Qantas is offering refunds or business-class seats after hundreds of passengers were mistakenly sold first-class flights that were significantly reduced in price due to an apparent coding error. The airline had flights between Australia and the US displayed on its website on Thursday, but instead of advertising the usual rate for these journeys, an error made the flights appear to be up to 85 per cent less than the usual first-class prices. Around 300 people were able to book the return flights between Australia and the US while the unusually low prices were on display for around eight hours.
Many travellers believed they had found a golden opportunity to snap up a Qantas first-class ticket for less. These tickets include access to airport lounges, champagne recommended by a somelier, a large seat and bedding on the aircraft, a chance to peruse a pillow menu, and other amenities. However, the cheap first class tickets ended up being a mistake.
A spokesperson for the Australian airline said: “Unfortunately, this is a case where the fare was actually too good to be true.” The airline cited a coding error, but it is unclear what the details were and what led to the mistake. Qantas terms and conditions state on their website that if mistakes are made and incorrect fares are displayed that are “reasonably obvious”, they can cancel the booking, provide the customer with a refund or offer a new ticket at the correct fare price.
In this case, Qantas said they would give custo.