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What Are Airline Mistake Fares? The Ultimate Travel Hack

Airline mistake fares, also known as error fares or glitch fares is one, if not the best travel hack to save a ton of money on flights and turn your dream trips into memories for a fraction of the price. Let's dive into understanding more about the holy grail of travel hacking.

Imagine stumbling upon a golden ticket, a gateway to distant lands and unknown adventures, but instead of a golden ticket, it's a flight confirmation for a fraction of the usual price. Welcome to the world of airline mistake fares—a glitch in the matrix that savvy travelers dream of.

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What Exactly is an Mistake Fare?

At its core, an airline mistake fare is exactly what it sounds like: an error in the pricing algorithms or human entry that lists airfare at a significantly lower cost than intended. This can be due to several factors, such as currency conversion mistakes, technical glitches, or simply a typo. Whatever the cause, the result is a price tag that looks too good to be true.

Here are just a few examples:

airline mistake fare or error fare to china — 1st Class/Business Class Mistake Fare To Beijing China

Mistake Fare - Paris to New York Round Trip For $8

Error Fares, Glitch Fares etc.

Airline mistake fares are known by several other terms, each meaning the same thing. Some of these names include:

Error Fare: This term is widely used and directly points to the accidental nature of the fare.
Glitch Fare: Highlights the technical or system-related errors that lead to these unusually low prices.
Fat Finger Fare: Refers to the idea that the fare was caused by a typing mistake, such as a misplaced decimal point or incorrect digit.
Mistake Rate: Another straightforward term indicating an unintentional pricing error.
Fare Glitch: Similar to "glitch fare," emphasizing the error or hiccup in the pricing system.
Mispriced Fare: A general term indicating that the fare does not match the intended price.
Pricing Error: Broadly describes any kind of mistake in the pricing process.

At Jetsetter Alerts, we just call them all "Mistake Fares", because our members don't care about how the price happened, and are just happy that it did.

Why Do Mistake Fares Happen?

Human Error: A simple keystroke error—a misplaced comma or decimal—can reduce a $1500 ticket to $150 in an instant.
Currency Conversion: Fluctuations in currency values or errors in setting exchange rates can lead to unexpected bargains.
System Glitches: Airlines use complex automated systems to manage their pricing. Sometimes, these systems malfunction, leading to unexpected prices popping up.

Booking a Mistake Fare

Catching a mistake fare requires vigilance and a bit of luck. Here are some strategies to increase your chances:

Sign Up for Alerts: Services like Jetsetter Alerts provide notifications for low-priced flights, including occasional mistake fares.
Follow Travel Hackers: Some travel bloggers and websites specialize in finding and sharing these deals. Keeping tabs on their posts can be highly beneficial.
Be Flexible: Often, mistake fares are for specific dates or destinations. Flexibility in travel plans can significantly increase your likelihood of benefiting from these fares.

Will Airlines Honor Mistake Fares?

The million-dollar question: Will you actually be able to fly at that unbelievable price? In the past, regulations required airlines to honor mistake fares, but this has changed in many regions. Today, it depends largely on the airline's policy and the specific circumstances of the error. Historically, most airlines honor the fares as a gesture of goodwill or to avoid negative publicity, and sometimes they might cancel the bookings and issue refunds - 90% have been honored.

The one mistakes that have the highest chance of not being honored will be 1st class fares due to there being so few of those seats available on an aircraft. Although we've seen first class flights for under $100 honored before, that would be a great example of the type of mistake that may not be honored. 40-60% mistake? Those have a very high chance of being honored! We've never seen an economy class mistake fare not being honored, it's just not worth it to them to have customer service agents track customers down to give them bad news.

Here is an article talking about United Honoring Flights that were basically free.

If your Mistake Fare is not honored, you will be given the option to purchase the ticket at the intended price or get refunded if the they chose not to honor it..

How Do You Find Airline Mistake Fares?

Finding airline mistake fares is honestly just luck, as the amount of search variables that are possible between departure airport, destination, dates, and fare class? One couldn't invest the amount of time needed to find them regularly.

How Do We Find Them?

Because we have members that depart from many different areas and their alerts are customized to their needs, we find them regularly simply due to us constantly searching for the best deals from every airport in the country. We use computers and scan price variables across the web, looking for price abnormalities and then we investigate, confirm the details and then alert our members of them. However, without a computer doing it - it's honestly just luck.

The only types of mistake fares that you can have a higher probability of finding would be fuel dump price glitches, which is more or less intentional manipulation on the person booking, and these are not shared most of the time when found as it will stop working once more people find out about it. When people find these they keep them secret and can book them over and over until the airline catches one to what they are doing.

