Australia’s Qantas blames ‘coding error’ for 85% discount on first-class flights

Australian airline Qantas has blamed a “coding error” for vastly reduced pricing on hundreds of first-class flights sold last week.

Around 300 travellers grabbed the tickets, priced at discounts of up to 85 per cent on the usual fare rate for flights between Australia and the US.

Currently, a first-class journey between Sydney to New York comes in at around A$15,000 (US$10,000).

“Unfortunately, this is a case where the fare was actually too good to be true,” the company said in a statement.

Qantas’ terms and conditions allow it to rescind the offer if there is “an error or mistake that is reasonably obvious”.

“As a gesture of goodwill, we’re rebooking customers in Business Class at no additional cost,” the statement continued. “Customers also have the option of a full refund.”