300 Lucky Passengers Score Accidental 85% Discount on Qantas First Class Tickets

Have you ever heard of a deal that was too good to be true? For some passengers flying with Qantas, this appeared to be the case, as an opportunity arose for hundreds of travelers to get a once-in-a-lifetime deal on first class travel.

A First Class Flaw

For a brief moment on Thursday, around 300 people jumped on a deal for a first class flight from Australia to the U.S.. While the airline typically charges $13,000 to $20,000 AUD (around $9,000 to $14,000 USD) for first class, travelers saw tickets going for just $3,390 AUD. This is nearly a 90% discount.

Qantas' First Class cabins include a spacious suite with leather furniture, a LaGaia Spa Treatment, cuisine designed by celebrity chef Neil Perry, award-winning Australian wine or champagne, and priority boarding access.

According to The Independent, the accidental sale was online for around 8 hours before personnel from Qantas noticed the error.

This bargain wasn't mostly stumbled upon by happenstance, however. The website error gained traction on bargain-hunting community website OzBargain. This website lists attractive deals on travel fares and consumer goods along with direct links that go straight to the checkout page. 
 

These were genuine tickets that lucky customers were able to secure. However, Qantas later admitted that the reduction in price was due to a coding error in the airline's booking system, and that error had since been fixed.

A spokesperson for Qantas confirmed the first class prices were in error, stating "Unfortunately, this is a case where the fare was actually too good to be true”. It wasn't specified what caused the error to occur or other details.

What Will Happen To Qantas First Class Tickets

Unfortunately, these first class flights have been canceled by Qantas. While no explanation was given, the airline would be losing money due to the services and resources used towards the first class amenities at the ticket prices that the customers paid for them. Allowing the first class travel to move forward would also send the wrong message to travelers that other deep discounts on first class travel could happen again in the future, thus fewer customers would fly with Qantas for as long as fares stayed in the typical price ranges.

However, Qantas is giving those that got discounted first class tickets two options: A full refund, or tickets to the business class cabin. Business class offers the same services and amenities in first class, barring the suites and spa treatments. Business class travelers would get roomy seats that can fold into beds for sleeping in for the long flight overseas.

Qantas states that the opportunists that spent only $3,390 per ticket would still be saving 65% on typical business class tickets.

Some travelers such as William Fowler have accepted the offer. He had this to share with news.com.au:

“I’m excited. It’s a great price for business, it would have been an unbelievable price for first class...I’m using this trip to go over and spend a good two months with my family because post-pandemic and the world being in a recession, it’s just hard to travel and it’s really exciting when you get to travel and then also travel in business class.”

The 85%-off first class tickets were obviously an honest mistake from Qantas, and it was generous of the company to sponsor good will by still offering those that got tickets the chance to fly in business class without spending any more money. With the airline facing a series of legal blunders, this decision is a step in the right direction to repair their reputation.

But what are your two cents on this pricing mistake? Did the airline make the right call in re-booking travelers to business class? As always, we love to read your thoughts in the comment section below!