Summary

• Error fares are incredibly low-priced airfares that occur due to mistakes made by airlines or third-party websites. While there is no guarantee that they will be honored, many error fares offer luxurious flights at significantly lower prices.
• Premium cabins, such as business and first class, often have the best value error fares because economy tickets already have low pricing. However, finding error fares can be difficult as they happen by chance, and it's recommended to set up price alerts and be ready to book quickly.
• While most error fares are honored by airlines, there is always a risk of cancelation. Airlines may cancel tickets if they discover that the fare was a mistake. It's important to be cautious and consider booking flexible or refundable accommodations and car rentals in case the airline doesn't honor the fare.

Everyone loves a bargain, and when it comes to air travel, error fares are about as low as you can find. These mistake fares may or may not be upheld by airlines (experts claim they usually are) - if this is the case, you can get some luxurious flights for much less than normal. This article takes a look at why error fares happen and where to look for them.

What is an error fare?

As the name suggests, these are fares that usually occur due to some error in posting or processing by an airline. This is important as the airline may choose not to honor them, so you should always wait before making further travel plans.

There can be several ways errors appear, including:

• A mistake in loading the fare. Fares could be input into the airline ticketing system manually or automatically, such as a base fare of 1 instead of 1000.
• Currency conversion problems. Fares or taxes could be attached to the wrong currency, lowering the fare sold (think what happens if you sell a US Dollar fare using Indonesian Rupiah, for example).
• Tickets sold in the wrong class.
• Travel agency mistake. A third-party company, such as a travel agency, may be the one who lists the fare in error.
• Technical errors, communication problems, or website glitches.
• Sometimes what appears as an error fare may, in fact, be a promotion or ''flash deal.''

Many of the best value error fares are in premium cabins, business, or first class. This is simply due to the already low pricing of economy tickets. With error fares, you are often paying a significantly lower base fare, but still the full taxes and other surcharges. With the lowest-priced economy class tickets, most of the fare is often such taxes and charges, so there is little benefit in erroneous base fares.

Where to find error fares?

You are unlikely to find error fares yourself by searching airline or flight booking websites, as they happen by chance. However, setting up a price alert (with Skyscanner or Google Flights, for example) is an excellent way to keep an eye on particular routes of interest, and you will be ready to pounce before the airline has the chance to rectify their mistake. Also, once you have found a fare, knowing how to search flexibility on these sites will help you book it quickly and easily.

Error fares usually do not last long. The best way to find them is to be notified by one of the sources that track them, and then to act quickly when you hear about a deal that you are interested in. Sometimes fares are available for a day or so, but often they are fixed, or possibly sold out, within minutes or hours.

Some of the best sources include:

• Secret Flying is one of the best sites and clearly identifies error fares when it finds them. It has a good track record with past error fare notifications.
• Airfarewatchdog.com offers a similar service to notify on flight deals, including error fares.
• Going, formerly Scott's Cheap Flights, updates its members on cheap flights around the globe.
• Jack's Flight Club has free and premium memberships that will inform you of cheap flights and error fares.

Will an error fare be honored?

This is a good question, and there is no guarantee that it will. If the fare is a genuine mistake by the airline or a third-party website, the airline may cancel the tickets booked (or just never issue them) once the error is discovered. If this is going to happen, it usually does so within 24 hours, or at most a few days, of booking. Although, in theory, it could be canceled much closer to departure. For this reason, never treat a fare as guaranteed until confirmed so by the airline.

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If the reservation is canceled before the ticket is issued, there is very little you can do about it. However, when an airline cancels an issued ticket, you may be able to appeal it legally. There are several cases of this happening, with mixed success. If the flight is still operating, it will likely come down to proving (either way) that the fare offered was an error and not a reasonable commercial fare.

Generally speaking, ridiculously cheap fares (such as these $1 tickets for Argentina-Qatar flights) will almost certainly be canceled, but more reasonably priced fares have a good chance of being honored.

Most fares are honored, as airlines will get bad press and dissatisfied customers if they cancel - Jack's Flight Club claims around 70% of error fares are honored. However, if you are booking other aspects of your journey - such as accommodation or car rental - try to book something flexible or refundable in the event the airline doesn't honor your fare.

First class for $700

Some examples of great value error fares include:

• Cathay Pacific sold first-class flights from Vietnam to the US (via Hong Kong) for around $675, a ticket usually costing over $16,000. These were sold for a few hours on New Year's Day 2019 and confirmed as an error fare but honored by the airline.
• In November 2019, Finnair offered flights from Germany or Italy to Guangzhou or Hong Kong for around €520.
• Going says some of the error fares it has offered members include a NYC to Nairobi roundtrip for $242, and Chicago to Rome for $249 in business class.

Fewer error fares in the future?

If you want to take advantage of an error fare, you may find your opportunities limited as technology catches up. As Simple Flying looked at previously, there is now new technology that helps airlines avoid error fares.

A recent example saw All Nippon Airways sell business class fares for $330 and first class seats for only $950 on routes from Jakarta to the US and Canada. After noticing and rectifying the error several hours later, the carrier did not honor the bookings and refunded passengers who had snapped up tickets.

In 2019, ATPCO (Airline Tariff Publishing Company), which distributes 90% of airfares, implemented new features to allow airlines to cancel error fares much faster - its "Suppression of Sales" allows carriers in the US and Canada to cancel error fares in as little 15 minutes, while international airlines can cancel error fares in around an hour. Previously, fares were only updated around four times a day, or airlines had to contact each Global Distribution System individually.

If you really insist on finding a good error fare today, you'll need to get savvy and sign up for price alerts on multiple platforms, particularly Google Flights. Additionally, becoming a premium member at a reputable error fare service will also boost your chances.

Have you ever booked an error fare? Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.