Went to Google to find a quote I remember hearing or reading from the father about how they’d done this many times.
Now I see instead this quote in the latest article. Wonder if a lawyer suggested he change what he said to the media? Not sure why you would buy a Skiplagged ticket and tout the money saving benefits if you were actually going to fly the whole itinerary:
Parsons said his family had never abused the hidden city tickets they bought on booking platforms like Skiplagged to save money. He added that his son disembarking in Charlotte and not continuing on to New York City would have been the first time that someone in his family would have skipped the final leg of their flight.
"With that said, we have always seen every flight through to its final destination. Never once (even now) have we missed a connecting flight nor did we know we were breaking a contract if we 'were' to have done it," Parsons said.
from this piece:
https://news.yahoo.com/american-airl...084341976.html
Edited to add; Here’s a quote from the NY Post that’s more like what I read or heard originally:
“We’ve used Skiplagged almost exclusively for the last five to eight years,” Hunter told WVNS-TV, referring to a search engine that helps travelers expose inefficiencies in airline pricing.