NEW YORK, Dec 31 — A computer glitch at Etihad has helped up to thousands of eagle-eyed airfare watchers nab tickets for flights from New York to Abu Dhabi for as low as US$190 (RM 664.34).

First spotted by TheFlightDeal.com on Christmas morning and mistakenly interpreted as a major — really major — holiday seat sale, fares posted were as low as US$187 from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport to Abu Dhabi.

Likewise, long-haul trips from the US to destinations like Johannesburg, Manila, India and Hong Kong were being advertised at half their normal rates, with fares as low as US$600.

A flight from JFK to Seychelles was also listed as US$588.

An Etihad spokesperson confirmed to Forbes magazine that the ‘sale’ was in fact a systems glitch, but that the airline would honour the deeply-slashed fares.

Kicking yourself for the missed opportunity? Visit airfare monitoring sites likeTheFlightDeal.com and Airfarewatchdog.com which post some of the best online fares of the moment. — AFP-Relaxnews