For about two hours in 2013, the Delta Airlines website advertised $6.90 round-tripflights to Hawaii. Some travelers wait for such mistaken fares, learning of them through airfare websites or social media, and quickly purchase their tickets before the obvious error is corrected. Delta honored the $6.90 airfare for purchased tickets. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a temporary rule that, in cases of mistaken fares, it would not enforce a requirement prohibiting airlines from raising an airline ticket price after purchase. The airlines would be obligated to reimburse the out-of-pocket expenses of those who had already purchased their tickets under the mistaken fare, however. 

Question 

1. Is purchasing an airline ticket for an obviously incorrect, low fare unethical? Why or why not? 

2. As a matter of contract law, what is an argument in support of the DOT’s ­temporary rule? 

3. Is it necessarily obvious in the era of competitive online sales that a low price is incorrect? For example, budget airlines in Europe often have exceedingly low fares for some seats. Explain.