Glitch results in half-price Qantas fares to LA
Australian carrier Qantas is the latest airline to be counting the cost of a technical glitch offering ‘mistake’ fares on third-party websites.
US website Hopper.com first noted the super cheap round trip fares from Sydney and Melbourne to Los Angeles at A$576 (about US$440) in what was described as a ‘flash sale.’
The fares were also listed on Skyscanner’s Australian site which included one-way fares for just $A286, before being abruptly removed by Qantas after about 12 hours, reports Australian news site news.com.au.
"Skyscanner displayed lower than average flights from Australia to Los Angeles as a result of a technical glitch from a partner. Skyscanner doesn’t offer sale fares and the glitch has since been rectified," a Skyscanner spokesperson said.
Qantas also confirmed the mistake: "There was a glitch that impacted third party USA-based online booking systems, as we made some fare changes effective 1 July for travel originating in Australia."
"These mistake fares were incorrectly offered and have been removed from sale."
It is unclear whether Qantas will actually honor bookings made at the wrongly priced fares but it seems unlikely.
"We are contacting affected customers impacted by the glitch," a Qantas spokesman said.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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