Currencies

Travelers race to airline website after cheap fares error



By Helena Kelly Consumer Reporter For Dailymail.Com

19:30 19 Apr 2023, updated 20:29 19 Apr 2023



A Japanese airline accidentally sold dozens of business class Asia-US flights for just a fraction of their price due to a currency exchange rate blunder – including a $10,000 ticket for just $300. 

Travelers raced to the All Nippon Airways (ANA) website this week to snap up the bargain fares, with one passenger paying just $890 for first class flights from Indonesian capital Jakarta to the Caribbean via Tokyo and New York and back again. 

The 14,500-kilometer journey in first class would usually set customers back $16,300. 

In another example, customers bagged a round-trip from Jakarta to Tokyo via New York for $350 – a fraction of its original $10,400 price tag.

And tickets for a flight starting in Jakarta and including stops in Singapore, Tokyo and New York were listed for $300 when they should have been $10,000.  

All Nippon Airways accidentally sold dozens of $10,000 Asia-US flights for just $300 due to a currency exchange rate blunder

An ANA spokesman originally told Bloomberg it would uphold the bookings – though later backtracked and said an official decision had not yet been made.

It added a ruling would be reached by the end of the month – meaning the discounted tickets will be valid for people who fly before then.

The airline did not state how many people had managed to secure the cheap tickets while the glitch was live. 

The bug stemmed from a mistake on the company’s Vietnam website but it was quickly picked up by travel sites and forums such as Secret Flying, which encouraged customers to take advantage of the deal.

The majority of the tickets were for travel from Indonesian capital Jakarta to Japan, with many involving stops in New York, Singapore, Bali and Tokyo.

Most of the fights were for the airline’s business class seats, pictured on their website

Almost all were for business class seats – though the $890 deal was a first-class trip.

This ticket was snapped up by Herman Yip, who runs a travel website.

Meanwhile Johnny Wong, 29, said he was able to bag a return ticket from Jakarta to Honolulu via Tokyo.

He told Bloomberg: ‘I never thought I’d catch such a deal.’

Airlines – and other retailers – often accidentally discount prices on their website due to glitches. 

The issue is so common there are dedicated travel websites and forums devoted to catching them and spreading the news. 

In 2019 Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd accidentally sold first and business class tickets from Vietnam to the US for $675, down from their intended price of $16,000.  

How YOU can make the most of accidental airline discounts  

Sign up to travel blogs and websites 

Dozens of travel sites, blogs and forums are devoted to highlighting the cheapest deals available and when pricing glitches occur. 

Many of these sites offer email alerts which will alert you when a discounted deal is live. 

It also helps to follow these sites on social media so bargain deals come up on your newsfeed.

Examples of useful websites include: Going.com, secretflying.com, airfarewatchdog.com and Kiwi.com.

Travelers also share deals they’ve found on a discussion forum called ‘Mileage Run Discussion’ on flyertalk.com

Conduct your own searches  

Price comparison platforms such as Skyscanner help consumers seek out the cheapest flights available. 

But if you opt to view tickets for the ‘entire month’ around your desired departure date it will help you spot abnormal prices.

Book straight away  

If you find a discounted flight, make sure you snap it up straight away.

Most airlines have a free refund policy if you cancel within 24 hours – though it is important to check this before you click. 

And as regular bargain-hunters warn, never contact the airline to double check the price or you risk alerting them to the glitch before you can snare the deal. 



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