Tigerair’s 99-yuan Okinawa tickets sold out — netizens blame “engineers for forgetting to release them”

Every time a low-cost airline holds a major promotion, it’s the moment netizens scream in frustration. Taiwan’s Tigerair launched a limited-time Christmas flash sale yesterday (22nd) morning, attracting hordes of users scrambling for tickets. But as soon as bookings opened at 10 a.m., no one could get any — prompting an outcry online. “Did the engineers forget to put them up?” “Are my eyes so sinful I didn’t see the deal?” The difficulty of snagging a ticket went without saying.

This Tigerair promotion required customers to book a round-trip ticket in one go, with discounted return fares. Flights from Okinawa back to Taipei started at 99 yuan (excluding tax), while flights to Haneda and Fukuoka started at 999 yuan (excluding tax).

A netizen posted on PTT that Tigerair’s 24-hour promotion ran from 10 a.m. on December 22 to 9:59 a.m. on the 23rd. Travel dates were valid from December 22 through March 24, 2018, but you had to book a round-trip ticket to get the discounted return fare. Flights from Okinawa started at 99 yuan (excluding tax), Haneda at 999 yuan, and Fukuoka at 999 yuan (excluding tax). In other words, the outbound leg had to be purchased at the regular price.

The post sparked heated discussion among netizens. Those who failed to grab a ticket lamented bitterly: “Feels like there was no discount at all.” “Did the engineers forget to put them up?” “Are my eyes so sinful I didn’t see the deal?” However, some users cheered, pointing out, “There were 99-yuan tickets to Okinawa in early January,” and “The discounted tickets were released.”

According to Apple Daily, Tigerair stated that the Christmas-season promotion was limited in quantity and available for only 24 hours. The airline also shared the offer details on its official Facebook page. Due to the intense rush, not many discounted tickets were left.

People who tried to book tickets online that day said the process involved waiting at one stage before moving to the next. When she realized that even after a long wait there was no guarantee of getting one of the limited tickets, she quickly gave up. As someone who often keeps an eye on low-cost carrier promotions, she felt this Tigerair sale wasn’t particularly attractive — and she wasn’t too upset about missing out.