Hong Kong for $35

By N.B. | WASHINGTON, D.C.

The Chicago Tribunereports that a computer error over the weekend allowed United Airlines customers to book flights to, from, or through Hong Kong for four airline miles, which works out to about $35:

United's online system did not advertise tickets to Hong Kong for four miles. Passengers who clicked on the online system to book a flight but had insufficient reward miles were charged only four miles. Over the weekend, news of the glitch spread on the Internet, prompting many MileagePlus members -- United wouldn't say how many -- to book tickets.

In a statement, United said it has fixed the error and cancelled all unused tickets that had been bought for four reward miles.

Here's what's interesting about this: federal rules actually prohibit airlines from increasing the prices of tickets that passengers have already bought. So United may run into some trouble. United is hoping that the fact it didn't actually advertise the four-mile price might help it escape sanction from the Department of Transportation.

Gulliver often sides with customers in these sorts of fights, but common sense should prevail here. It is hard to believe that anyone who bought tickets at the four-mile price actually believed they were paying the real amount; presumably, the ticket-purchasers all knew, or at least guessed, that they were the beneficiaries of some sort of error. If you bought a ticket at that steep a discount, would you really be surprised if the airline ended up cancelling the ticket? Customers are entitled to be treated decently, and airlines shouldn't take advantage of us. But this incident smacks of customers taking advantage of the airline. The DoT should side with United and allow it to cancel the tickets.