An world-regions comedian on Saturday said he was charged nearly $800 million after he tried to buy extra legroom for a recent flight.
Dave O’Neil took to social media to share a payment request of $987,999,999.00 in Australian dollars for booking a seat with extra legroom on a general from Melbourne to Perth. The hefty sum translates to roughly USD$770 million.
“Hey, @Qantas all I wanted was extra legroom on my flight to Perth, very happy to pay for it but this seems a bit expensive,” he wrote in a viral tweet, along with a screenshot of the booking.
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O’Neil said he booked the seat after finishing a run of shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, according to the Traveller website. It was his first flight since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, he added.
The massive price tag was apparently a glitch in the booking system, according to reports. O’Neil said the charge remained on the Qantas booking app over the weekend
Users reacted to the glitch on social media. Some wondered if he accidentally bought the entire airplane.
“I’m sorry sir did you accidentally click buy the plane instead of extra legroom, oh it appears you’ve clicked the ‘buy the plane’ option a few times. Will that be cash or credit?” one user wrote.
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“Yeah, but imagine all the frequent flyer points you just bagged,” another replied.
“Congratulations, you now own @Qantas,” another wrote.
O’Neil was eventually charged the correct amount for the extra legroom, reports said. He called the response on social media “hilarious.”
An aircraft operated by Qantas Airways Ltd. prepares to land at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The airline is currently investigating what caused the glitch, according to a Qantas spokesperson, who appeared to also have a sense of humor about the incident.
“While we know that customers really value extra legroom, the price displayed was definitely a bit of a stretch,” she said, according to the Traveller.