Here’s an update on my Ethiopian “discount” business class ticket.
If you recall, I took advantage of a great $776 r/t fare in business class on Ethiopian Airlines from Bangkok to Toronto. I have a trip to Bangkok coming soon so this was a perfect return not just in price, but to get back to North America and try out a business class product I have not yet flown.
Many passengers who took advantage of this deal received the following email–
Dear sir/madam
Thank you for choosing Ethiopian!Kindly note that your round trip ticket from Bangkok to Toronto in business class is quoted in wrong amount that is uploaded online mistakenly. Note that the ticket can only be refunded or re priced again and you will pay the price difference. Acknowledge us back with your preference.
We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause.
Regards
Sefanit Mekonnen
I never received that email. But I noticed today that my booking has been cancelled.
When attempting to pull up the reservation on Ethiopian’s website, I encounter the following message–
If I attempt to pull up the e-ticket, I also encounter an error message.
But no refund. No phone call. No contact.
Way to go Ethiopian…
I still may show up at the counter in Bangkok and see what happens. But it appears less likely by the day that I will be able to take advantage of this great ticket.
Sounds like a cultural difference. Western expectations don’t matter in Ethiopia.
Apparently.
For all the complaining people do about how airlines treat customers, I am surprised none of these fares has picked up media attention. I don’t think ANY other business could sell something and come back months later and just cancel it with no reply or even justification other than “oops”.
Exactly…let’s see if we can pick up some attention with this.
So if you show up at the Bangkok Airport Ethiopian ticket counter and they tell you to get lost, do you have a plan B that doesn’t involve purchasing a last-minute ticket on a different carrier home? Such a ticket likely will be a fortune and probably be in economy. I’m curious about your strategy.
Have a flexible award ticket.
I already do!
Award ticket. No way I’m flying home in economy.
Highly predictable outcome.
You goofed up booking it with the carrier as well.
Arguing now, or showing up in BKK the best case scenario with this airline would be a getting a long coach ride instead.
Didn’t Canada state to Swiss that they were required to carry passengers at the quoted Business fare on their CMB screw up? Was definitely on boardingarea a year or 2 ago
Quite the opposite, unfortunately. The CTA ultimately ruled for SWISS. Said consumers were clearly aware it was a mistake fare. Here, however, I’m not so sure…premium fares are traditionally cheaper ex-BKK.
Swiss lobbying dollars paid off with even you repeating the 1% fare BS in your previous post on the subject.
LX representative confirming it as a valid fare didn’t even matter.
If I buy a plane ticket for wrong date, I have 24 hours to figure out I made a mistake or lose all my money. Why shouldn’t the same rules apply to airlines? (We all know why)
This is the bottom line–not a fair policy.
I recently booked a business class ticket home on Ethiopian, JNB to EWR. It took some doing, using miles on United, as most of the flights on offer disappeared when you actually clicked on them. I’ve talked to Ethiopian and gotten seat assignments and a special meal, so I hope my flights actually exist!
I use Ethiopian air regularly. My comment is that when you book on line you either pay using credit card or at agent (within max 72 hours) So did you pay for the ticket? If you did then you would have received your e-ticket which they are obliged to honor if not then they are probaby within thier rights to cancel when they discovered thier error.
Yes, I received e-tickets and credit card charged.
Then they have to honor …
The error is not of your doing.
I had a similar situation with them…bought an economy fuel dump which was all good. No email received, no calls, nothing.
After seeing a bunch of people having their bookings cancelled I checked my own again (for about the 10th time) and got the same error.
Refund at least came very quickly. But I was bummed not to fly ET, I don’t really have many circumstances where I’ll get to fly ET or SA so I was disappointed to lose a trip with each of those airlines this year.
Wow – thanks for this warning! I checked my reservations after reading this, and ET had changed my first flight so that I arrived for my second flight 23 hours after it left Togo, with no replacement flight that day. “To fly the impossible flight….” It will be a little inconvenient to come home via Australia instead, but more reliable, and that’s the best I could do on short notice.
Does Ethiopian belong to IATA: what are the fine print conditions. The business class should be honoured. What is the booking code: z d r j c ? Write the CEO with the Geneva airline convention highlighted. P. Toronto