Virgin not honoring tickets - AKL-US in Biz Class

[Blackswan]

My opinion in relation to all clear "mistake" fares is the same - it is morally wrong to take advantage of them. And even far worse to whinge if they protest. If your corner shop missed a zero on a price tag, would you try to rob them this way?

I have zero sympathy for airlines making mistake fares. If we (PAX) make mistakes (dates/names etc), then it's too bad - we have to suck it up and suffer the consequences, often having to incur a loss. It's a different set of rules when airlines make a mistake, though. I'd be okay with them cancelling mistake fares, if they gave PAX the same courtesy/opportunities.

If I go to my corner store and they missed a zero on the price, I'd point it out to them. Just as they would (likely) come running out of the store after me if I'd forgotten to pick all my items off the counter. We don't have that sort of relationship with airlines.

 

[Dannyism]

If we (PAX) make mistakes (dates/names etc), then it's too bad - we have to suck it up and suffer the consequences, often having to incur a loss.

This is not true in my one experience. Having made an error booking was able to change free of charge. I do appreciate that that may not always be the case.

 

[tinkybelle]

You are extremely lucky ,several times i have booked wrong times/dates (gven wrong info etc)and even as elite had to pay fees.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Many of us have taken advantage of VA's mistake fares. They have in the past honoured them, but that was a time when they desperately wanted to lure pax. rather than peeve them off. These days, they have their overlords snapping for profits, not losses and pax (even status ones) are nothing more than a tiresome burden to whom they offer a forced smile through clenched teeth.

I'd suggest we all take a punt when we deliberately buy mistake fares ... sometimes they do pay off, and sometimes not. That doesn't stop it being disappointing though!

 

[dajop]

My opinion in relation to all clear "mistake" fares is the same - it is morally wrong to take advantage of them. And even far worse to whinge if they protest. If your corner shop missed a zero on a price tag, would you try to rob them this way?

I think there's enough morally dubious things that airlines do that I have no problems with the morals of booking mistake fares. Such things as scant refunds to passengers downgraded due to "operational reasons", the constant devaluation of reward programs, differentiation of fuel surcharges based on ticketing location, long lag dropping fuel surcharges vs fuel price falling, even passing off micro-muffins as a "providing food" are all examples. Not wrong, nor against agreed T&C, but pushing the boundaries. Also airlines are more akin to Woolworths than your corner shop - I wonder how many people would feel immoral buying something that was incorrectly coded to scan at about 1/8-1/4 of its normal price and alert Woolies to it? (not talking about weighing mangos at a self-serve checkout and entering carrots, that is wrong).

I admit to have taken advantage of mistake fares in the past such as expedia.com.br (although that was more a loophole than a mistake) and one ex-RGN fare. Also had several cancelled without a whisper of a protest from me (easy come ... easy go).

However, I do believe it is wrong to whinge, and pursue legal action when the mistake fare tickets are cancelled by the airlines ... if you followed the RGN fiasco a few years ago of flyertalk, it was quite breathtaking and IMHO so wrong on many levels, the lengths people were going to, to challenge airlines regarding re-instatement of so obviously mistake fares airlines had cancelled (with the exception of those cancelled on day of travel .. if booking made months in advance, and it is a mistake, fix it before the traveller gets to the airport).

 

[CPMaverick]

If you follow the airline industry and ticket prices on particular routes closely, I agree this fare was an obvious mistake.

However, not everyone does. A random person who sees the occasional $1 return airfare, Ryanair sale flights, ultra-cheap economy flights to Asia, etc... Spending 4 figures on a business class flight might not be an obvious mistake, when you see trips to Bali for $150. Not everyone knows what typical business class pricing is.

It isn't the same thing as finding an item at the store that is mis-priced... that transaction would be unlikely to be completed. In this case VA has some accountability as they accept the payment and issue the ticket... and if a long time passes the customer may spend $$ on other plans.

 

[Danger]

Shame there are not enough of us to file a law suit . unfortunately there are no bodies here in Australia to complain to
airline passengers assoc is paper tiger .dept fair trading has no authority. Though if we make a mistake we pay fees to correct our mistakes or loose the ticket.

You only need one to file a law suit. I filed against one of the world's 10 largest airlines for a similar so-called 'mistake' without any hassles whatsoever.

Even if there is a contract (which clearly there is) and before you get to "mistake", the T&Cs always allow the airline to cancel at any time and provide a full refund, which is what they seem to have offered here (as well as an option to instead take a downgrade). Unless you can sue them and argue that that term of the contract is unenforceable (which I suspect would be hard in the case of a mistake fare), there is nowhere to go on this...

I haven't looked at Virgin's T&Cs but I'd be surprised if such a term existed.

. . . I admit to have taken advantage of mistake fares in the past such as expedia.com.br (although that was more a loophole than a mistake) and one ex-RGN fare. Also had several cancelled without a whisper of a protest from me (easy come ... easy go).

However, I do believe it is wrong to whinge, and pursue legal action when the mistake fare tickets are cancelled by the airlines ... if you followed the RGN fiasco a few years ago of flyertalk, it was quite breathtaking and IMHO so wrong on many levels, the lengths people were going to, to challenge airlines regarding re-instatement of so obviously mistake fares airlines had cancelled (with the exception of those cancelled on day of travel .. if booking made months in advance, and it is a mistake, fix it before the traveller gets to the airport).

I had tickets in all three rounds of the RGN saga. In one of those cases it took Iberia six weeks to cancel my otherwise confirmed and paid for ticket. Naturally, they got away with it. I'm a much wiser man now.

 

[Bagpuss]

Looking through T&C's I dont see anything which mentions a mis-sold or mistake in an airfare:

https://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/about-us/legal-policies/conditions-of-carriage/

Virgin Australia - Ticket Terms and Conditions

 

[earlyriser]

I assume everyone has given up on this one and asked for a refund?

 

[jazza1971]

I assume everyone has given up on this one and asked for a refund?

Yep no point in flogging a dead horse...lesson learnt, next time I'll book the US carrier and see if that sticks....oh and VA are apparently going to refund my FOREX fees as well, as I expected them to do

 

[JohnK]

I've booked a few of these "mistake" fares over the years. Some you win, some you lose. That's the nature of the game?

 

[Haplo]

Delta is probably sucking up the cost in order to avoid bad publicity as it would cost them to buy these seats on the virgin flight. Most airline have a term in their T&C to get out in the event of a price error and (without reading Virgin's T&C) I would say it is there.