Error fares - how to get notified and where to find them?
 

Hi,

I have already used from error fares to book cheap flights but I was wondering where I could find them myself in this forum or on other websites? Any recommendations? Here I often find "Fare Gone" so obviously I was too late but is there an easier way of finding error fares than just clicking through all postings?

Thanks a lot.

Cheers,
Sebastian

Welcome to FT

This forum is the best place to find them, but you have to check often, cause some error fare only last hours, the fare will be the top posters, you cant miss it

This forum helps. Couple of hints though.

1) don't ever spread them until you have booked yours if you are going

2) don't ever call the airline thirty seconds after booking the fare for fifty cents asking about upgrades, asking to change your seats, whatever. Don't do anything to draw their attention to the mistake.

Unfortunately, lots of people have been totally ignoring hint number two, so fares don't get mentioned here near as often anymore, too many people spoiling it.

Fatwallet is another good source, though for the most part they are just copied from here.

Once it hits any of the more wide distribution lists like farecompare or fat wallet, it's life is probably very short, as by then the airline certainly is aware of it.

You are usually talking just a few hours they are alive, so it's not that uncommon to miss them .

Subscribe to this forum.

Wouldn't every airline like to know "how to get notified and where to find [Error fares]?"

The easier we make it, the faster they will die.

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On another note, I would like to submit that FT should not be about error fares. FTers are primarily frequent flyers and, in the long run, what is good for the airlines is good for us. We want airlines to succeed. We need them to succeed to preserve our miles, status benefits, favorite routes, and continue to compete with other carriers, keeping fares in check. While I am willing to book error fares when I see them if they work for my travel needs, I also regularly give airlines a greater number of profitable bookings. Those who are only after error fares are at odds with airlines success, and by extension, frequent flyers long term success.

Welcome to FT, notsofrequentflyeryet!

There is no magical trick to finding error fares, just stop by frequently, and sooner or later your timing will be right. The most important thing, though (which has already been pointed out by wanaflyforless) is that there's so much more to FT and travel than finding mistakes.

I'll move this thread to the MR discussion forum.

--jpdx, MR Moderator

Mileage Run Deals is the best forum to find interesting fares (both error fares and other very low fares). Mileage Run Discussion is the place where former mileage run deals have been put out to pasture once they are no longer active.

Please follow the advice of others in the hopes of keeping specific fares active for longer periods.

If you know it's an error, why would you book it?

Anyone who calls something an error fare doesn't know how to play the game.

I book whatever fares are presented to me and I choose to accept. I don't know the motivation behind them, nor do I care. If I like the price I see, I click purchase. ;)

I just bought some batteries at Walgreens for 99 cents. That's 80% off the usual price. I have no idea what their intent was there, I just needed batteries, and liked what I saw.

Same goes for airlines. If a transcon is typically $200, and I see one for $40, I may choose to buy it.

Got it?

This is exactly the right attitue for FT. It is the airline's reponsibility to manage pricing, and ours to consume whatever we are offered.