The other would be manipulating currency conversions, and also where are you from? Airlines will charge different nationalities different amounts, and even show or hide certain flights based on where you are from. If the airline thinks you are from country A, but really you're from country B, you can see a price that is always a few dollars different, but sometimes it can be dramatically different.

Here's an example:

In the two photos below you will see it's for the same flights, on the same dates, being referred from Skyscanner.com to Expedia. The only thing that was changed, was the country that Skycanner believed we were from.

This was for 3 Business class lay flat tickets from Copenhagen to Kenya, and you will see a massive price difference.

Mistake Fare -business class to Africa — 3 Round Trip Business Class Flights to Kenya For $28,760 Total

Same 3 Round Trip Business Class Flights for $1,871 Total

The Bottom Line

A Few Parting Tips

Act Fast: If you spot a mistake fare, book quickly. These fares don't last long as they're usually corrected swiftly.
Prepare for Possible Cancellation: Do not book any other travel related to the error fare/mistake fare for 48 hours to ensure the airline is going to honor it.
Never Contact The Airline: Contacting the airline to ask "Are you going to honor this price I booked" is a sure way to get your ticket canceled, and ruin it immediately for anyone else who hasn't yet been able to book. As they will fix it the moment contact is made. So just relax, grin and know the the vast majority are honored. As you can see above, United honored free flights. So just woosaaa!
Never Will Happen: You have a 0% chance of showing up to the airport and then telling you there is a problem! They would always let you know via email and phone within a day or two of booking.

Airline mistake fares, aka price glitches and error fares are the ultimate travel hack in the vast sea of travel opportunities. They offer a chance not just to save money but to experience the spontaneous joy of booking an unexpected trip. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or a curious novice, the hunt for mistake fares can add an exhilarating twist to your travel adventures. Sign up for Jetsetter Alerts, keep your eyes peeled, your emails checked, and your spirit ready for adventure. a

More Mistake Fare Information

Can You Use Frequent Flyer Miles or Points with Mistake Fares?

No, you typically cannot use frequent flyer miles or points with mistake fares. The primary reason is that mistake fares are already deeply discounted or incorrectly priced, making them incompatible with additional discounts or redemptions. When booking with miles or points, the airline's system calculates the required amount based on the current fare structure. Since mistake fares are often anomalies or errors in the system, they aren't integrated into the usual fare classes that allow for mileage redemption. Furthermore, mistake fares are often flagged for manual review, and attempting to combine them with points could further complicate the booking process, potentially leading to cancellation.

Do Mistake Fares Happen with All Airlines or Only Certain Ones?

Mistake fares can occur with any airline, from major international carriers to small regional airlines. No airline is immune to human error, system glitches, or currency conversion mistakes that can lead to these pricing anomalies. However, the visibility of mistake fares can vary depending on the airline's response time and their pricing systems' sophistication.

Major Airlines: Larger airlines with complex pricing algorithms and extensive route networks are more susceptible to occasional errors due to the sheer volume of data they process. While they may have more robust systems to catch errors quickly, their widespread routes make the impact of a mistake fare more significant, garnering more attention when it occurs.
Low-Cost Carriers: These airlines, often operating on razor-thin margins, are usually meticulous about their pricing. Mistake fares can happen but may be less common due to the streamlined nature of their fare structures.

Are Mistake Fares More Common on International or Domestic Flights?

Mistake fares are more common on domestic flights, primarily because there are far more domestic flights than international ones. However, these errors often go unnoticed because domestic flights are typically less expensive to begin with. When a mistake fare occurs on a domestic flight, it may just appear as an amazing sale rather than an outright pricing error. For instance, a ticket that is 50% off might simply be perceived as a great deal, but it could very well have been a mistake fare that slipped under the radar.

On the other hand, mistake fares are more noticeable on international flights due to their generally higher price points. When you see a $200 round-trip fare from the United States to Europe, it's immediately eye-catching and recognized as a mistake. The contrast between the regular fare and the error price is much starker in international markets, making these fares more memorable and sought after by travelers.

Are Mistake Fares More Likely to Occur During a Particular Time of Year?

No, mistake fares can occur at any time of the year. They are not tied to specific seasons or holidays but rather are the result of random errors in the pricing systems. Whether it's the peak holiday season or a random weekday in the off-season, these fares can pop up unexpectedly. The timing is unpredictable, which adds to the excitement and allure of discovering a mistake fare.

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