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Aktarer Zaman
Founder & CEO of Skiplagged
Aktarer Zaman is the Founder and CEO of Skiplagged, a travel website known for helping users find cheaper airfare through a practice called "hidden city ticketing." Born in 1993, Zaman gained significant attention in 2014 when United Airlines and Orbitz filed a lawsuit against him for promoting this controversial travel strategy, which involves booking flights with layovers where the layover city is the actual destination. This tactic often results in lower fares compared to direct flights.134
Zaman's journey began when he was a software engineer at Amazon after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He launched Skiplagged in 2013 at the age of 20, motivated by his own experiences with airline pricing inefficiencies.23 The site quickly gained popularity, attracting millions of visitors and leading to legal challenges from major airlines that viewed it as unfair competition.15
Despite the lawsuits, Zaman has remained unapologetic about his business model, asserting that it provides consumers with better access to affordable travel options. In addition to airfare searches, Skiplagged has expanded its services to include hotel bookings and traditional fare searches.78 Zaman's innovative approach has made him a notable figure in the travel industry, often described as a disruptor challenging established norms.67
As of 2023, Zaman continues to lead Skiplagged and has expressed no intention of shutting down despite ongoing legal disputes with airlines.8 His work has sparked discussions about airline pricing practices and consumer rights in the travel industry.



