Qantas blunder sees lucky travellers snag $4,400 Australia-US first-class seats
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Qantas is opting to soak up costs from the snafu, blamed on a coding error, as it rebuilds its battered reputation.
PHOTO: AFP
SYDNEY – Qantas Airways accidentally sold return first-class seats between the US and Australia for less than A$5,000 (S$4,400) – a discount of as much as 85 per cent on the usual premium cabin fare.
Passengers snapped up 300 of the tickets within eight hours on Aug 22, Qantas said on Aug 26.
The airline said it is rebooking the lucky customers into business class – still a saving of about 65 per cent on the normal fare.
Qantas currently offers first-class return flights between Sydney and Los Angeles in October for between A$20,000 and A$29,000.
Airlines typically do not have to honour advertised fares when they are clearly incorrectly priced.
Qantas is opting to soak up costs from the snafu, blamed on a coding error, as it rebuilds its battered reputation.
The Qantas brand has been bruised in recent years by cancellations, lost luggage and ticket sales on already-scrapped flights.
“This is a case where the fare was actually too good to be true,” Qantas said in a statement.
The rebookings were “a gesture of goodwill”.
Customers also have the option of a full refund.
Qantas earlier in 2024 agreed to pay a A$100 million penalty and compensate passengers for selling tickets on thousands of flights it had already decided to cancel. BLOOMBERG
