mlhall

I agree wholeheartedly. Using the aforementioned term to refer to an extraordinarily low fare could be problematic. I've often wondered if some of the inordinately high fares between cities with little competition couldn't be called "mistakes". If United wants $400 for a coach fare from ORD to DSM, few of us are likely to call it by the aforementioned term. Why isn't it a mistake if it is in the airline's favor?

Tclin

Rule: Save original fare rule, preferably most detailed one

mpattdu

My vote would be against having a FAQ. Anything about the fare that would be answered in a FAQ will likely be answered or addressed in the deal thread itself. If someone comes to FT and really wants to learn about what to do or what happens when a super-low fare gets posted, they should first take the time to read the stickies and then read the threads for past deals--there's a lot to learn in there. Then they'll be ready the next time around. To me, a FAQ screams "do it for me," and as others have mentioned, each deal is different.

I also feel that having a Mistake Fare FAQ is a little too "in your face" to the airlines for my taste.

UCBeau

Thanks for the response, I am starting to understand how all this work


BTW I'll be in Finland this summer visiting family. ^

Viajero Joven

Agreed: $1200 for a ticket, regardless of where/how, is still $1200 of revenue.

rgm18

The bos to mad did pan out. travelocity made up for air europas balking by booking customers on continental...
did this myself for a wknd in mallorca...

terrier

^^^ This post alone needs to be a gold-plated Sticky. I do not book 'mistake' fares. I do book low fares offered through the normal operation of booking systems.

The terminology 'mistake fare' itself is an assertion that can only be made by the airline - I do not presume to question the motives behind the offering of any particular fare for purchase.

tcook052

Limited time special? Who are we really trying to kid by weighing words so carefully? Ourselves or others? I don't expect airlines to weigh the decision to honor the tickets I bought based upon my mindset at time of ticket purchase, I expect said airline to live up to their obligations as they are required to when they make published fares available for sale to the public.

terrier

Disclaimer: this is not legal advice; consult an attorney practicing in your jurisdiction before relying upon anything in this post.

You seem to think a court wouldn't find your mindset relevant, and you'd be wrong about that. When considering whether a contract is voidable due to the mistake of one party, courts look to whether the other party had reason to know of the mistake.

If you call a fare a "mistake" and then buy it, your contract with the carrier is probably voidable by the carrier. If so, why would the carrier honor it? No court would enforce it. I don't want to hear about 'mistake' fares. I just want to find good deals.

Let me quote the part of channa's excellent post that you didn't:

tcook052

Being a lowly TA rather than a lawyer, I can only guess at the tiny percentage of a possability one of these limited time offers would ever wind up in court.

P.S. in my time on FT I have been luck enough to catch a few of these deals, including the $20 BA WT+ limited time offer channa alluded to.

terrier

Of course. Most disputes never make it to court because the likely outcome is clear to all parties.

If an airline tried to claim unilateral mistake and void properly-issued tickets where the purchasers had no reason to know the fares was a 'mistake' and had not caused the 'mistake,' one might reasonably expect legal action against the airline on behalf of the purchasers.

It is this reasonable expectation that's important, not the legal action itself - risk management will weigh the potential costs and likely outcomes of litigation and act accordingly.

People who post fares here and call them 'mistakes' (rather than letting the airline make that assertion), or who buy these fares after seeing them described as mistakes, essentially concede the airline's ability to void the contract. They would have no legal leg to stand on if it came to court - and the reasonable expectation of legal action against the airline evaporates. That's why calling any fare a mistake is unwise.

There's no need for euphemisms or to speculate about why the fare has been loaded - just post the fare and let the airline call it mistake or mispriced or misfiled.

Jaimito Cartero

I call them Jumbos, so the words, "Are-fay Istakes-may" won't pass my lips.

bau31888

Well, have a look at the threads for past deals, e.g. the last one (Orbitz - Ua Business Class Roundtrip Sfo-akl $1480.00 All In). It now has roughly 2500 posts within 7 days with probably lots of vrey good and some bad information. Let's assume, I have enough time to read some of the posts, I still have to figure out, which are good and bad advices.

Having said this, I think, a FAQ would be helpful for newbies and in general for the discussion on the deals.

SebFra

Why cant one make the faq only visible for users having, lets say 50 posts or so? then it would solve both problems!? not?

AQAMan

You're on the right track! I am a newbie. I stayed up so late the other night because I wanted to learn so badly from the latest whatever-we-want-to-call-it deal (and it did have a ga-gillion posts!) that I overslept and was late for work!

I was fascinated at the speed of postings, the confusion, the excitement and the frustrations of those who couldn't keep up with the experts in our community and "missed out" even tho they were there in "real" time trying. I probably would have been one of them. Absolute entertainment and worth oversleeping! (Look, I'm doing it again tonight!)

Let's not offend the airlines! And let's not second guess the airlines' intentions! Let's just help eachother in real time get good deals! Title the post "Great Deal" and we'll read it! Aren't we in the "Mileage Run" Forum already anyway? Isn't that offensive enough to the airlines already?