Chinese airline to honour US$1.30 flight tickets sold during glitch

Chinese service China Southern Airlines stated on Thursday it will honour the sale of tickets priced as cheaply as US$1.30 throughout a two-hour technical glitch on its cell phone app and a few ticket-booking platforms late on Wednesday.

Consumers started reporting on Chinese social media at round 8 p.m. on Wednesday that many flights to and from the southwest metropolis of Chengdu have been obtainable at 10, 20 or 30 yuan (US$1.37-US$4.12) on China Southern’s app.

One screenshot circulating on-line confirmed a ticket from Chengdu to Beijing priced at solely 10 yuan (US$1.37), in comparison with the traditional minimal worth of 400 to 500 yuan (about $55 to $69). Other on-line screenshots indicated a budget costs have been supplied for about two hours on the service’s app in addition to throughout a number of ticket-booking platforms, together with market chief Trip.com.

On prime of that worth, patrons have been required to pay a minimum of a further 110 yuan (US$15) in airport charges and gasoline surcharges.

“Passengers can use them as normal,” Guangzhou-based China Southern stated, on the proviso that tickets have been already paid for and issued.

Reporting by Sophie Yu and Casey Hall; Editing by Bernadette Baum