Still Hope in the United Airlines London to US Flights?

Yesterday I wrote that United Airlines decided not to honor their ridiculously cheap fares from London to US cities. These fares were available Wednesday morning until around 10am by going to the Denmark United site. You could grab a flight starting in London for anywhere between $45-$85, and first class was included! By fare one of the best mistake fares I’ve seen, but whether or not it is honored is still up in the air.

While United made a statement the same day that they are canceling on flights booked with this mistake fare, the DoT has various protection rules in the customers favor. Ultimately they state that any flights departing from, connecting through, or returning to a US city cannot have a fare increase once the flight is purchased. There are some caveats to it that the fare quoted must be the same price you paid, which was the case in this situation.

The DOT put out a statement that they are still investigating the complaints they’ve received and the issue. In the past, the DOT has allowed airlines to cancel reservations when it is clear that passengers have manipulated information during making the reservation. This is the grey line here since you needed to go to the Denmark website and put Denmark in at the billing screen. While I took advantage of the fare, it was my husband who booked them since I was not near a computer during the time period so I am not 100% sure what actually he agreed to in the terms by including a Denmark address.

Even though you might have already received a cancelation email from United (I still have not received it), the DOT is still investigating the issue. The DOT has final say on whether or not United has to honor the fares. Here is their official statement regarding this:

While I wouldn’t bank on the DOT forcing United to honor the fare, there is still some hope. I also wouldn’t book position flights until further notice. If you want to file a complaint with the DOT you can do so here. If you do decide to file a complaint, make sure to file a separate complaint per passenger and reservation.