Airline Sells Business Class Ticket Worth Rs 8.2 Lakh For Rs 24,000; Blames Website Bug

The Japanese airline sold flight tickets from Jakarta to various destinations in US and Canada for a fraction of the price it would actually cost.

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Passengers of All Nippon Airways (ANA) were able to get first and business-class tickets for a fraction of the typical price for the journey. A glitch in the system of the ANA's Vietnam website displayed the error fares. The lowered fares were displayed for various routes from Jakarta to various destinations in the US and Canada. As per New York Post's report, tickets typically sold for $10,000 (Rs 8.2 lakh) were sold for around $300 (around Rs 24,000).

The airline later revealed that the fares problem was caused by an error in currency conversion on its Vietnam website. The carrier also informed us that they have initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the error and the extent of the damage caused by it. However, the company refrained from revealing the number of passengers who had booked the tickets at the discounted price.

Aware of the glitch, the passengers took advantage of the situation and booked round-trip tickets on the business class flight for around $330 and first-class tickets for the same destination for around $950. However, the airline resolved the issue in a few hours after the situation escalated.

Amid rising concerns among the passengers that ANA will not honour the tickets, the airline clarified its take on the situation. As per Simple Flying, Nippon Airways stated that the tickets purchased during the malfunction are valid and will be honoured. However, a later report on the issue suggests the airline intends to make a decision by the end of the month, but the tickets to be used before May will be valid.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is one of Japan's biggest airlines. The 5-star airline has been operating under the name since 2013 and is carries around 42 million passengers annually.