New ruling lets US airlines back out of mispriced fares
Mistake fares offering ridiculously low prices due to human error or an IT glitch look to be a thing of the past, after a new Department of Transportation ruling allowing airlines to back out of pricing errors.
"The Assistant General Counsel has decided not to enforce section 399.88 with respect to mistaken fares while the Department completes the aforementioned rule-making process," the DOT said.
This reverses the official policy that forced airlines to honour ultra-low fares published in error.
The most famous instances include $6.90 round trips on Delta in 2013 and $450 for a business-class ticket from Washington D.C. to Beijing on American Airlines.
However the latest snafu, a technical loophole offering £50 first-class flights from Heathrow to Newark in February, was likely the biggest reason for the rule change, according to George Haskell, founder and CEO of Flight Fishing, a website that tracks discounts and promotional air fares.
The DOT acknowledged many of the fares booked with United were ‘bad faith’ transactions, where customers deliberately changed their home location to Denmark in order to get the mistake fare.
While the DOT ruling no longer requires airlines to honor mistakes, it does force them to reimburse customers for other related expenses.
The ruling says airlines should refund all consumers for ‘verifiable out-of-pocket expenses’ made in reliance upon the ticket purchase, in addition to refunding the purchase price of the ticket.
"These expenses include, but are not limited to, non-refundable hotel reservations, destination tour packages or activities and cancellation fees," it says.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season