Cyber queue-jumper snapped up HK$100 Cathay tickets while 150,000 waited in line
'Playing around' helped traveller grab HK$100 flights while thousands made futile attempts
A Hong Kong-based frequent flyer has revealed how he turned cyber-queue jumper, snapping up a pair of cheap Cathay Pacific flights to New York while 150,000 frustrated buyers spent hours trying in vain for a bargain.
Cathay has pledged to investigate, but the buyer's revelations will fuel claims of unfairness after tens of thousands missed out on the cut-price premium economy and business-class tickets offered in a special edition of Cathay's "Fanfares" promotion. Angry customers besieged Cathay's social media sites with tales of waiting for hours only to be told all 2,014 special fares had gone on Tuesday morning.
The savvy traveller, in his 30s, said he was able to find the tickets he wanted by "playing around" with the system after the website told him there were no flights left to New York on his chosen date.
"It's weird because the software was smart enough to tell me the ticket was sold out, but the fact it got me to a booking screen told me the ticket was there but that there was an IT issue preventing the payment from being started," he said.
He realised the web address in his browser showed the information the website was sending to the airline's servers, including the destination, date and fare deal he had chosen.