Yesterday, I wrote about the Air New Zealand mistake fare from many cities in the United States – more particularly my own personal experience from the excitement of buying a ticket to the jubilation of planning a trip to New Zealand to the disappointment when Air New Zealand canceled the ticket two days later. (see, [Mistake Fare] Bye Bye New Zealand – It Was Nice While it Lasted).
Air New Zealand claims the mistake was a result of human error and, as a result, they are canceling and not honoring the tickets. Disappointed (disgruntled) passengers are complaining publicly and some have filed complaints with the Department of Transportation.
CheapOAir sent me two emails pertaining to the cancellation yesterday. The first is reprinted in yesterday’s blog post. The second one came hours later, and reiterated the earlier message.
We sent a communication out to advised that your Air New Zealand reservation are cancelled and all tickets are being refunded. We stated the following but there seems to be some confusion. Your cancelled reservation will not be honored but Air New Zealand can offer you alternate reservation using a fares that were advertised correctly.
Checking through media, I see a few articles written on the topic. They mainly concentrate on the woes of one disappointed purchaser, Jenifer Lutz, though certainly there were hundreds of us affected by the turn of events.
New Zealand Herald: ‘Hundreds’ of passengers hit by Air New Zealand online airfare pricing error. Author: Aimee Shaw.
Stuff: Air NZ cancels flights sold too cheaply. Authors: Susan Edmunds and Ellen Read.
The Sydney Morning Herald: Air New Zealand flights from the US accidentally offered for as low as $125. Author: Stephanie Gardiner
Stay tuned for the next chapter if there is a next chapter!
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
While legally permissible, canceling mistake fares is a highly customer-unfriendly move reflecting an imbalance of power. If I made a “mistake booking” it is unlikely that the airline would allow me to cancel it beyond a 24 hour window.
I wonder, if sufficient people who book these mistake fares make non refundable travel plans, and pursue these costs against the airlines who engage in this practice, whether the airlines would start thinking twice about canceling these tickets.