Originally Posted by
zrs70
I think if we suspect a fare is a mistake, we should call out of decency. If the human gives us the same fare, and we complete the transaction, then we aren't trying to get away with something. But if the computer offers a fare, and we shy away from interacting with a human, then we know we are doing something less than ethical.
I have to disagree with you here. Utilizing a mistake fare is not theft. It's up to the airline whether they choose to honor the ticket or not in the end (if the ticket is priced such that it's unenforceable as a contract) and although I've heard lots of sabre rattling over lawsuits when tickets *aren't* honored I still have yet to see proof that one has gone forward.
Mistakes have always been very much YMMV. You roll the dice and take your chances. Given that the actual incremental cost of flying one additional pax is negligible, I don't feel as though I'm 'stealing' at all. IMO that's why many airlines honor such mistakes. The free publicity and goodwill they stand to gain far outweigh the cost of flying the folks taking advantage of such fares.
Given this, I have no problem with NOT alerting the airline. This is no different than Amazon or Buy.com mispricing something and honoring or dishonoring the sale. Why call and limit the pool of those that can take advantage if they DO decide to honor?