Airline Mistake Fares: The Best Travel Hack To Save A Fortune

Travel hacking enthusiasts are always on the lookout for the best deals, and nothing beats the thrill of snagging an airline mistake fare. This one travel hack offer travelers the opportunity to book flights at a fraction of the cost, sometimes saving even thousands of dollars.

What exactly are mistake fares, and how can you take advantage of them? This guide will explore the ins and outs of airline mistake fares. We're going to cover the basics, and then we've provided screen shots of some amazing examples for you to see with your own eyes.

Lets talk about what they are, where or how to find these incredible deals, and what do the airlines have to say about them.

What Are Airline Mistake Fares?

Airline mistake fares, also known as error fares, or Glitch Fares, occur when airlines or booking systems accidentally list ticket prices far lower than intended. These errors can result from a variety of factors, including currency conversion mishaps, technical glitches, or human error when inputting fares into the system. Regardless of the cause, the outcome is the same: an opportunity for travelers to score an unbelievable deal on their next flight.

Mistake fares are not limited to economy class; they can also apply to premium cabins, including business and first-class tickets. This means that with a bit of luck and quick action, you could find yourself flying in luxury for a fraction of the usual price.

How Do You Find Airline Mistake Fares?

Finding and booking airline mistake fares requires a combination of vigilance, speed, and the right tools. Here are some tips to help you land these elusive deals:

• Sign Up for Airfare Alert Services: Websites like Jetsetter Alerts, specialize in alerting subscribers to mistake fares as soon as they’re spotted. Signing up for our email alerts is a great way to stay informed about these elusive deals.
• Use Social Media and Forums: Communities on platforms like Reddit, particularly the r/churning and r/travel subreddits, often share mistake fare deals. Twitter accounts dedicated to travel deals also provide real-time updates, and flight forums is a great place to find people sharing them. However, getting the alert yourself gives you a much better chance of getting flights booked before the price is fixed.

How To Book An Airline Mistake Fare?

• Be Ready to Book Quickly: Mistake fares don’t last long, sometimes disappearing within minutes. Have your payment details and personal information ready to expedite the booking process.
• Consider Using Flexible Dates: Being open to traveling on different dates or from various airports can increase your chances of finding a mistake fare that works for you.
• Understand the Risks: While many mistake fares are honored, there’s always a risk that the airline will cancel the ticket after the error is discovered. It’s wise to wait a few days before making non-refundable travel plans. The airlines will always contact you in the event they are not going to honor the fare.

What To Do After Booking a Mistake Fare

Once you’ve successfully booked a mistake fare, the excitement doesn’t end there. Here’s what you should do next:

• Wait for Confirmation: Airlines typically take some time to review mistake fares. Wait until your ticket is confirmed and the payment is processed before celebrating.
• Avoid Contacting the Airline: Don’t draw attention to your booking by contacting the airline. This increases the chance that the fare might not be honored, and you could possibly ruin other travelers opportunity to get their seats booked in the event the fare has yet to be fixed.

Examples of Mistake Fares In The Media

The travel community is filled with stories of incredible trips made possible by mistake fares. Here are a few examples that have made headlines:

• First-Class to Southeast Asia: In 2019, a glitch led to first-class tickets from various U.S. cities to Vietnam being sold for under $700, a fraction of the airlines intended cost of $16,000.
• Business Class to Europe: In 2017, an error on a booking site allowed travelers to book business-class flights from the U.S. to various European cities for just $600 round-trip.
• Flights to Japan: In 2014, United Airlines mistakenly listed round-trip flights from the U.S. to Japan for just $10. Although the fare was eventually canceled, it sparked widespread discussion and excitement in the travel community.
• United Airlines: In 2013, United Airlines had a huge filing issue with their fares and sold a very large number of flights for free, while other travelers reported only having to pay $5 for round trip flights from Houston to Washington.

Is Chasing Mistake Fares Worth It?

In our opinion, and we're not saying this because it's what we do, but because it's true. Trying to find these fares is not feasible unless you are doing the currency conversion glitch.

This is where sometimes the price will glitch or other times it's the airlines just being greedy and charging different nationalities different prices, based on what they think they can afford. This had became such an issue, most airlines removed the ability to change the currency on their website, and so you need to find a website that allows you to do this.

Websites like Skyscanner allow you to modify both, which will then bypass the restrictions on Expedia, Booking.com etc, that make this difficult. As this man shows in this video, they will allow you to change the currency based on your region, but won't allow you to choose a currency that doesn't match the region.

Skyscanner solves this issue, as I discovered the settings that you have set on Skyscanner will override that restriction before directing you to 3rd party sites they partner with, like Expedia etc.

Look at this mistake or price glitch I was able to force by manipulating the currency and location below.

You will see two screen shots of me using Skyscanner, and having them pull flight prices from Expedia. The photos below are screen shots of the page that loads while it waits to transfer you to Expedia to book the flights and the price that it's showing.

This was for 2 business class lay-flat seats on Brussels airlines from Demark to Nairobi Africa, and notice the dates, and also the flight times to know it's the exact same flights, and on the exact same dates and times.

The price was $28,760 for 2 business class passengers, and again notice the dates in the photo above, and now look at the price below and see that it's all the same flight information.

A massive glitch of $26,000! The largest I've personally ever been able to cause using the currency glitch. We sent it out to our premium members and went back to check the price 20 minutes later and it was corrected.

In order to make this glitch happen, it took me about an 2 hours and I went through hundreds of countries and currency combinations. So it took tons of effort, and there would of been no guarantee that I would of found anything. So, you just have to learn by trial and error, and then place a time limit on how much time you are willing to invest in looking.

Currency conversion glitches are the only ones that the odds of you finding, at least not close to 0. Other mistake fares, that randomly happen and that will only last for minutes to a few hours, it's just not financially sound to spend all your time doing that, as you could make more working by the time you found a mistake, and if the mistake is not a large one, you just lost money because your time is worth more per hour.

Leave it to the experts like us! We have a free plan and also a paid premium tier that will let you personalize your alerts, so that you only receive alerts for flights that depart near you. However, you are allowed to choose as many departure areas as you so choose.

More Mistake Fare Examples

Greensboro To Lima Peru $166 Round Trip

Found On Google Flights Via Delta Airlines

Detroit To Auckland New Zealand $335 Round Trip

This mistake fare was found on Smartfares on United Airlines

Atlanta To Santiago Chile $63 Round Trip

This mistake fare is shown on Google Flights for Delta Airlines, but was actually on Delta's website directly and Google just pulls the prices from there.

Los Angeles To Auckland New Zealand $226

This mistake fare was found On CheapOAir on Qantas Airlines

LAX To Kona, Hawaii $355

This mistake fare included flights to 4 islands, and back to LAX, for a total of 5 flights for an island hopping adventure.

Found On Google Flights On Hawaiian Airlines

Paris to New York $8 Round Trip

Found On Kiwi.com

New York To Los Angeles $25 Round Trip

Found On Google Flights On Delta Airlines

Airline mistake fares offer a unique opportunity for budget-conscious travelers to explore the world at a fraction of the cost. The potential savings are massive, and and after successfully booking your first mistake fare you will be hooked.

By signing up, regularly checking your email, acting quickly, you can turn a simple booking error into the adventure of a lifetime. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or new to the hunt, booking an airline mistake fares is a thrilling and rewarding experience, where it makes you feel like you just got away with something big.