crazy LAX-SYD on QF First $1200!!!!

[Oneworldplus2]

I would have thought that Airlines would have a clause in case something like this happened. If l ran an airline, l would have a 24 hour escape clause for published mistakes on a magnitude of this scale. Time will tell people.

If the full "F" fare is something like 19k each way, or 38k return and people picked them up for $1250 return, that's a loss of $36750 on a return ticket.

Lets say 25 booked.
$36750 x 25 = $441,000.00

I don't know, would AA wear a cost like that?

Just putting it out there...

 

[thewinchester]

No need to get rude before anyone has even said anything :!:

P.S. I usually enjoy thewinchesters contributions on this board... but I too feel THAT comment was completely uncalled for...

Christ - I'm on the wrong side of a thread for a change. :shock:

Sorry to anyone who might not have liked what I said, should have added a smiley or something to indicate it was intended to be a tongue-in-cheek comment on the subject.

When its all said and done, I hope you understand the sentiment being expressed.

While you might right off the DJ gold upgrade email as unrelated, the same basic sequence of events holds true: company makes a pricing mistake or communications accident, offers something to customers at less than what it costs them or they're actually not entitled to, customers try to take advantage of the mistake, company apologises profusely for the mistake when discovered, consumers get noses out of joint and get on high horse, and on it goes.

Will & mannej: If you really want to be offended about something, I'd pop over to FT and take a look at that thread from the women seeking help to find her grandfather lost in transit at LHR T5 for nearly two days (details of missing man and FT link thread cross-posted here).

The response of some FT'ers in that thread got me and others riled up. You may think the request for help might be a hoax, but considering you have no proof - wouldn't it be far better to take the request for help at face value. Instead, some posters seemed to go out of their way to cause added unnecessary distress to the family and OP in their time of need.

There's not need to get in a tizz - just get in there, clarify what was said to make sure you've not got the message wrong, and add value to the discussion or views. I made sure to ask for additional information that could help anyone who could assist identify and locate the missing man.

 

[albatross710]

The good thing about this crazy fare is that thanks to a well informed marketplace 25 people did score fares quicker than the airlines low margin detection could react.

Th competitions discrepancies are increasing possibly because 'we' the market are better at finding the anomalies in the offer.

These offers have a long way to go before trumping the work of the British Hoover executives in 1992/93.

Sucker punch to free rides: Hoover's ill-fated flight of fancy has dealt a fresh blow to the image of sales promotions. Chris Blackhurst and Russell Hotten report - Business, News - The Independent

 

[Mal]

The good thing about this crazy fare is that thanks to a well informed marketplace 25 people did score fares quicker than the airlines low margin detection could react.

I suggest that 25 is a very under-estimated figure of the number of fares bought.

 

[albatross710]

I suggest that 25 is a very under-estimated figure of the number of fares bought.

The this new world marketplace is even better!

 

[markis10]

I would have thought that Airlines would have a clause in case something like this happened. If l ran an airline, l would have a 24 hour escape clause for published mistakes on a magnitude of this scale. Time will tell people.

If the full "F" fare is something like 19k each way, or 38k return and people picked them up for $1250 return, that's a loss of $36750 on a return ticket.

Lets say 25 booked.
$36750 x 25 = $441,000.00

I don't know, would AA wear a cost like that?

Just putting it out there...

I think the full fare now being advertised is around 25K, regardless thats not the cost to the airline, its their selling price, actual cost could well be sub 10K, so the net effect is a lot smaller than the selling price suggests.

 

[Mal]

And it appears AA is backing out of the ticket sales....

FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - (Fare Gone) AA: LAX-SYD in (QF) FIRST $1242 AI

A journalist who contacted AA (Nicholas) apparently was told:

-- American will honor the fare level that was originally purchased with travel in Coach Class on the same itinerary.

-- If the customer does not wish to do that, American will offer other deeply discounted fares in either First or Business Class. The First Class discount offered for travel from the U.S. to Australia, for example, is approximately 36 percent less than the normal fare mentioned above.

-- If the customer does not wish to do either of the options above, American will provide the customer with a full refund of the original ticket price and proactively offer to reimburse the customer for any out-of-pocket expenses that they cannot recover themselves – including cancellation penalties and other expenses. The customer will have to provide proof that they cannot recover these expenses.

-- No cancellation, change fees, or penalties will be charged to the customer by American Airlines.

-- As a gesture of good will, American will also provide each customer with a $200 travel voucher good for future travel on American Airlines or American Eagle.

 

[Dave Noble]

Seems like AA is following the BA model. Wonder if this is the start of a trend

Dave

 

[Mal]

Seems like AA is following the BA model. Wonder if this is the start of a trend

Seems to be. Any "good" fare from an airline can be retracted with little punishment to them. Any "mistake" by a customer, the customer has to wear any loss.

Will be interesting to see how this pans out. Seeing most people who took up the fare are Americans, they will be using the legal system to the full extent I think...

 

[Dave Noble]

Seems to be. Any "good" fare from an airline can be retracted with little punishment to them. Any "mistake" by a customer, the customer has to wear any loss.

Will be interesting to see how this pans out. Seeing most people who took up the fare are Americans, they will be using the legal system to the full extent I think...

