JAL website hit with glitches after major flight discounts offered

Customers were not smiling after running into glitches trying to access Japan Airlines Co. website and reservation system starting from around 11:50 p.m. on March 8, the company reported. 

They were trying to take advantage of JAL's “smile campaign,” which offers  steep discounts for both international and domestic plane tickets.

The campaign’s first phase started at midnight on March 9, offering certain domestic flights from April 14 to May 31 for 6,600 yen ($48).

Those seeking such bargain fares flocked to the site, causing delays in accessing the system, JAL said.

Only one in 10 customers have been able to access the JAL website, making it difficult to even make a reservation for other tickets, JAL said.

The company has investigated the cause and suspects that a reservation system for flights on or after April 12 is experiencing problems, a representative said.

JAL apologized for the inconvenience.