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April 07, 2006
On the Ethics of a Mistake
I think by now, even the casual traveler has heard of the mythical "mistake fare", an airfare unintentionally posted online either by an airline or a travel agency. The most recent one of note was probably a $51 trip to Fiji from Los Angeles. Well, last year, I started getting in on some of these mistakes. There are about half a dozen "good" ones that come up each year. For me, I went to Madrid for $75, I went to Acapulco for $89, I'll be going to Hawaii for ~$130, and from Hawaii, I will be visiting Toronto for $93. These prices all include taxes and fees, etc. Most of these were listed as $0, so the balance are the exhorbinant taxes we all pay every time we fly. Two days ago, I got in on perhaps the best deal I've seen yet.
$39+tax for a roundtrip Business class ticket from Toronto to Cyprus, totaling about $178 after taxes on Alitalia, Italy's national airline. It's normally about a $3000 ticket. My brother and I are going in August, and I got my parents tickets between Christmas and New Year's. Read the story — or I should say the fallout — here:
So is this ethical? Do we as consumers have the right to a price offered, even if it is quite obviously a mistake to us? If we book something at a low fare, should it be honored? Should we feel guilty about booking it? Does the airline or travel agency have an obligation to honor their mistake?
These are all things to think about, and I plan to as I'm reclining in my Alitalia business class seat on the way to Rome. :)
Posted by Derek at April 7, 2006 11:46 AM