Cathay Pacific Is Honoring Amazing Business and First Mistake Fare

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On Monday, Cathay Pacific published a — what many thought to be — too-good-to-be-true mistake fare. For less than $1,000, Cathay was showing round-trip business-class and first-class fares between Asia and the US. If you were one of the lucky buyers, Cathay Pacific is starting your 2019 off with good news. The airline announced on its Twitter account that it'll honor the "VERY good surprise" mistake fare.

Several TPG staffers were able to hop on the deal, purchasing round-trip ticket's in Cathay's fantastic first class for less than $800. Typically, transpacific fares from New York (JFK) to Asia in Cathay first run around $30,000. So, to say that this mistake fare was an incredible deal is an understatement. Check out these full reviews of Cathay's business class and first class.

With Cathay honoring the mistake, flyers everywhere who were able to take advantage can look forward to the famed products — whether it be in first or business class. And though Cathay is honoring the fare, the airline's joked on Twitter that it's learned its lesson.

Mistake fares are nothing new. And airlines aren't required to honor them. In fact, in most cases it seems that airlines take to canceling tickets purchased as the result of a mistake. Recently, British Airways canceled thousands of mistake fares that priced tickets at just £1. Air New Zealand canceled its $944 round-trip business-class mistake in September 2017, Air France canceled its La Première mistake fare in December 2017 and Virgin Australia canceled sub-$200 fares to Australia. More recently, Delta Air Lines claimed that a mistake fare published on its site for travel on Kenya Airways was "illegal."

With this decision, Cathay joins the ranks of airlines doing good on their mistake — and likely earning some respect from travelers for doing so.