Error Fare Flight Deals: How to Score Accidentally Cheap Flights

Airlines occasionally price flights by mistake, creating incredible deals. Learn what error fares are, how to find them, and whether you should book them.

Error fares (also called mistake fares) happen when airlines accidentally price a ticket far below its intended cost. These can be truly extraordinary — flights to Europe for $200 round trip, Hawaii for $150, or business class for economy prices.

How Error Fares Happen

•**Currency conversion errors**: When an airline's automated pricing system miscalculates currency exchanges

•**Coding errors**: A programmer accidentally removes a digit from a fare code

•**Fuel surcharge omissions**: International taxes and fees are accidentally left out

•**Fare class mix-ups**: Business class accidentally priced as economy

Should You Book an Error Fare?

Yes, if:

•You can afford to potentially lose the money if canceled

•You can be flexible with your travel plans

•The savings are substantial (50%+ off normal price)

Be aware:

•Airlines can cancel error fares, though US DOT rules have made this harder

•You may receive a travel credit instead of flying at the error price

•Book accommodations and connections that are refundable until the fare is confirmed

Where to Find Error Fares

Subscribe to FlyNYC's error fare alerts — we monitor all three NYC airports 24/7 and alert subscribers within minutes of an error fare being detected.

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Error Fare Flight Deals: How to Score Accidentally Cheap Flights

How Error Fares Happen

Should You Book an Error Fare?

Where to Find Error Fares

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