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$40 To India

By LIFS November 5, 2009 at 6:36 AM

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Would you like a round trip ticket between the U.S. and India for $40?

Thanks to a computer error, for two hours in Oct 2, hundreds of British Airways customers snapped up the fare, which the company is now refusing to honor. With taxes and fees the fare worked out to around $500 for a round trip flight.
British Airways spokesman John Lampl said: “As these fares were so clearly below the normal fare levels, British Airways is unable to honor these bookings. We have cancelled all affected bookings made during this two-hour window, and will make a full refund for any paid for and issued ticket.”

Apparently the error occurred while company officials were implementing a $40 increase in the fares and erroneously eliminated the plus sign. “It was an honest mistake,” Lampl said. Although the error was caught immediately, it took two hours to implement a correction.
The airline is offering a $300 discount on a future flight to people who snagged the cheap fares. The U.S. Department of Transportation, which received almost 163 complaints, is investigating the incident.

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