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Qantas Airways mistakenly sold 300 first-class tickets at an 85% discount due to a coding error in its booking system, resulting in fares priced around $3,390 instead of the usual $13,000 to $20,000.
The airline announced this blunder on Monday, August 26, and confirmed that the issue, which lasted several hours on August 22, has been fixed.
Qantas Resolves Ticketing Glitch
The Australian carrier explained that the discounted tickets were a result of a system malfunction during a routine test, which inadvertently disabled part of the network.
The disruption affected flights between Australia and the US, leading to over 400 failed 911 calls. As a result, Qantas customers who purchased these tickets will be rebooked in business class at no additional cost.
"Unfortunately, this is a case where the fare was actually too good to be true. As a gesture of goodwill, we're rebooking customers in Business Class at no additional cost," Qantas stated to CBS.
Passengers who secured the discounted tickets will benefit from business-class travel, a level below their original purchase but still at approximately 65% off the regular fare. Customers also have the option to request a full refund if they choose not to accept the business-class rebooking.
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Qantas CEO Resignation
This issue gained attention after a post on the OzBargain forum, where users speculated about the deal's legitimacy. William Fowler, one of the customers who took advantage of the offer, expressed satisfaction with the business-class booking, calling it a reasonable deal for the price.
Qantas' error follows a series of controversies for the airline. Earlier this year, Qantas faced a $100 million fine after a settlement with an Australian competition watchdog over "ghost flights," where the airline sold tickets for flights that were later canceled. Additionally, Qantas agreed to compensate nearly 87,000 individuals affected by its controversial flight cancellation policies.
According to NY Post, the airline has also faced criticism for frequent flight delays, poor customer service, and issues related to lost baggage and worker pay. In September, CEO Alan Joyce resigned amidst the mounting controversies.
Qantas' recent ticketing error highlights the ongoing challenges the airline faces as it strives to rectify past mistakes and improve its service reliability.
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