No loss though; the airline will meet any unrecoverable costs associated with it.

Dave

 

[Mal]

No loss though; the airline will meet any unrecoverable costs associated with it.

In this case - yes... but I was actually meaning a situation where I accidentally book a non-refundable/changeable fare online, and then in a short time realise "oops, I didn't actually mean to book that ticket". In a lot of cases, the airlines would tell me "too bad. So sad"... It's a pity that street is only one way.

 

[Dave Noble]

In this case - yes... but I was actually meaning a situation where I accidentally book a non-refundable/changeable fare online, and then in a short time realise "oops, I didn't actually mean to book that ticket". In a lot of cases, the airlines would tell me "too bad. So sad"... It's a pity that street is only one way.

AA will allow you to hold a booking on AA without purchasing for 24 hours which allows you time to make sure that everything is all ok before committing to purchase

It was a mistake in loading the fare and they stopped selling them within a short space of time. Do you really think that many people were buying tickets genuinely believing that 1st class is now cheaper than the cheap economy tickets and only $1200 return from US to Australia

Its hard to have any sympathy for those that sit on the FT forum looking to mistakes that they can use to scam the airlines for.

Dave

 

[Mal]

Do you really think that many people were buying tickets genuinely believing that 1st class is now cheaper than the cheap economy tickets

I think you already know my answer to that...

However, regardless of whether AA allows people to hold tickets, or forces them to ticket instantly like other carriers do - I still find it hard to believe that the street goes one way when someone claims 'mistake'.

 

[Dave Noble]

I think you already know my answer to that...

However, regardless of whether AA allows people to hold tickets, or forces them to ticket instantly like other carriers do - I still find it hard to believe that the street goes one way when someone claims 'mistake'.

I have once in the past made a mistake with an airline (BA) and ended up booking the wrong dates ; I realised a short while after paying that there was a mistake and within an hour of having purchased phoned the airline expecting to have to pay change fees etc to change the booking to what I needed. The BA agent was able to get the fee waived given how soon after booking I contacted them

That may not be everyone's experience in that sort of situation and I did expect to be charged cos it was all my own fault

In this case, it seems to be the "lets see what we can scam" situation rather than many being genuinely disadvantaged

Dave

 

[markis10]

Interesting that a journalist broke the news about AA not honouring the sale, while they later claim that AA had a response ready and they just happened to ask about it, one cannot help but wonder what had happened if no one asked, would the result have been the same?

I have issues with companies making mistakes and not honouring them, as does the NSW Fair Trading Dept who sided on the consumer side in recent mistakes made by online companies, there seems to be too many of these mistakes happening lately, I wonder what is going on, perhaps we have too much information at hand to quickly?

I was not aware it originally was for a flight to Melbourne BTW, as this website seems to suggest: http://airreview.911mb.com/News/Story/136.htm

 

[harvyk]

I think you already know my answer to that...

However, regardless of whether AA allows people to hold tickets, or forces them to ticket instantly like other carriers do - I still find it hard to believe that the street goes one way when someone claims 'mistake'.

I've book tickets by mistake or had to change them later, whilst not with AA it was with QF, they where very forgiving and let me change them putting the original tickets into credit at no charge.

Whilst this is a case of YMMV, provided you go about things the right way (and in my case it was to talk with my TA whom I have a good relationship with and he had a good relationship with QF).

Besides whilst AA have cancelled the original tickets they did pay a "cancellation fee" to each customer of $200 didn't they? It's more than what the average customer has to pay if they cancel a flight.

 

[meyerjohnb]

Rumor is AA won't honor bookings but they have charged credit card already and posting remains on reservations!! Dave, meanwhile, seems to have a lot of info not available to the public but seemingly very favorable to AA. I booked for a trip that was planned and followed the rules.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I think the full fare now being advertised is around 25K, regardless thats not the cost to the airline, its their selling price, actual cost could well be sub 10K, so the net effect is a lot smaller than the selling price suggests.

While the cost to QF could well be sub 10K, the mistake was by AA selling QF metal and I doubt very much that QF would supply FF seats to AA at sub 10K.

 

[markis10]

While the cost to QF could well be sub 10K, the mistake was by AA selling QF metal and I doubt very much that QF would supply FF seats to AA at sub 10K.

Who knows, consolidators get significant discounts for volume commitments, I am sure codeshare partners get the same benefit, given QF sell for under $20K, I am sure they are paying below that!

 

[Maca44]

I've book tickets by mistake or had to change them later, whilst not with AA it was with QF, they where very forgiving and let me change them putting the original tickets into credit at no charge.

Whilst this is a case of YMMV, provided you go about things the right way (and in my case it was to talk with my TA whom I have a good relationship with and he had a good relationship with QF).

Besides whilst AA have cancelled the original tickets they did pay a "cancellation fee" to each customer of $200 didn't they? It's more than what the average customer has to pay if they cancel a flight.

18 months ago, booked some YUP fares with AA and within 10 minutes of realising I had put the surname and christian names back to front, contacted the Australian AA number (which went through to India), but they would not change it unless I paid the $115 re issue fee. had no choice, but learned a good lesson from it.