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# United Cancels Too-Good-to-Be-True Plane Tickets

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/CDYriQU5.m3u8" -->
## Video: United Cancels Too-Good-to-Be-True Plane Tickets

[Watch (HLS stream): United Cancels Too-Good-to-Be-True Plane Tickets](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/CDYriQU5.m3u8) (1:37)

![United Cancels Too-Good-to-Be-True Plane Tickets](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/CDYriQU5/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2015-02-12. Several thousand customers thought they were getting a heck of a travel deal Wednesday when they booked cheap flights through United, but the airline says a third party glitch is to blame._


---

Jul 27, 2023 5:55 PM UTC

---

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### A Full 'Friends' Reunion Was Too Good To Be True

[Delta Honoring Super Cheap Fares After Glitch](/video/zZ9ROshe/)

### Delta Honoring Super Cheap Fares After Glitch

---


## Transcript

How does a $ 75 first class trans atlantic airplane ticket sound. Too good to be true? Well, yes your right. It absolutely is. But for a few hours on Wednesday thousands of travelers thought they hit the jackpot. Budget travel blog's like Dan's Deals discovered a glitch on United Airlines website. If users changed their host country to Denmark they could pay just a few... Few hundred Danish Krone. Or less than a hundred bucks for flights that would normally cost thousands of dollars. In a statement on its website United said a third- party software provider applied an incorrect currency exchange rate.

Despite the airline inputting its fares correctly. And since it was a third- party issue the airline announced it would not be honoring the fares. Is avoiding several thousand bookings. While passengers were obviously upset about the announcement, mistake fares do sometimes work for lucky budget fare hunters. In 2013, Delta agreed to honor an unspecified number of flights sold below value including a round trip flight to Hawaii for less than $ 7. Also in 2013 United did honor tickets that were accidentally listed for free. Travelers ended up paying just $ 5 or $ 10 after taxes and fees. The airlines sort of hedged its bets in that instance, though, saying it would honor the tickets based on these specific circumstances.

And there are instances where it might be worth it for the airline to take the loss. Even if they aren't legally required to do so. A writer from Market Watch explains, " The losses United is taking might be less than the damage to reputation and legal costs and liability it might suffer ." If passengers were to file a lawsuit over cancelled fares. United would not disclose exactly how many people had purchased the mistakenly priced tickets.

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