All Nippon Airways (ANA) passengers were able to obtain first and business class tickets for a fraction of the normal price of the trip. A glitch in the system of ANA’s Vietnam website displayed the error fares. The reduced fares were displayed for various routes from Jakarta to various destinations in the US and Canada. According to a New York Post report, tickets that usually sell for $10,000 (Rs 8.2 lakh) were sold for around $300 (Rs 24,000 approx).
The airline later revealed that the fare problem was caused by a currency conversion error on its Vietnam website. The carrier also informed us that they have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the error and the extent of damages it may cause. However, the company refrained from disclosing the number of passengers who booked tickets at the discounted price.
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Aware of the disturbance, passengers took advantage of the situation and booked round-trip tickets on a business class flight for approximately $330 and first class tickets to the same destination for approximately $950. However, after the situation escalated, the airline resolved the issue within a few hours.
Amid growing concerns among passengers that ANA would not honor tickets, the airline clarified its stand on the situation. Nippon Airways said tickets purchased during the outage are valid and will be honored, according to Simply Flying. However, a later report on the issue suggests that the airline intends to take a decision by the end of the month, but tickets used before May will be valid.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) is one of the largest airlines in Japan. The 5-star airline has been operating under the name since 2013 and carries around 42 million passengers annually.