Airline won't honour prices it guaranteed

gpark_2

Hi, I paid £42 to KLM to hold some really good prices on some flights.  They sent an email to say they were holding the flights for 3 days and that the prices were guaranteed.  I then paid for the flights a couple of days later and had an email to say they were confirmed.  But the link with the confirmation doesn't work.  However, I an go on to their website and log into my flight and all looks ok.  It's a two stage flight and I can also log into Delta who operate the second part of the flight and all looks ok there too.  I can even choose seats, and add extras etc.

The problem is that I rang KLM to enquire about adding more luggage and they are now saying that the flights are invalid.  That the real price is about 3 times what I have and that there was a technical problem when I held the flights, and another when I paid for them.

I can see both the £42 and the flight costs on my credit card, but they are both showing as pending atm.

Does anyone know how I stand on this?  I mean I have an email saying the prices are guaranteed, not that they are guaranteed if there are no technical problems.  Plus if I hadn't have rang them I wouldn't even know there was a potential problem because all looks well when I log in.

Thanks in advance

k3lvc

Assuming it was an obvious error (and I suspect you know if it is) and the charges are still pending then you're probably out of luck. The use of 'guaranteed' will be subject to any errors.

What were the routes/dates and someone will tell you the likelihood of the prices quoted being anywhere close to being genuine

Westin

I would agree with k31lvc.

There is likely something within their terms & conditions about mistakes and errors, with tickets being cancelled if this occurs.

Was it a to-good-to-be-true fare and you were just hoping it would get overlooked?

gpark_2

It was an excellent price, yes.  Too good to be true?  Not quite.  I can't find the terms and conditions regarding holding the prices so I can't check.  What bothers me the most is that if I hadn't called them, I would be assuming that all was ok.  After all I can see the booking when I log in, seat reservations etc etc.  We would probably have waited until nearer the time and then called them when we didn't get our tickets, and by then it may be too late to sort out alternatives.  As it is, I've booked airport parking and overnight accommodation on the back of these flights, so now I could be out of pocket.  

bagand96

It might be worth posting on FlyerTalk KLM forums to see if anyone there with more in-depth experience has any thoughts or advice.  KLM Flying Dutchman - FlyerTalk Forums

gpark_2

Thank you.  I hadn't heard of this.

CKhalvashi

If it's an error fare (BA sold some flights to Tel Aviv for more than Easyjet and Wizz wanted a few years ago yet claimed they'd made an error, so this may not have to look reasonable) then the airline is entitled to cancel the ticket as long as you're given more than 2 weeks notice.

Some will honour it (I flew to Kazakhstan ex-Milan a few years ago for £27 return, the operating airline either didn't notice or chose to), but many won't. With such fares you don't know if you're getting on the plane until you have a boarding pass at the airport.