Have you ever wanted to take a trip to a different country but just ignored the possibility simply because the price of the airplane ticket alone was ridiculously expensive? I know the feeling! What if I told you that there was a way to reduce the cost of your International Airline tickets? Well, this is not science fiction, it is entirely possible!
Unfortunately, not too many people know about this because it’s not really something that Airlines want you to know about. It’s kind of like an industry secret. So what is the ‘magic bullet? Flight Mistake Fares.
Mistake Fares Are Awesome
A Flight Mistake Fare is simply an error on the listed price of a flight. If you are interested, here is a deeper description about mistake fares.
According to the GOING company (I highly recommend getting on their email list), the error can be as high as $1K per ticket! Would you like to save $1,000 USD on your next flight? Yeah I thought so! Me too!
In this article, I want to teach you a simple method to find flight mistake fares.
This is Why Mistake Fares Happen
There are a few different reasons that can cause slight (or significant) pricing mistakes. For example: An employee of the airline website could have accidentally miscalculated a currency conversion, intentional self dump/fuel-dump mistakes, travel agency mistake, or possibly due to a complex computer code glitch. There are probably a few more factors, as well.
How Do I Know If I’ve Found a Mistake Fare?
The website/search engine will not display *this is a fare mistake* next to the flight details, unfortunately. Though that would certainly be helpful if they did!
Generally, if you notice that the price is considerably lower than the other ticket prices that are showing from the same airport to the same destination, then you probably have yourself a Flight Mistake Fare.
Be sure to check that it is not simply due to an abnormally long layover (or two). Because if that is the case, then the low price is justified. Nobody wants to have a 48 hour layover on their one-week vacation.
Simple Way To Find Flight Mistake Fares:
- Use Flight Meta Search Engines on Your Own
- Get Flight Change Alerts Using Meta Search Engines
- Get Flight Mistake Fares Emailed To You
- a) Wait For a Flight Fare Mistake
- b) If No Flight Fare Mistakes Are Available, Go To Step 1
- Buy The Flight Mistake Fare Before it is Retracted
1) Search For Flight Mistakes Using Meta Search Engines
Finding Flight Mistakes can be a tricky business. Each meta search engine is slightly different. Some airline companies are displayed on certain meta search engines, and some are not. Some will appear on a search engine this month, and will be gone next month, then appear 2 months later.
Behind the scenes, there is a lot of negotiation going on between the airline company and the search engine company. The disputes usually revolve around commission. If the search engine will not earn a profit, then they generally won’t display that particular airline company to you.
So, what can you do? Search all of them. I know, it doesn’t sound like fun…because in reality, well, it’s not. But I encourage you to do so. How bad do you want to find a Mistake Fare?
I have listed my favorite(s) to help you speed up the process. They are usually the winners time and time again.
List of Reputable Meta Search Engines:
- Skyscanner – Favorite
- Kayak – Favorite
- Expedia – Favorite
- Google Flights – Favorite
- Holiday pirates
- Kiwi
- Justfly
- Momondo
- ITA Matrix
2) Get Flight Change Alerts Using Meta Search Engines
After finding the prices on several flight meta search engines, enter your e-mail to receive updates. Most of the search engines listed above will give you the option to do this. Do it. If any of the flights decrease in price, they will notify you by email.
You do, however, run the risk of the flights going up in price rather than down. So how do you know whether to purchase a plane ticket immediately or wait? Well, you won’t know. I always recommend buying the ticket if you feel it is priced lower than many of the other flights in it’s category.
Meta Search Engine Flight Alert Setup: SkyScanner website says this:
1) Open the Skyscanner app or desktop homepage.
2) Search for the flight that you are interested in tracking.
3) Tap the bell icon in the bottom-left on app (or top-left on desktop)
4) Tap ‘Create’ and you’re all set! You will be notified with any price changes.
3) Get Flight Mistake Fares Emailed To You
The easiest and most effective way to find flight mistake fares is simply to join a membership within a company who does all of the work for you. Yes, these companies do exist. They are experts at what they do. The whole purpose of their company is to find flight mistake fares from all over the world and send them to you (based on the airport of your choice).
Generally, there are two types of subscriptions. Free or paid. To the free subscribers, they will send travel deals. To the paid members, they send epic travel deals! The average person saves $550 per plane ticket by using SCF! This is the Holy Grail of finding Flight Mistake Fares!
It is important to note that you should be signed up with one of these services in advance. For example, if you want to fly to a specific country within the next 30 days, it is probably not going to be very effective if you sign up with one of these companies today.
To utilize these services more effectively, sign up with one of these companies today to receive Flight Fare Mistakes for your trip that will be a few months down the road. These types of services are designed to save you money in advance, rather than as a last-minute service.
- Wait For a Flight Price Mistake – After you have entered your email and signed up for one of these services, simply wait. You will now be on the official list of epic travel deals to be sent to you.
- If No Flight Price Mistakes Are Available, Go To Step 1 – If you live close to a major airport, the chances of you receiving great deals and Flight Fare Mistakes are really high. If you live near a very small airport, the chances of receiving flight price mistakes will be a bit lower. However, it does not mean that you should not use the service if you do not live near a major airport. Usually, with the amount of money that you will save, you can take a taxi to the major airport to catch your cheap flight, and it will still cost less. It shouldn’t cost $500 for a taxi ride to the airport.
If for some reason you did not receive flight mistake fares in your email inbox because of your geographical location, then it is wise to return to step 1, and book the cheapest price available by using the flight meta-search engine.
List of Companies Who Will Email You Mistake Fares
- GOING – Favorite! Members receive an average of $550 USD per flight! (get on their mailing list!)
- DFC – Favorite! Members receive an average of $500 USD per flight! (get on their mailing list!)
- The Flight Deal
- Airfare Watchdog
- Next Vacay
- Lastminute
- Flynous.com
- Jet Radar
- Secret Flying
- Opodo
- Error Fare Alerts
- eDreams
- Justfly
4) Buy The Flight Mistake Fare Before it is Retracted
If you find a Mistake Fare or receive an email that has a sweet deal to your destination, buy it immediately and don’t call the airlines to confirm it! The airline representative will probably put you on hold, confirm everything with their boss, and then come back to you with bad news; “sorry, this is an error in the system. Please choose a different flight”.
But if you buy it, they will most likely honor it because it was their mistake. Don’t give the airline time to correct it by calling them and telling them about it.
The airline site technology is improving every year and the speed at which an airline realizes their own mistakes become faster and faster. This is why it is important to purchase the ticket immediately after its discovery.
Risks of Flight Mistake Fares
I have heard that sometimes the airlines may not honor your purchase. They may email/call you to tell you that your booking has been canceled, and they will refund your money. I also hear that this is quite rare.
I recommend that you just give it a couple of weeks after your purchase before booking the other parts of your trip – such as hotels, taxis, & excursions.
Mistake Fares Just Saved You A Lot of Money, Now What?
There are so many people who have saved a lot of money by using Mistake Fare Services. My guess is that you will be one of those people as well. So now my question to you is ‘how will you spend the money that you’ll save?’
If you are anything like me, you will take that money and spend it on more adventures and activities during your upcoming trip to have more fun! The last thing in the world that I want to do is spend a lot of money on a boring plane ticket. Yuck! I want to spend my money on having fun! My guess is that you are the same way. Have you looked at some of these adventure travel packages? If not, be sure to do so! Best of luck on your upcoming adventure!