Qantas coding error slashes first-class fares at a steep discount
In an unexpected turn of events last Thursday, a coding error on Qantas's website allowed about 300 fortunate travelers to purchase first-class round-trip tickets from Australia to the US at a staggering 85% discount. These tickets, typically priced up to 28,000 Australian dollars ($19,000 or ₹15,77,000 approx.), were briefly available for as low as $3,400 (₹2,82,200) each. The error was eventually identified and corrected by the airline.
Qantas honors discounted tickets with business-class upgrade
Qantas acknowledged the error, noting that the fare was "too good to be true." However, instead of canceling the discounted tickets, the airline decided to rebook these lucky customers in business class at no additional cost. This move is seen as a "gesture of goodwill" by Qantas. Passengers unsatisfied with this arrangement have been offered full refunds.
Qantas's previous blunder resulted in a hefty settlement
This incident follows a similar mishap last year when Qantas was accused by Australian regulators of selling tickets for over 8,000 flights that had already been canceled, impacting more than 86,000 passengers. The airline agreed to pay nearly $80 million (₹663 crore approx.) to settle the lawsuit in May, with over $13 million (₹108 crore approx.) awarded to the affected customers. In June, Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson acknowledged the company's failure to meet customer and staff expectations.
More examples of airline pricing errors
A 2019 CNN report noted that Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific once offered first and business-class seats from Vietnam to North American cities for as low as $675 (₹56,025) round-trip. In 2014, Singapore Airlines sold 400 business class seats at economy prices. Both airlines honored these deals. However, in 2015, United Airlines canceled thousands of first-class bookings sold for $100 (₹8,396 approx.) due to a glitch caused by a third-party software provider, and refused to honor them.
Balenciaga cancels mispriced bag orders, offers compensation
In 2015, French fashion house Balenciaga canceled orders for $2,000 bags (₹1,66,000 approx.) mistakenly priced between $200 (₹16,600 approx.) and $300 (₹24,900 approx.) on its website. Although customers hoping to buy the luxury bags at a fraction of the price were disappointed, they were reimbursed and given gift certificates redeemable at Balenciaga's US retail stores.
