You'll see the terms "error fare" and "mistake fare" used interchangeably across flight deal sites — including sometimes on TripHunt. Technically, there are distinctions worth understanding, especially when deciding whether to book.
Error fares
An error fare is caused by a technical glitch in the airline's pricing system — a software bug, a database error, or an unintended interaction between two pricing rules. The airline didn't intend to offer that price, and in many cases isn't even aware it happened until customers start booking.
Error fares are usually very obvious — prices that are 70–95% below normal. A £900 long-haul flight appearing at £29 is almost certainly a technical error.
Mistake fares
A mistake fare is a human error — someone at the airline or their revenue management team accidentally entered the wrong price, left off a zero, or priced in the wrong currency. These are slightly less common than technical errors but follow the same lifecycle: they appear, deal sites find them, travellers book, and the airline eventually corrects the price.
Sale fares (not an error)
Not every unusually cheap fare is a mistake. Airlines run genuine flash sales, especially to fill off-peak capacity. A 40% discount on January flights from Manchester to Tenerife is almost certainly a real promotional sale, not an error. TripHunt distinguishes between these by comparing against the 90-day price history — a true error fare looks statistically anomalous, while a sale fare fits within a normal range even if it's notably cheap.
How to tell which you have
- More than 60% below average price: almost certainly an error or mistake fare
- 40–60% below average: likely a sale fare or early flash deal — book it regardless
- 20–40% below average: a normal good deal — not a mistake, definitely worth booking
TripHunt automatically badges any fare more than 50% below the 90-day average as a "potential error fare" to give you the information you need to decide quickly.