Atari Zaman, 22, a computer expert, developed a website called Skiplagged. Under this website, Zaman searched for cost effective airfares and especially a type of cheap airfare called Hidden City, which was not liked by the airlines.
In December 2014, United Airlines and Orbitz filed a lawsuit making an attempt to shut down his website. In the lawsuit, United Airlines and Orbitz called Zaman’s website as ‘unfair competition’ and said that Skiplagged promoted ‘strictly prohibited travels’. They are asking for $75,000 in damages, but rather than giving up he is fighting.
In a blog post on GoFundMe, Zaman said that whatever Skiplagged has done is legal and the only way to prove the same is with lawyers. He is making an effort to do crowdfunding at least $20,000 to pay his legal bills.
He is achieving success in the funding effort as more than 1,600 donors have contributed $33,000 on GoFundMe. He told donors on GoFundMe that currently, he has no idea how much the lawsuit would cost.
