What Do You Do When You Grab a Mistake Fare to Europe and Asia for Someone, And…

Back in May there was an airline mistake deal, New York through Milan and onto Asia for ~ $130. For instance,

When a mistake fare comes along, you have to move fast! You can’t dither, talk to your friends, think about whether you want to travel. You have to act. And buy. Right away.

At the end of the day, you book non-refundable travel far off into the future. And then mistake or not, life intervenes.

Jordan Axani booked one of the Milan – Asia mistake deals and then he and his girlfriend broke up.

Her name was Elizabeth Gallagher and now he’s looking for someone else named Elizabeth Gallagher to travel with. Because the name on the ticket can’t be changed.

I know how it sounds. But Jordan Axani, 27, is really in a bind. Last March, the Torontonian planned an extensive around-the-world trip with his girlfriend, a vegan baker named Liz Gallagher. Then the two broke up. And in a twist straight out of next winter’s big Christmas romcom, he can’t change the name on any of the tickets, so anyone using them would have to have a Canadian passport and the same name as his ex. He’s not asking potential Lizes to stay with him, or even sightsee together, although he “will buy the first round of vino at JFK upon departure.” Traveling Gallaghers would merely be following the same itinerary–the only place they’d be guaranteed to see Axani would be on flights between destinations.

This has now become an online thing, searching for Elizabeth Gallagher.

She doesn’t actually have to have a Canadian passport — passport details can certainly be changed on a reservation! I’d even suggest that a close spelling will do — an ‘s’ in Elisabeth, just one ‘l’ in Galagher should work.

So if your name is Elizabeth Gallagher, or if you want to play the part in the made for TV movie, there’s a frequent flyer (and member of the frequent flyer community) who would like to meet you.

(HT: S.)


About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. A devoted Flyertalker would change their name legally, if they thought they could get a new passport in time to make the trip.

  2. Why not just change the new girlfriends name in the courts. Get a new passport and your set.

  3. As he says, the fellow traveler might only see him on flights. So, why doesn’t the real Liz Gallagher just go? They can make sure their seats are far apart and so not even see each other on the flights. She gets a great trip, and hey, maybe she’ll meet somebody new.

  4. If he really isn’t asking potential Lizes to stay with him, or even sightsee together, why wouldn’t his ex just go? Miraculously she has the same name and a canadian passport…

  5. Sounds like a country and western song. Getting drunk on the plain.

    Put her picture on the seat next to his, eat her in flight meal, as well as his, drink the in flight drinks for both seats, and he will not have to worry about having a large person in the next seat!

  6. I think he just wants attention. In the original article he stated the following about his relationship with his ex: “Suffice to say that she’s an incredible person and remains a great friend.”
    In addition, one can imply she paid for her $130 ticket when it stated they “jumped on it as a Christmas present to ourselves [themselves].”
    If she still remains a great friend and there are no hard feelings, she should just go. Or, how come she is not on the internet looking for another Jordan Axani? lmao.

  7. In my opinion it is totally unethical to “move fast” on mistake fares, just as wrong as “moving fast” and stealing merchandise if you see the back door of a store was left open. What’s wrong with people today?

  8. Doesn’t make sense. If he’s a normal guy, as opposed to some kind of clingy dude out to spite the ex, he’s not in any bind whatsoever. He can travel solo and meet girls of any name in his travels that happen to click with him. It is not enough money to be worth the hassle of screening strangers who may or may not happen to have this name or a fake ID in that name or whatever hinky play he’s making here. If he’s going to see the person and then decide whether she’s hot enough to hang around with, ugh, so creepy….

  9. In the link ‘how to find mistake fares’, ‘This one’ is unclickable. Am I missing something, or did the post linked to finding mistake fares get deleted? Thanks Gary.

  10. Funny – I got this fare (except to PEK). After Wideroe it was just an OK deal as you had to use points to return to the USA. Wideroe was up for at least 48hrs as well but that’s very unusual.

  11. The smartest player in this whole farce is the original Elizabeth who dumped this guy. If he had any class he would give her both tickets and let her go and enjoy having two paid coach seats to herself and an rtw trip absent some publicity seeking jerk.

  12. A few years ago I had a ticket on the BA $20 mistake fare from USA to an European city that I could not use. I searched and found several people that had the same name as me. My offer to give it free was rejected by all of them as they thought it was a scam.

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