Japanese Airline Mistakenly Sells $10,000 Transpacific Tickets for $300
Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency (Getty Images)
Price is frequently cited as one of the most influential factors for passengers when choosing which airline to fly with. Most customers wouldn’t hesitate at the opportunity to fly business or first class for less than $1,000. Recently, a currency conversion error allowed customers to book tickets with All Nippon Airways for a fraction of the actual price. However, ANA might not honor tickets that took advantage of the pricing error.
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All Nippon Airways told the Straits Times that the issue stemmed from a currency conversation glitch on its Vietnamese website. Simple Flying reported that most of the business and first-class bookings were from Jakarta Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Indonesia, through Japan, and then across the Pacific Ocean. Customers were then able to change the origin airport from Jakarta to other airports across South East Asia at minimal cost.
The conversion error created unbelievable discounts. One customer was able to buy tickets from Jakarta to Honolulu, Hawaii via Tokyo for $555. He told Bloomberg, “I never thought I’d catch such a deal.” After the fare was corrected, the same trip would cost $8,200. Another customer booked tickets to New York without any plans to visit the Big Apple.
However, the savvy fliers who were lucky enough to grab the dirty cheap tickets might also have to be lucky enough to book a trip in the next few weeks. ANA hasn’t yet decided on whether the carrier will honor the tickets. Though, passengers can fly with the mistakenly priced tickets until the Japanese carrier makes its final decision on the matter.
