Error Fares: How to Find and Book Mistake Fares in 2026

7 min read

What Is an Error Fare?

An error fare (also called a mistake fare) is an airline ticket priced significantly below its intended level due to a pricing error. We are not talking about a sale or a slightly discounted route. Error fares are dramatically wrong: think $200 round trip to Tokyo in business class, or $150 for a transatlantic flight that normally costs $800+.

These are not hypothetical examples. Error fares like these surface multiple times per year across different airlines and booking platforms. They typically last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours before the airline discovers and corrects the mistake. The narrow window is exactly why most people never see them unless they are using a monitoring service.

How Do Error Fares Happen?

Airlines manage an extraordinarily complex pricing system. A single carrier might have millions of individual fare combinations across thousands of routes, multiple fare classes, and dozens of sales running simultaneously. Errors creep in through several common mechanisms:

• Currency conversion mistakes: An airline prices a fare in one currency but the booking system converts it incorrectly. A fare meant to be 500 EUR might show up as $50 USD due to a misplaced decimal or wrong conversion rate.
• Fuel surcharge errors: International fares include fuel surcharges that can add hundreds of dollars. When these are accidentally omitted or set to zero, the published price plummets.
• Manual data entry errors: Fare filing is partially manual. A human entering $189 instead of $1,890 is the kind of mistake that creates jaw-dropping error fares.
• IT system glitches: When airlines update their pricing systems, temporary glitches can push fares to abnormal levels across many routes simultaneously.
• Third-party platform errors: Sometimes the airline prices the fare correctly, but an online travel agency (OTA) like Expedia or Priceline introduces the error on their end.

How to Find Error Fares

Error fares are, by their nature, unpredictable. You cannot search for them the way you search for a normal flight. Instead, you need to position yourself to hear about them quickly when they appear. Here is how.

Use a Deal Alert Service

This is the most reliable method. Services like Flight Alerts continuously monitor prices across routes and flag fares that are abnormally low. When a price drops to a level that is 50% or more below historical norms, it is very likely an error fare or an exceptional sale, either of which is worth booking. You get an alert, you book, and you move on with your day.

Follow Deal Communities

Online communities dedicated to flight deals are often among the first to spot and share error fares. Reddit communities focused on travel deals, deal-focused Twitter/X accounts, and travel forums all serve as early warning systems. The downside is that you need to be actively monitoring these channels, and by the time a post goes viral, the fare may already be corrected.

Check Multiple Booking Platforms

Error fares sometimes appear on one booking platform but not others. If the error originates with a third-party OTA rather than the airline itself, you might find the mistake price on Expedia but not on the airline's own website. Checking multiple platforms increases your chances of catching a mistake before it is fixed.

What to Do When You Find an Error Fare

You have about a 1-4 hour window on most error fares before the airline corrects the price. Speed matters more than analysis here. Follow these steps:

1. Book immediately. Do not comparison shop. Do not wait to see if it gets cheaper. Do not check reviews of the airline. Just book. You can evaluate the details later.
2. Do NOT call the airline. This is the most common mistake people make. Calling the airline to confirm the fare or ask questions about the booking alerts their staff to the error. You are essentially reporting the mistake and accelerating its correction.
3. Book directly on the airline website if possible. Airlines are more likely to honor error fares booked through their own system than through a third-party OTA. If the error fare only appears on an OTA, book it there, but know that airlines have more flexibility to cancel OTA bookings.
4. Use a credit card with good travel protection. In the unlikely event that the airline cancels your booking, you want to make sure any associated charges are handled cleanly.
5. Wait 2-4 weeks before making non-refundable plans. Do not book hotels, rental cars, or other non-refundable travel until you are confident the airline has honored the fare. If the ticket is still in your account after a few weeks, you are almost certainly in the clear.

Will Airlines Honor Error Fares?

This is the question everyone asks, and the honest answer is: it depends. There is no universal rule, and airline behavior varies by carrier, by region, and by the specific circumstances of the error.

In the United States, the Department of Transportation previously had a rule requiring airlines to honor confirmed ticketed itineraries regardless of pricing errors. That rule was modified, and airlines now have more discretion to cancel mistake fare tickets, particularly if they promptly notify passengers and offer a full refund.

In practice, many airlines still honor error fares, especially when:

• The fare was booked directly on the airline's website
• A large number of people booked the fare (canceling thousands of tickets is a PR headache)
• The error was modest rather than extreme (a $300 fare instead of $600 is more likely to be honored than $30 instead of $3,000)
• The booking was for economy class (airlines are more protective of business/first class pricing)

Tips for Booking Error Fares

• Be flexible on destination. Error fares are not predictable. You cannot target a specific route and wait for an error. The travelers who benefit most are those who are open to going wherever the deal takes them.
• Keep your passport current. International error fares are among the most valuable, but they are useless if your passport is expired or you need a visa you cannot get in time. Keep your passport valid and research visa requirements for destinations that interest you.
• Have a credit card ready. Speed is critical. Fumbling around looking for your card number while the fare corrects itself is a frustrating experience. Save your payment details in your browser or on the airline's website so you can book in under 60 seconds.
• Set up deal alerts. The single most effective thing you can do is let a service monitor prices for you. Error fares that appear at 2 AM or on a random Wednesday afternoon will sail right past you if you rely on manual checking.
• Do not get greedy. If you spot an error fare, book the trip you actually want to take. Do not book six speculative trips thinking you will decide later. Airlines are more likely to flag and cancel suspicious booking patterns.