United Airlines software glitch sells first-class transatlantic fares for $75(!)

[Blue_Tires]

United Airlines ‘Denmark’ glitch offers first-class transatlantic flights for just £50

A glitch on a US air carrier's website led to first-class transatlantic flights being sold for as little as £50 ($75). People were quick to snap up the "bargain" flights on United Airlines' website, after the blunder was spotted by a travel blog. If users to the website changed their host country to Denmark, it was possible to book a round-trip flight between London’s Heathrow airport and Newark’s Liberty International airport for 491 Danish kroner (about $75). The bug also allowed customers to buy cheap tickets to any US destination from Heathrow. Passengers had to choose first class or business class.


The DansDeals blog advised people to use a card without a foreign transaction fee and to not sign into their United account. A number of people appeared to be successful in claiming the tickets today before United Airlines spotted the mistake.

A spokesman for the airline said it was looking into the issue and had temporarily suspended sales from the airline’s Denmark website.

"United is looking into an issue whereby a third-party software provider applied an incorrect exchange rate for tickets sold from the airline’s Denmark website. We have temporarily suspended sales from the Denmark website and are working to resolve the issue with the provider."

The airline didn't say whether it would honour the tickets that had already been bought. However, in the past the airline has allowed customers to keep cut-price flights due to glitches.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/leisure/11406432/United-Airlines-Denmark-glitches-offers-first-class-transatlantic-flights-for-just-50.html

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/6312745/

[Sherman A1]

1. oh, well

I could have attended a niece's wedding in Greece this year, had I caught that deal, but that's the way it goes......