# Ought skiplagging be permitted?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ought-skiplagging-be-permitted/988795>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [August 19, 2023, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ought-skiplagging-be-permitted/988795 "2023-08-19T12:06:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 109

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**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ought-skiplagging-be-permitted/988795/109 "2023-08-22T01:02:12Z")

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Here is a toy example showing how this works out explicitly

Suppose we have a flight that goes from New York to Maco Georgia via Washington DC.  
Suppose further it costs $16,000 to run a 100 passenger plane from New York to DC and another $12k to run the same plane to Maco GA, for a total of $28k

There are 50 executive businessmen who need to be in DC on a schedule and are willing to pay $300 to get there, there are also 50 people who want to visit there parents in Maco but only if they can get there for $250. Additionally there are 25 people who want to go from DC to Maco for $100.

So selling all of the tickets, the get 50x$300 + 50x$250 +25x$100 = $30,000 so everyone gets a price they can afford and the airline they makes a profit of $2000. Everybody’s happy.

But those executives decide to skiplag, then the airlines earns 50x$250 + 50x$250 +25x$100 = $27,500 and ends up with a $500 loss, not good.

Suppose instead they decide to change the pricing structure so that New York to DC and New York to Maco both cost $275. But then half of the passengers visiting their parents decide its not worth the money. So they end up with 50x$275 + 25x$275 +25x$100 = $23,125 for an even worse loss of $4,875

So finally they decide maybe to keep the $300 fairs and drop the Maco run as unprofitable. Well then the New York to DC flight is only half full and so they only bring in $300x50=$15,000 for a flight costing $16,000 so a $1000 loss.

So the solution for the airline is to drop the flight entirely and everybody loses.

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