Recently, I scored a crazy airfare — Myranmar to Japan to Switzerland to New York to Quebec, all in first class, for $593. My card was charged, I got a ticket number and confirmed itinerary and all seemed good to go.
Then a week later, I got this email from Swiss International Airlines, on whose “stock” the ticket was issued:
Dear Sir/Madam,
We are writing in regards to the travel you recently booked with Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. from Yangon (RGN), Myanmar. Unfortunately, as you must have been aware of, the fare you purchased was incorrect and resulted from an inadvertent error that was out of our control. While SWISS honors its commitment to the highest level of customer service and safety in air travel, it must also honor its obligations to its employees and shareholders.
We are not obligated to provide our services for compensation that is obviously erroneously published and commercially infeasible. We are aware that good travel bargains are quickly recognized and booked, however principles of fare bargaining dictate that a service provider does not give away its services for almost free or at a loss.
Because the fare you booked was not valid, we will unfortunately have to cancel your reservation and ticket. We are extremely sorry for this error and we are not increasing the price of your ticket; rather we will promptly issue you a full refund for the total price you paid for the ticket. The full amount will be automatically credited using your original form of payment. In the event that you would like to rebook your itinerary at the appropriate price, please contact your nearest SWISS service center or your travel agent.
SWISS deeply regrets the inconvenience caused by the publication of the erroneous fare to the passengers who may have thought they had booked and purchased a valid ticket for an erroneous cost. We apologize for this unfortunate situation and trust your future travel on SWISS is comfortable.
Sincerely,
Swiss International Air Lines Ltd.
Pretty fucked, huh? Well, Swiss’ conduct is not only fucked — it’s illegal! It violates U.S. law 49 U.S.C. 41712 § 399.88(a), which states:
A contract of carriage provision that reserves the right to cancel such ticketed purchases or reserves the right to raise the fare cannot legalize the practice described above. The Enforcement Office would consider any contract of carriage provision that attempts to relieve a carrier of the prohibition against post-purchase price increase to be an unfair and deceptive practice in violation of 49 U.S.C. § 41712.
To put this into layman’s terms, it is illegal for a carrier to sell and issue a ticket, regardless of the price, and then cancel the ticket on the grounds of said price being too low. The fact that Swiss invokes its shareholders as a means for violating U.S. law adds further questionability to its claim.
Whether you have been screwed over by Swiss or another airline, head on over the complaint form at the DOT website to file a complaint about an airline that has broken DOT rules.
Hold airlines accountable!
Robert Schrader is a travel writer and photographer who’s been roaming the world independently since 2005, writing for publications such as “CNNGo” and “Shanghaiist” along the way. His blog, Leave Your Daily Hell, provides a mix of travel advice, destination guides and personal essays covering the more esoteric aspects of life as a traveler.
