Hong Kong Airlines Wants a Favor in Exchange for Mistake Fare
Airline mistake fares still happen on a regular basis, but the rare breed nowadays is the airline that honors the must lucrative mistake fares.
In situations where the prices are ridiculously low, airlines argue that passengers should have known it was a mistake and cancel the bookings accordingly. Hong Kong Airlines set itself apart when it chose to honor $600 round-trip flights from the US to Asia last year. Even better, folks were able to book the carrier's brand new Airbus A350.
Hong Kong Airlines was light-hearted and timely in honoring the fares, the perfect recipe if you want to build some good mojo with customers. Since honoring the fare, they've asked those lucky customers to do them a favor. When you score the deal of a lifetime on a business class ticket to Asia for less than the price of most coach tickets, doing a favor for the airlines seems worth considering, right?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BstPcmgnkcm/
Just a couple of pictures and some hashtags, that's easy enough. We checked out the hashtags on file and found a few of our favorites to share:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsrUW0ahXnh/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuCKBsaAeEt/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsrr7z_hkhw/
The Bottom Line
Deals like this don't come along very often. The Airbus A350 is a pretty special new plane that many travelers haven't gotten to experience yet. The TPG team has been busy reviewing it for you. Don't judge, but we may have used one of those awesome mistake fares ourselves to score a look at the business class product on the A350. TPG Global News Editor Emily McNutt got to ride up front and show us how the business class looks. Senior Points & Miles Editor JT Genter drew the short straw and got to test out the back of the plane.
Hong Kong Airlines has done a great job handling this mistake fare. The airline was honest with customers and responded in a timely manner.
And, they honored the fare! Most carriers in similar situations haven't done the same. The fact that they continue to find a way to capitalize on the mistake while providing customers with a smile is a sign that Hong Kong Airlines might be an airline you want to consider in the future.
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