One man’s blunder can be another one’s boon. Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) goofed up big time by offering dozens of business class Asia-US flights for peanuts owing to a currency exchange rate blunder. Travelers flooded their website, for it is not every day you come across $10,000 tickets for just $300. It was nothing short of a blessing in disguise for one lucky passenger who spent a measly $890 for first-class flights from Jakarta to the Caribbean via Tokyo and New York and back again.
Under normal circumstances, this 14,500-kilometer journey in first class would surely set the traveler back by a whopping $16,300. Several customers made the most of this blunder and bagged round trips from Jakarta to Tokyo via New York for $350 instead of an eye-watering $10,400. Tickets worth $10,000 flying from Jakarta with stops in Singapore, Tokyo, and New York were listed for $300. ANA Holdings Ltd. clarified the mishap resulted from an mistake on its Vietnam website that displayed an erroneous currency conversion. The company did not reveal how many travelers benefitted from their gaffe but stated they are “investigating the cause of the bug and the size of its damage.” If it is taking them that long, then it probably is humongous.
They will decide by the end of the month; however, the good news is the discounted tickets will still be valid for the people who fly before that decision is made. Johnny Wong, who works in the airline industry, said he booked a return ticket on business class from Jakarta to Honolulu via Tokyo’s Narita Airport for $550. Once ANA realized its error, the fare was corrected to $8,200. “I never thought I’d catch such a deal,” 29-year-old Wong said.
