Qantas Sells First Class Tickets at 85% Discount Due to Pricing Error
Qantas Airways has recently encountered a major issue with a pricing error that led to hundreds of first-class tickets being sold at a fraction of their regular price. On August 22, 2024, approximately 300 customers managed to purchase these heavily discounted tickets before the airline corrected the mistake.
According to a report by The Guardian, the error fares were advertised at less than AUD 5,000 (approximately $3,388) for a return trip from Australia to the US. This price was about AUD 15,000 (around $10,100) below the standard fare, representing a staggering 85% discount. The discounted prices were also about 65% cheaper than the available business class fares.
Once the error was identified, Qantas contacted the affected passengers to address the situation. The airline informed customers of the mistake and offered to honor the fares, but with a significant change: the tickets would be downgraded to business class.
Passengers who purchased the discounted tickets shared their experiences on online forums, revealing that Qantas provided them with an updated itinerary for business class travel. The airline also offered a full refund option for those who preferred to cancel their bookings.
An example of the communication from Qantas read: “An updated ticket and itinerary has been sent to you, which is for the same dates as booked for travel in our Business cabin. Any future date changes are subject to our standard fare rules and any applicable fare difference. If you are proceeding with this offer, there is no action required from you.”
Alternatively, the message continued: “If you do not wish to proceed with this offer, you can request a full refund by replying to this email directly confirming that you wish to cancel and refund this booking. We will then process a refund to the original form of payment.”
A Qantas spokesperson confirmed that the discounted fares resulted from a “coding error” during the fare publication process. The spokesperson described the incident as a situation where the fare was “too good to be true,” indicating that the pricing error was an unfortunate mishap.
Qantas’ policy on error fares and booking mistakes allows the airline to cancel bookings or offer refunds to affected customers. This recent incident highlights the challenges airlines face in managing fare accuracy and the potential impact of pricing errors on both the company and its customers.
For more information or to manage bookings, customers are encouraged to contact Qantas directly or visit the airline’s official website.