Most of the customers were left hanging when out of the ordinary, Qantas made a mess with their pricing that could be termed the mother of all pricing errors. What started as a short window for new travelers to make use of exceptionally cheap first-class tickets has now turned into a complete service issue for the airline.
The price drop surprise
In what appeared to be a normal Thursday for travelers, Qantas issued First Class travel options between Australia and the USA online with prices slashed by as much as 85 percent. The error lasted for eight hours according to the Independent and within that time about 300 internet customers were able to benefit from the prices that were well below the norm.
A luxury deal unveiled as a mistake
Accessorized with extra special amenities such as, sponsored airport lounges, fancy sparkling wines, wide beds, seat with bed sheets, yes even pillows, up for sale at cheaper than the Market Price Rage, these offers lasted for a blink. The Independent noted that Qantas was quick to point out that it was just a case of bad design.
What really went wrong?
Implying that even an airline such as Qantas admits that prices might eventually lose perceived value to consumers, this one ounce liberty top up will cause more harm in the competition. All the same, the independent reported that, the details of the error have never seen the light of the day.
Qantas’ response: A business-class compromise
‘Some Action’ Qantas has taken to address the situation is to provide the affected passengers with a couple of choices; an option of being rebooked into business class without extra charges or going for a full refund. Such measures may be provided as per the terms and conditions of the airline as they are valid in cases of obvious pricing errors, and this is what Qantas has been doing to deal with the aftermath.
A silver lining for business-class travellers
In simple terms, the rebooked clients will still enjoy a fare that is by about 65 per cent lower than the usual business class fare. This is reasonably a bargain compared to the normal pricing. The error was first noticed by online bargain hunters on the OzBargain website where users were very aware of the possibility of the error happening but would try it regardless.
So pleased was one of them, William Fowler, who heard of the deal from a friend and ‘chased’ it up. ‘I am pleased. It is a very good price for business class; it would have been an unbelievable price for first class’, Fowler told News.com.au.
Other problems enhance the level of investigation
This recent incident is not new to Qantas, considering its already bumping troubles with public perception this year. As for the Airlines, earlier within the same year, they were fined a substantial amount for selling seats on flights that had already been canceled a long time ago. The figure included in the agreement with the ACCC was equal to Australian $100 million (£52.7 million). Towers and people who were impacted were also compensated an additional Australian $20 million (£10.5 million).
As Qantas works through this latest issue, attention will be riveted on Qantas efforts on repairing readiness to handle and service its customers.
