American Airlines cancels 18 mistake‑fare tickets booked for trips to Australia and Italy

American Airlines cancelled 18 tickets that the author had booked on October 9 for family visits to Australia, Italy and a personal trip.

The airline had a 72‑hour window to cancel mistake fares after learning of the error, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 2015 decision said it would not enforce post‑purchase price‑increase rules if the carrier notifies the customer, shows the error and covers the cost. Between 1,000 and 2,000 mistake‑fare tickets may have been issued before American shut down the booking path around September 20‑21, and the system began working intermittently again on September 27, allowing some people to make more bookings.