Qantas accidentally sold first-class airline tickets to hundreds of customers at a deep discount, a bargain that turned out to be too good to be true, according to media reports.
The Australian airline said on Monday Bloomberg News that it sold 300 first-class tickets from the US to Australia for 85% off its usual price – a tremendous bargain. Qantas said the deal was not a genuine offer and that the mistake was due to a coding error in its booking system that lasted several hours on 22 August. That has since been fixed, the airline said, according to the report.
Qantas did not immediately respond to CBS MoneyWatch’s request for comment.
The airline mistakenly sold the first-class return fares for about $3,390 – that compares to their usual cost of $13,000 to $20,000, according to Qanta’s website. Customers who received the low-cost tickets during the system outage will still be allowed to travel, but they will be reassigned to business class, the airline told Bloomberg.
Customers can also request a refund instead, according to the management service. Those who choose to travel in business class will still see savings, but won’t get all the perks that first class customers enjoy.
Qantas states in its terms on its website that “Occasionally mistakes are made and incorrect prices may be displayed.” The airline says it reserves the right to cancel tickets or reservations when “there is an error or mistake that is reasonably apparent in the fare.”
Alternatively, Qantas may issue a refund to customers or sell the same ticket at the correct price, subject to the carrier’s terms and conditions.
In 2023, the airline agreed to pay nearly $70 million to passengers who had bought tickets on roughly 8,000 flights that Qantas had already decided to cancel, but continued to advertise.