or skiplagging. It's legal, controversial, and risky in specific situations. This guide shows exactly how it works, with 4 real numerical cases from 2025-2026, the risks no one tells you about, and when it's better to just pay for the direct flight.
10 min read
I've been using hidden city for 6 years. I learned the hard way: on a Tuesday in 2020, I bought a Madrid-Lisbon-Porto thinking of getting off in Lisbon. Iberia automatically canceled my return leg when they saw I didn't board the Lisbon-Porto. I returned paying $673 ($0.69) for a last-minute one-way ticket.
Everything I'll teach you here comes from that lesson. Hidden city works. But it works within specific rules that few people respect.
What is hidden city ticketing, in practical terms
TL;DRAirlines don't price by distance. They price by demand in each city pair. Madrid is Iberia's hub. It has high demand, connections across Europe, executives paying high fares. A direct GRU-MAD flight in May 2025 costs $779 ($0.80) in flexible economy. Lisbon is not a main hub for anyone.
Airlines don't price by distance. They price by demand in each city pair.
Madrid is Iberia's hub. It has high demand, connections across Europe, executives paying high fares. A direct GRU-MAD flight in May 2025 costs $779 ($0.80) in flexible economy.
Lisbon is not a main hub for anyone. TAP uses it, but the volume is smaller. A direct GRU-LIS costs $496 ($0.51). And a GRU-LIS-MAD with a layover in Lisbon? $372 ($0.38) — cheaper than the direct flight to Lisbon, because the airline wants to fill the LIS-MAD leg.
You buy the entire GRU-LIS-MAD ticket for $372 ($0.38). Disembark in Lisbon. Don't board the LIS-MAD. Saved $407 ($0.42) versus the direct GRU-MAD, or $124 ($127) versus the direct GRU-LIS.
That's hidden city. The "hidden" destination is the middle one.
About the author
Curadoria Voyspark
2 years in the Voyspark editorial team
Time editorial da Voyspark — escritores, repórteres, fotógrafos e fixers em Lisboa, Tóquio, Nova York, Cidade do México e Marrakech. Coletivo. Sem voz corporativa. Cada peça com checagem cruzada por um editor regional e um chef ou curador local.
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