Very last-minute shoppers hunting for travel deals may have struck gold on Christmas Day when a system error caused Etihad Airways to list unusually low fares. A promotion on the airline’s U.S. site showed one-way tickets between New York (JFK) and Abu Dhabi (AUH) priced as low as $187.
The pricing glitch was embedded in a ticket promotion and also affected connecting itineraries. As a result, travelers found bargain fares for journeys that routed through Abu Dhabi to other Etihad destinations, including Johannesburg (JNB).
Etihad has not provided specifics on how many tickets were sold at the reduced prices, but some reports indicate the fares remained available for up to 20 hours. The airline has stated it will honor the discounted tickets purchased during the error.
This is not the first time a major carrier has faced a similar issue. In December 2013, Delta Air Lines experienced a system glitch that briefly displayed round-trip fares as low as $40 for travel between New York and Los Angeles (LAX). Delta also honored the tickets sold at those prices.