Travel-Quinten

Last Friday I found a nice deal (BUD & CPH - SIN for €550 rtn with LOT) and decided to share it on FT, just like other promo fares I found in the years before. Just minutes after posting, the deal was shared on SecrefFlying & Fly4Free. Another few minutes after, the deal was no longer available.

My dilemma: should I share deals on FT or not? I strongly believe in giving & sharing: other share their finds to FT and I share mine in return. Blogs like SecretFlying & Fly4free seem just to commercialise these finds (without even referring to FT), which may helps for a fare to die soon. So, I'd prefer to share my finds with people here on FT who also put in time in finding deals, while excluding the whole world of blogs.

I read earlier proposals to initiate a 'members-only section' here on FT, but don't think it got through. Are there other options on FT that already exist?

zebranz

Book you own flight(s) then post. Cannot stop the airlines and bloggers from looking at FT.
Unless you are in a private group then why not let a real FT'er take advantage. Not all "borrowed" fares which appear on blog sites disappear in minutes.

RollAnotherFatOne

I don't share anymore after bad experiences here with a number of individuals.
Normally, if I don't post, it'll get posted here, within a week or two.
It doesn't always die here quickly. But yes, I only look at really cheap tickets, so 50 euro base fares, which are <600 returns EU-Asia or EU-USA are the only things that interest me.

No Icelandair or Condor flights!

KKslider

Last time I found an error fare from Thailand to Europe, and when I was hesitating whether to share it or not, someone else shared it before I did.

I think there are more and more people watching the prices (even with machine-checking 24-hours), so it doesn’t mean much to hesitate

Stuttgart21

I believe the popularity of the route may be the most important factor. An error fare for a route like LAX-LHR is not gonna linger around no matter what. Sooo many people price-comparing and shopping on that route. Bookings will spike quickly. A computer will pick up the sales spike and alert a human revenue manager. And then it gets pulled.

If, instead, it's a fare with a complex routing or where positioning is harder, it may hang around for some time even if FT or the blogs pick it up...

Travel-Quinten

Agree that not all fares die instantly.
Sorry for the dump question, but are those private groups on FT as well?

Unionruler

I have changed my policy to not share anything minimally within the first 48 hours of it appearing, so that the real skilled people can detect and book theirs first.

​​​​​​It affects the proportion of benefits realisation, post sooner and the bloodsucking blogs get more, post later and the airline has the some time to notice as well so maybe fare will be killed shortly after the blogs get their hands on it.

zebranz

Wanted to add that a number of times there are Fare Rules which bring up other options/permutations of better value than the one posted.

Private groups are not mentioned on FT. Each forum, airline, etc will have a group(s) of people who message outside of FT- just normal as with any business. Who they are and what they share is not public.

WingedWorldExplorer

That was not an error fare unless it was in Business Class. Right now you can book it for 495 euros. with 230 in Fuel Surcharges. if you remove those surcharges then final price should be less than 195 Euros.

In general ( if you had actually found an error fare).

1. Book for yourself, family and friends.
2. Post a hint.
3. Then share selectively with members who you know are candidates for flights to the relevant destination - here Singapore ( nobody else need it obviously.)
Spreading it all over makes no sense.

Travel-Quinten

It was in flex business class indeed. Thanks for your opinion - I should connect with some FT members

standbyalldtime

By the way, if you have found some secret error fare I would love a PM heads up :P

Often1

If you share the data and it is not otherwise located, the chances are that very few people will book it and, when the carrier catches it, they won't bother to cancel the tickets. That is how it worked in the old days before social media. Just not worth the hassle and brand damage if a few people got a deal.

Post it on social media and a lot of people book, not only will the aberrant booking pattern jump out of some algorithm, but the greater the likelihood that the carrier will cancel the tickets.

On the flip side, if nobody shares, you will get error fares you find, but not those found by others.

FrankTalk

I'd say look at the fare rules. If it has a hard expiration date then book yourself, share w/friends, give them a little time to book, then post on FT/blog/wherever. If you heard it from someone you know didn't find it, share, it's already being widely disseminated.

Fares with no hard expiration dates are harder to decide. I think you can bet that most fares will be discovered sooner or later by someone other than you - the more popular the route the sooner it will be posted somewhere. Other times the error is somewhere in the fare that's not immediately obvious, I think if it's even marginally useful one should be very careful who they share it with. As an example there was a specific fare that allowed whopping 28k BiS US domestic miles in Biz/First for $1k. Was also full flex, and as a result, earning more miles than you can imagine. I have not seen that mentioned anywhere and it lasted an amazing 7.5 months before the airline fixed the issue. The fix was probably prompted by an uptick of weird bookings as everyone "promised no to share it further", you know...

My advice? Learn about fare rules and how to deconstruct what you see (flights + price) to understand why a specific itin results in a specific price. It will help you not only being able to decide how ordinary (ie fat finger vs some other unintended thing) a ticket is but also how to maximize for your own benefit.

ps: be careful with advice in this thread, some posters have a history of selling information as their own, etc.

nmpls

If you share it, don't use the words "error" or "mistake" fare, particularly when the fare is over $100. Could be a flash sale or something. Error fares get cancelled by airlines.

arollins

Error fares have been one of my favorite topics after I got a hold of a few of those myself. On this day and age of social media, there are numerous ways for one to receive an alert regarding price notification or city pairs. For me, another item that seems to bug me more are those individuals that get on the deal and are immediately calling the carrier to get their seat assignment, luggage allownace or some other item. Those, along with bloggers, tend to be the killjoys in this hobby. Go with your conscience, but think, even with going on private group, there is no guaranteed that another member will go out of the circle and distribute separately. There is some sort "I found this" pride in being the one to notify others and adding to their "credibility" that might not be in the best interest to all.

Enjoy.

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