Error eliminates fuel charge on United

Temporary glitch saved lucky passengers as much as $130 per round-trip

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updated 6:05 p.m. ET May 15, 2008

CHICAGO - Passengers booking flights on United Airlines got a one-day reprieve from paying the carrier's fast-rising fuel surcharge due to what United says was an error.

The mistake saved lucky customers as much as $130 per round-trip on United's domestic flights — the maximum the airline charges for its fuel surcharge.

United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski says the fuel surcharge was inadvertently eliminated for domestic flights booked Thursday due to a clerical error. The mistake was to be rectified Thursday night.

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Urbanski says any customer who booked a flight without the usual surcharge will not be charged for it later.

The airfare research site FareCompare.com, which publicized the error, says the surcharge was rolled back as of 12:30 p.m. EDT and would remain absent for any flights booked before midnight.