An error fare is a flight ticket that has been accidentally priced far below its normal cost — usually due to a glitch in an airline's pricing system, a currency conversion error, or a human data-entry mistake.
Error fares can be 50–90% cheaper than the normal price. A return flight from London to Tokyo that usually costs £850 might appear at £189. A business class ticket to New York might drop to the price of economy.
Why do error fares happen?
Airlines use complex, automated pricing systems that update thousands of fares simultaneously. Errors slip through when:
- A currency conversion glitch adds the wrong multiplier
- A fuel surcharge is accidentally omitted
- A data entry error sets the price in pence instead of pounds
- Two pricing rules conflict and produce an unintended result
- A promotional fare is miscoded without a cap on how many tickets it applies to
How long do error fares last?
Most error fares survive between 2 and 12 hours before the airline corrects the price. Some last minutes; a few rare ones have lasted days before being caught. The key is acting fast.
Will airlines honour error fares?
This is the big question. Under UK consumer law, airlines are generally required to honour a confirmed booking — but in practice, it's complicated. Budget airlines like Ryanair and easyJet almost always cancel error fare bookings and issue a full refund. Legacy carriers like British Airways have honoured some and cancelled others. The US DOT has historically required US airlines to honour confirmed bookings regardless of pricing errors, but EU261 equivalent rules in the UK are less clear.
The general rule: book it, wait to see if it's confirmed, don't pay for non-refundable hotels until the ticket is ticketed (not just booked).
How TripHunt detects error fares
TripHunt scans 431 UK routes every 60 minutes via Google Flights data. Any fare that drops more than 50% below the 90-day average for that route is automatically flagged as a potential error fare. Premium members receive an instant push notification — free members see it in their deals feed within a few hours.
Set up a free TripHunt price alert and get notified the moment an error fare appears on your favourite routes.
Set free alert →Famous error fares in history
- London to New York for £1.75 — Virgin Atlantic, 2006. Thousands of tickets sold before it was caught.
- London to Los Angeles in Business Class for £220 — British Airways, 2012. BA honoured these tickets.
- London to Tokyo for £185 return — multiple airlines have accidentally offered this route at this price several times.
Tips for booking error fares
- Book immediately — don't wait to check reviews or ask on forums
- Take a screenshot of the booking confirmation immediately
- Don't book non-refundable accommodation until the ticket is properly ticketed (usually within 24h)
- Check your email — some error fare bookings get cancelled within hours
- Pay by credit card — gives you better protection if the booking is cancelled