United Airlines eradicates Denmark in airfare buying frenzy

(eTN) – Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, and United Airlines reacted by wiping it out. In the early hours of February 11 a United.com pricing error quoted first-class, round-trip tickets from Europe to the United States for under 500 Danish crowns (less than $100). This started a buying frenzy after masses of consumers were ticketed flights at unbelievable prices. The error was announced on Flyer Talk’s forum for mistaken fares, and the news quickly spread to other travel fora and onto social media sites.

One consumer proudly announced he got 11 tickets first class Heathrow to Honolulu for $80. Dozens of others said they were confirmed for similar bargains. There was one catch: the credit card holder had to have a billing address in Denmark to be quoted the error. US consumers therefore listed their American address in the billing section of the website, but selected Denmark as the country. There was a mad dash to make bookings before United (and other websites) caught on to the quoting error. I found a round trip business class fare from Heathrow to Detroit on Delta quoted at 453 crowns, which is about $69. My internet connection is in Milan, Italy; some people in the US were having their fares defaulted to the dollar, at the multi-thousand USD price.

As news spread on the internet, potential customers began calling United and complaining that it was unjust discrimination to let Danish people have $14,000 fares for under $100, and insisted United should afford them the same price. These were apparently customers who lacked the skills to book a ticket on the internet and know how to switch the currency to Danish crowns.

Around 11 am, United Airlines put a halt to the quoting error by eradicating Denmark as a country from which billing could be initiated. The big question is whether United will let the erroneous ticketed flights stand. Another is whether the tickets were actually billed in Danish crowns, or if the fares were billed in dollars (the country where United.com is based) whereas the price in crowns was merely a reference, albeit faulty. Another question is if the billing is actually finalized in dollars and the consumers purchased non-refundable business class tickets relying on the currency conversion error, will the buyers be stuck for thousands of dollars? Caveat emptor.

Did Denmark suddenly make their currency 10 times more valuable? Probably not, unless they are copy-catting the Swiss Franc in some way. Will there be any sanctions on consumers who lied and said they lived in Denmark? Or has Denmark suddenly experienced an overnight population explosion? If the passengers emerge unscathed, they can certain thank the good people of Denmark and their currency for allowing this “too good to be true” deal of a lifetime. Unless, of course, Denmark has actually disappeared.

Follow Dr. Anton Anderssen on Twitter @Hartforth.