Are error fares legal and safe to book?

Buying a publicly available fare is not illegal, but airlines are sometimes allowed to cancel obvious pricing mistakes. To stay safe, book directly with the airline where possible, avoid non-refundable add-ons until the ticket is confirmed to hold, and do not make unchangeable plans around it.

How do I find error fares?

Use a metasearch to compare the whole market, set price alerts on routes you want, follow reputable deal communities, and keep your dates flexible. Error fares appear and vanish quickly, so speed and readiness to book matter more than any single trick.

Should I wait to book an error fare?

Usually no — genuine mistake fares often disappear within hours. Book first if the terms allow free cancellation or the cost is small, then arrange hotels and onward travel only once the airline confirms the ticket is holding.

How to Find Error Fares and Mistake Airfares Safely

Q: What is an error fare?

An error fare, or mistake airfare, is a ticket priced far below normal because of a mistake — a currency conversion slip, a missing fuel surcharge, or a typo in the fare loaded into the system. They can be genuine bargains, but the airline may cancel them, so they carry more risk than an ordinary sale fare.

Reviewed by the ScanFlyGo team · Last updated: July 2026. Error fares are never guaranteed and can be cancelled — book cautiously.

Quick answer

An error fare is a ticket priced far below normal because of a mistake in how the fare was loaded. You find them by comparing the whole market, setting price alerts and moving fast when one appears. Book them safely by paying directly with the airline where you can, holding off on non-refundable hotels until the ticket is confirmed, and never building unbreakable plans around a fare that could be cancelled.

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What an error fare actually is

Airfares are complex, built from base fares, taxes, surcharges and currency conversions loaded into distribution systems. When one of those pieces is entered wrong — a missing fuel surcharge, a decimal in the wrong place, or a bad exchange rate — a route that should cost several hundred can briefly show for a fraction of that. That is a mistake airfare. They are real, and people do fly on them, but they exist by accident, which is exactly why they carry more risk than a normal sale.

How mistake fares happen

Cause	What goes wrong
Currency slip	A fare is loaded in the wrong currency or at a bad conversion rate
Missing surcharge	Taxes or fuel surcharges are left off the total
Typo	A digit is dropped or misplaced in the fare filing
System glitch	A promotion or code applies more discount than intended

How to find them

Compare the whole market. A metasearch surfaces an outlier price faster than checking one airline at a time.
Set price alerts. Let a tool watch your routes and tell you when a fare falls off a cliff.
Follow reputable deal communities. Established flight-deal sites and forums often spot mistakes within minutes.
Stay flexible. The best error fares rarely match your ideal dates; flexibility is what lets you pounce.

Speed matters more than cleverness. By the time a mistake fare is widely shared, the airline may already be fixing it.

Booking one safely

The golden rule is to protect yourself against cancellation. Where possible, book directly with the airline rather than a third party, since a direct ticket is often easier to resolve if there is a dispute. Do not book non-refundable hotels, tours or connecting flights on separate tickets until you are confident the airline is honouring the fare — many people wait a few days to a week to see whether the booking holds before spending another cent.

Read the fare rules, keep a screenshot of what you paid, and be prepared for the possibility that the ticket is cancelled and refunded. If you treat the trip as a bonus rather than a certainty, a cancelled error fare is a disappointment rather than a disaster.

Know the risks going in

Airlines are sometimes permitted to void obvious pricing mistakes, and consumer protections vary by country and change over time, so there is no universal promise that a mistake fare will stick. Avoid paying extra for seat selection, bags or insurance until the base ticket is secure, and never make an unchangeable commitment — a wedding, a cruise, a non-refundable event — that depends on a fare you got by luck.

Frequently asked questions

What is an error fare?

A ticket priced far below normal because of a mistake in the fare — a currency slip, missing surcharge or typo. A real bargain, but one the airline may cancel.

Are they legal and safe to book?

Buying a public fare is not illegal, but airlines can sometimes cancel obvious errors. Book direct, avoid non-refundable add-ons early, and keep plans flexible.

How do I find them?

Compare the whole market, set price alerts, follow reputable deal communities and stay flexible on dates. They appear and vanish quickly.

Should I wait to book?

Usually not — genuine mistake fares often disappear within hours. Book first if terms allow, then arrange the rest once the ticket is confirmed to hold.

The bottom line

Error fares are one of the few ways to fly somewhere for a fraction of the usual price, but they reward preparation and caution, not blind excitement. Compare broadly, set alerts, act fast, and never risk money or plans you cannot afford to lose. Start a live search on ScanFlyGo, watch popular routes, and track your flight once you are booked.

Some links on ScanFlyGo are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Error fares are never guaranteed; airlines may cancel obvious pricing mistakes.