Qantas currently offers first-class return flights between Sydney and Los Angeles in October for between A$20,000 and A$29,000.
Airlines typically don’t have to honor advertised fares when they’re clearly incorrectly priced. Qantas is opting to soak up costs from the snafu, blamed on a coding error, as it rebuilds its battered reputation.
The Qantas brand has been bruised in recent years by cancellations, lost luggage and ticket sales on already-scrapped flights.
“This is a case where the fare was actually too good to be true,” Qantas said in a statement. The rebookings were “a gesture of goodwill”. Customers also have the option of a full refund.
Qantas earlier this year agreed to pay a A$100 million penalty and compensate passengers for selling tickets on thousands of flights it had already decided to cancel.
