United Airlines Flight Reservations Error: $5 Tickets Caused By Computer Glitch Will Be Honored
United Airlines quickly took responsibility after the company's website incorrectly listed ticket prices as low as $5 Thursday.
The airline said in a tweet that customers would still be able to pay the lower prices, a move that could help maintain the company's reputation.
"We've reviewed the error that occurred yesterday and based on these specific circumstances, we will honor the tickets," the tweet said.
People have already commended United for honoring the tickets. On Twitter, news of the tickets spread quickly, but so did the news about the company honoring the tickets.
"Good for them," tweeted Callie Schweitzer, who serves as the Director of Digital Innovation for TIME. "Bravo!" said Anthony Quintano, the social media manager for Verizon Wireless.
The move by United was particularly applauded because airlines are not required to honor incorrect ticket prices.
A man told CNN that he told all of his friends as soon as he found the lower priced flights. They said they spent the next hour booking personal flights to Hawaii and the West Coast.
Nancy Ilk, from Minneapolis, Minn., booked flights to Houston and Washington in October and only had to pay $10, according to USA Today. The $10 was for a 9/11 security fee.
CNN was told that the situation lasted for a few hours.
The Chicago Tribune said that United Airlines shut down the website for a brief period of time while they fixed the fares. The website was back up by the middle of the afternoon with the normal prices back in place.