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United Airlines says it will honor free fares given away due to 'human error'

United Airlines says it will honor free fares given away due to 'human error'

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United Boeing 757-200 CC InSapphoWeTrust Flickr
United Boeing 757-200 CC InSapphoWeTrust Flickr

Yesterday, a "human error" by a United Airlines employee allowed an untold number of customers to purchase flight tickets for free. Fares rang up for $0, though those who took advantage of the fluke had to pay between $5 and $10 in airport and security charges. After it became aware of the costly error, United briefly shut down its website and phone reservations to rectify the issue. But the lingering question remained: would the airline actually honor the free trips it had unintentionally given away? Today we've learned that the answer is yes.

In a tweet posted earlier this afternoon, United says that after reviewing the "specific circumstances" surrounding yesterday's gaffe, it has decided to honor the dirt cheap tickets. The airline isn't saying exactly how many people jumped on the deal, but reports indicate the error offered potential flyers a two-hour window to do so. CNN says one man booked four trips to destinations like Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Jose. If other travelers followed suit, United obviously can't be very happy about the situation. But honoring the tickets should earn the airline kudos from those who were lucky enough to get a reservation in.