The 5 Craziest Mistake Fares We’ve Found (& How to Book Them)

They're the holy grail of airfare, the North Star of flight deals, the trophy fish of cheap flights: They're called “Mistake fares” and they're the best deal in travel. 

Sometimes, airlines just screw up. Maybe they forget to charge an important tax or fee … or even the fare itself, leaving only the taxes and fees! Occasionally, they forget to add a digit to a business class fare or experience a tech glitch that results in a business class flight to Europe for 5,000 points – yes, that really happened.

Mistake fares happen – and when they do, we make a big deal about it. When we find fares like a $135 roundtrip flight to Dublin or a $410 business class flight to Europe, we send our Thrifty Traveler Premium members an email (and an instant text alert) so they can book ASAP before it disappears. 

We've sent more than 20 mistake fares just since 2020. Check out the best of the best.

1. Chicago & Minneapolis to Dublin from $135 Roundtrip!

Imagine you're sitting at your desk, dreaming of your next trip, and you get a text like that one above. Showing you a fare like this … 

This Air France mistake fare offered flights from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) and Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Dublin (DUB) starting at just $135 roundtrip … in peak summer! That's a far cry from the $800-plus you can normally find on that route. It was clearly a mistake.

But Air France honored these fares! We heard from dozens of travelers who booked this deal a few summers ago – giving them a once-in-a-lifetime bargain on Europe flights. 

2. Turkish Airlines Biz Class to Europe from $410!

Wait … that's a business class fare? For $410?! That's right. Check it out.

Your eyes do not deceive you. This was a real fare sold by Turkish Airlines on their route from Vancouver (YVR) to Istanbul and onward to many cities throughout Europe from just $410 each way – a ridiculous savings and definitely the best deal of 2026 so far. We sent this in early April to our Thrifty Traveler Premium subscribers, who got a text alert immediately. 

You could also book this to London-Gatwick (LGW), Milan (MXP), Naples (NAP), Turin (TRN), and Venice (VCE) for similar prices, too!

We heard from close to 100 travelers who booked this. Unfortunately, Turkish pulled the plug – canceling the fares but giving all of those folks a full refund. But it was still an incredible deal and well worth the chase.

3. Delta to Santiago, Chile for $62 RT!

In terms of shock value, this might be the best mistake fare ever. Delta's nonstop flight from Atlanta (ATL) to Santiago (SCL) was being sold for just $62 … roundtrip. 

The normal price for this ticket? More than $1,200 roundtrip! You'd pay more for an Uber to the Atlanta airport than this flight! 

This fare was honored by Delta, and several of our Thrifty Traveler team members booked it.

4. Biz Class Europe from $1063 RT!

It didn't have the splashy $62 price tag, but this mistake fare might be the best of the bunch. From just $1,064 roundtrip, you could fly from these three American Airlines hubs to cities all over Europe in Lufthansa business class … in peak summer as well as over Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve! 

This deal was honored and many of our subscribers booked it and flew it for a late summer getaway, a Christmas markets adventure, or more.

5. Biz Class to France, Croatia, and Greece from 5K Flying Blue Miles!

This was maybe the most bizarre flight deal I've ever seen. Flying in business class from Montreal (YUL) or Ottawa (YOW) to Provence, France (QXB) in lie-flat business class (through Paris) for just 5,000 Air France/KLM FlyingBlue miles simply broke my brain. Air France normally charges 60,000 miles or more for these flights!

These fares from those cities and Toronto (YYZ) to Zagreb (ZAG) and Athens (ATH) were also insanely cheap – to the tune of 13,500 miles each way! 

These unforgettable fares also weren't honored, unfortunately..

Honorable Mentions: 

It's truly a shame that I capped this list at five, because in just the last four years, we've had a sizzling run of excellent mistake fares, including the following:

• Virgin Atlantic Business Class from New York City (JFK) to London-Heathrow (LHR) for $899 roundtrip
• Delta Nonstop to Lima, Peru from $111 roundtrip
• Delta Premium Select to Madrid from $603 roundtrip
• JetBlue Nonstop to Amsterdam, London, and Paris for $218 roundtrip
• American and British Airways Business Class to London from $218 roundtrip

How Thrifty Traveler Premium Works

So, how do we find these deals? And, most importantly, how do we let you know about them? 

• First, our team of flight deal analysts and experts search from more than 200 U.S. and Canadian airports for the best airfare and points and miles deals around the clock.
• Second, when we find something good, we vet the deal – making sure that it's bookable, that there's no “catch” or “trap,” and that it's a fare that we would book ourselves.
• Third, we put together a flight deal alert and send it to your inbox – and for these rarest deals, you'll get a “Unicorn Alert” or “Mistake Fare” text message first, too! You can also log in to your account to see the deal info and any other deal we've sent. 
• Fourth: You book the deal! No middle man. No waiting. Just you booking the deal of a lifetime. 

And that's it! We're not travel agents and we don't work with the airlines. We just find the deals the airlines don't want you to know about and alert you to them so you can get maximum value out of your stash of miles. 

Plus, we offer a 100-day money-back guarantee for first-time subscribers. If you're not loving the deals you get, you can cancel for a full refund – no questions asked!

Bottom Line

Mistake fares are the holy grail of flight deals, and we pride ourselves on finding all of them for our members. 

That's what our Thrifty Traveler Premium service is all about: Letting you know the second a mistake fare pops up so you can book the trip of a lifetime for a fraction of the cost. 

Start getting deal alerts now, and remember: Our 100-day money-back guarantee means you can try our alerts risk-free!

Get Thrifty Traveler Premium now!