El Al $400 Israel-New York fare error

[Blackadder]

Oops! Israeli airline accidentally lowers airfares by $1200, sells 5000 tickets in three hours - Armchair Traveller

Israeli airline El Al has made a costly and embarrassing mistake thanks to the joys of the internet.
The airline accidentally posted round-trip tickets between New York and Israel for just $400 on Monday. Within three hours, 5000 people had bought the discounted tickets, which would normally go for around $1600.
The error turned out to be a godsend for many Orthodox Jews with larger families looking to visit relatives in New York, some even buying tickets for their unborn children, the New York Post reports.
"I booked me, my wife, her parents and her three brothers," one buyer said.
"Then I booked my in-laws again for March, my wife's first cousin who's married with three children, his mother-in-law, my wife's aunt, her husband, and two kids."
As you'd say in Hebrew, the whole "mishpacha".

 

[tuapekastar]

*pops over to FT to check whether it was publicised there, and what legal actions will be threatened should El Al fail to honour the tickets*

 

[anat0l]

This might be offensive to some with religious or racial sensitivities, and I do apologise in advance, but can anyone see a Jewish stand-up joke with these really cheap airfares just waiting to be told?


Word has it on the FT wires (genuine!) that El Al will honour all tickets. I think the rumour going around is that the $1200 was the YQ, which for some reason was not loaded onto the system.

 

[smit0847]

This might be offensive to some with religious or racial sensitivities, and I do apologise in advance, but can anyone see a Jewish stand-up joke with these really cheap airfares just waiting to be told?

I was thinking exactly the same thing....

 

[yohy?!]

cue lame "im not racist but...." jewish cracks

 

[tuppaware]

Pam Ann made a Jewish joke last night, she said it was ok because a Jew told it to her! <off topic>

 

[oz_mark]

Word has it on the FT wires (genuine!) that El Al will honour all tickets. I think the rumour going around is that the $1200 was the YQ, which for some reason was not loaded onto the system.

Crikey! What is in their YQ that would get it to $1200?

 

[anat0l]

Crikey! What is in their YQ that would get it to $1200?

Where does most of the world's oil come from? How rosy are relations between themselves and Israel?


Alright, all facetiousness aside.... well, to be fair that is the YQ for a return ticket. Put all in perspective and it actually starts to feel quite close to home.

 

[oz_mark]

Where does most of the world's oil come from? How rosy are relations between themselves and Israel?

YQ in and of itself is just a carrier surcharge, and need not be a fuel surcharge. Some airlines (e.g. AA,CX) use the code YR for fuel surcharge.

 

[anat0l]

YQ in and of itself is just a carrier surcharge, and need not be a fuel surcharge. Some airlines (e.g. AA,CX) use the code YR for fuel surcharge.

Much realised (YQ is commonly fuel surcharge and YR is commonly carrier-imposed surcharge, e.g. credit cards); I was just trying to be a bit facetious.

 

[serfty]

A better way to put it is that YQ and YR are codes reserved carriers to indicate within a PNR that 1) they have imposed their own charges and 2) how much.