The Australian airline Qantas has blamed a coding error for vastly reduced pricing on hundreds of first-class flights sold last week.
About 300 travelers nabbed the tickets, priced at discounts of up to 85% on the usual fare rate for flights between Australia and the US.
A first-class journey between Sydney and New York costs about 15,000 Australian dollars, or about $10,000.
“Unfortunately, this is a case where the fare was actually too good to be true,” a spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement on Monday.
Qantas’ terms and conditions say it’s allowed to rescind an offer if there’s “an error or mistake that is reasonably obvious.”
“As a gesture of goodwill, we’re rebooking customers in Business Class at no additional cost,” the statement added. “Customers also have the option of a full refund.”
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Last year, Qantas unveiled new first- and business-class suites for its longest routes. These suites feature fully enclosed sleeping spaces, lie-flat beds, and customizable lighting.
The nonstop flights were initially set to be launched in early 2025 but were pushed to 2026. They are expected to be the world’s longest, connecting Sydney to New York and London.
Such journeys usually involve a stopover in places such as San Francisco, Singapore, or Dubai, but passengers will spend up to 21 hours in the air on these trips.
In May, the airline agreed to pay nearly 8,000 would-be passengers up to about $300 after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission accused it of selling tickets for flights that it knew were canceled.
The company did not respond to a request for comment at the time. In a press release published in October, it said “mistakes were made” but that it “did not delay communicating with our passengers for commercial gain.”
Correction: August 26, 2024 — This story has been corrected to reflect that Qantas’ initial launch date for its longest-ever flights was pushed from 2025 to 2026.