Former President Donald Trump’s Political Action Committee have accidentally outed themselves as skiplagging fanatics amid a surge of legal expenses…
Skiplagging has been all the rage in recent weeks. The travel hack tactic — whereby you book a flight but intentionally disembark at your layover location, never to return for the final leg — has provided convenient cost-cutting for many, even if one American teen was detained after things went awry. Now, it’s been revealed that Former President Donald Trump’s team have been trying the travel trick for themselves…
As reported by Business Insider, Trump’s political action committee, Save America PAC, has made headlines by reportedly embracing the controversial money-saving practice. According to federal campaign finance reports, the PAC spent over $21 million USD (~$30 million AUD) on the embroiled politician’s legal fees while turning to skiplagging to save money on flights.
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Campaign finance filings have revealed that Save America PAC made a significant expenditure with SkipLagged, a website that specialises in finding these so-called hidden-city or other cost-cutting ticket options. The revelation was initially spotted by our dear friends at View from the Wing, who always seem to have their finger on the pulse when it comes to this kind of juicy travel scandal.
Skiplagging involves booking a longer flight with a scheduled layover but intentionally skipping the final leg of the journey, permanently disembarking at the layover location, leaving your seat empty for the latter portion. This tactic gained popularity among travellers looking to reduce expenses, especially as airline ticket prices continued to surge in recent months. While airlines have been cracking down on skiplagging — or, at least, attempting to do so — it remains a legal and widespread if contentious practice that violates most airline policies.
Save America PAC received $15 million USD in contributions from the beginning of the year until the end of June. However, it spent an alarming $30 million USD during the same period, with a significant portion going toward legal fees for Trump and his allies. As Trump’s legal troubles continue to mount — with federal charges looming over his alleged mishandling of classified documents — the former president may face challenges in a potential rematch against President Joe Biden if his spending habits persist, despite currently commanding a strong lead in national primary polls.
While the exact details of how Trump’s team is utilizing skiplagging are yet to be disclosed, a representative for the former president is yet to respond to numerous inquiries about the matter. Trump himself notably used his recently refurbished $100 million private jet for his April arraignment in New York.
As Trump’s legal battles take flight, it seems his team’s affinity for skiplagging may have landed them in some turbulent legal waters of their own.