Error Fares & Mistake Fares
Save up to 90% on flights with airline pricing mistakes. Get instant alerts when error fares are detected.
What Are Error Fares?
Error fares (or mistake fares) occur when airlines accidentally price tickets far below their normal value. These can happen due to currency conversion glitches, human input errors, or technical problems with booking systems.
Currency Errors
When ticket prices are accidentally listed in the wrong currency. A $1,000 fare might be listed as 1,000 peso instead.
Human Mistakes
Fare entry errors by airline staff, such as missing a digit or placing the decimal in the wrong place.
Technical Glitches
Booking system errors or fuel surcharge issues that cause abnormally low prices to appear.
How to Book Error Fares Successfully
Follow these tips to maximize your chances of getting your error fare honored.
Book Immediately
Error fares can disappear within minutes. If you find a deal, book first and ask questions later.
Be Flexible
Error fares often appear on specific dates or routes. The more flexible you are, the more deals you can catch.
Wait Before Booking Hotels
Hold off on non-refundable bookings until your flight is confirmed (usually 24-72 hours).
Never Contact the Airline
Calling to confirm your error fare may alert the airline to the mistake and lead to cancellation.
Use a Credit Card
Credit cards offer better protection than debit cards if the booking is cancelled.
Check Baggage Rules
Some error fares may be basic economy tickets with limited baggage allowances.
Recent Error Fare Examples
Real error fares that travelers have successfully booked and flown.
New York to Tokyo
London to Sydney
Paris to Bangkok
Los Angeles to Bali
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an error fare?
An error fare (also called a mistake fare) is a flight ticket priced significantly below its normal cost due to an airline or booking system pricing mistake. These can happen due to currency conversion errors, human mistakes, or technical glitches. Savings typically range from 50-90% off regular prices.
Are error fares legal to book?
Yes, booking an error fare is completely legal. However, airlines have the right to cancel the booking and refund your money if they discover the pricing mistake. In some jurisdictions (like the US for DOT-regulated carriers), airlines may be required to honor the fare. EU regulations generally favour consumers, making EU-originating error fares more likely to be honoured.
How do I find error fares?
The best way to find error fares is to sign up for deal alerts, follow flight deal communities, and use price comparison tools. TravelDealForge monitors multiple sources 24/7 and alerts you when error fares are detected. We track airlines directly, OTAs, and meta-search engines to catch pricing mistakes quickly.
What should I do when I find an error fare?
Book quickly! Error fares can disappear within hours or minutes. Do not contact the airline about the price. Wait 48-72 hours before booking non-refundable hotels or activities to see if the ticket is honoured. Use a credit card for better protection if the booking is cancelled.
How often do airlines honour error fares?
Based on our tracking, approximately 85-90% of error fares are honoured. Airlines are more likely to honour fares where many tickets were sold before correction, EU-departing flights (due to consumer protection laws), and fares that aren't drastically below normal prices. The risk of cancellation is low but exists.
What's the difference between error fares and flash sales?
Error fares are accidental pricing mistakes offering 50-90% off and can disappear within minutes. Flash sales are intentional airline promotions lasting 24-72 hours with 20-40% discounts. Both offer savings, but error fares are more dramatic though less predictable.
Can I get travel insurance for an error fare?
Yes, you should get travel insurance regardless of fare type. However, standard policies won't cover airline cancellation of error fares—that's considered a pricing issue, not a covered peril. You'll typically receive a full refund if the airline cancels. Insurance covers medical emergencies, trip interruption from illness, and other standard perils.
How long do error fares last?
Error fares are highly variable. Some last only minutes before correction, while others persist for several hours or even a day if unnoticed. On average, major error fares last 2-6 hours. This is why instant alerts are crucial—by the time deals make mainstream news, they're usually gone.
The Complete Guide to Error Fares
Error fares represent one of the most exciting opportunities for savvy travellers to fly for a fraction of normal prices. At TravelDealForge, we've helped thousands of travellers book incredible deals—from £200 return flights to Australia to €150 business class tickets to Asia. Here's everything you need to know about finding, booking, and flying error fares.
Understanding Why Error Fares Happen
Airlines price millions of routes across thousands of date combinations. With this complexity, mistakes are inevitable. Common causes include:
- Currency Conversion Errors: A fare meant to be 500,000 Indonesian Rupiah (about £25) might be entered as 500,000 GBP, then "corrected" to something absurdly low.
- Missing Fuel Surcharges: Sometimes the base fare is published without the fuel surcharge, resulting in tickets at 70-80% off.
- Decimal Point Errors: A £500 fare becomes £50 when someone misplaces a zero.
- System Glitches: Fare filing systems can malfunction during updates, briefly showing incorrect prices.
- Codeshare Confusion: When airlines share routes, pricing discrepancies can create unintended bargains.
Error Fares by Region: What to Expect
Different regions have different rules and honour rates:
- EU Departures (Best): EU consumer protection regulations make airlines very reluctant to cancel bookings. Honour rate: ~95%.
- USA Departures: DOT rules historically favoured consumers, though enforcement varies. Airlines often honour to avoid regulatory scrutiny. Honour rate: ~85%.
- Asia Departures: Variable by country and airline. Major carriers usually honour; budget carriers may not. Honour rate: ~75%.
- Middle East Departures: Gulf carriers generally honour error fares to maintain reputation. Honour rate: ~80%.
The Error Fare Booking Checklist
When you find an error fare, follow this sequence:
- Screenshot everything: Capture the price, route, and terms before booking.
- Book immediately: Don't compare or hesitate. Use a credit card with good travel protections.
- Check the confirmation email: Ensure it shows the price you paid and includes a booking reference.
- Do NOT contact the airline: This is crucial. Calling to "confirm" alerts them to the error.
- Wait 48-72 hours: Most cancellations happen within this window.
- Check your booking online: If it still shows as confirmed after 72 hours, you're likely safe.
- Book accommodation: Only now should you book refundable hotels or use points for potentially non-refundable stays.
What to Do If Your Error Fare Is Cancelled
If the airline cancels your booking, you're entitled to a full refund of what you paid. They cannot charge you more. Here's how to respond:
- Request written confirmation: Get the cancellation in writing with the reason.
- Consider EU261: For EU-departing flights, you may have additional rights under EU261 regulations.
- File a DOT complaint (USA): For US-departing flights, a DOT complaint sometimes results in the airline honouring the fare.
- Credit card chargeback: If refund is delayed, your credit card company can assist.
- Don't burn bridges: Be polite and professional—you may want to book with that airline again.
Advanced Error Fare Strategies
Experienced deal hunters use these techniques to maximise error fare opportunities:
- Positioning flights: If an error fare departs from a different city, book a separate cheap flight to get there. The combined cost often still beats normal fares.
- Open-jaw bookings: Fly into one city and out of another to maximise flexibility.
- Points + error fare: Use airline miles for positioning flights, then error fares for the main route.
- Multiple bookings: If available, book under different names for travel companions rather than a single group booking.
- Browser extensions: Use tools to track fares and detect sudden price drops.
How TravelDealForge Finds Error Fares
Our deal-finding system operates 24/7, monitoring thousands of routes across multiple booking platforms. We use a combination of automated price tracking and manual verification to ensure deals are genuine and bookable. When we find an error fare, we alert our subscribers instantly through:
- Our deals page — updated in real-time
- Email alerts — instant notifications for subscribers
- Push notifications — browser alerts for urgent deals
- Social media — Twitter/X for breaking deals
Never Miss an Error Fare Again
Sign up for deal alerts and get notified the moment we find a pricing mistake.