Links are a Contract/API
blog.moovweb.comGood XKCD on this topic. http://xkcd.com/869/
I had occassion to visit the CBS network website to try to find out the topics of 60 minutes show. I got mobile jailed and they tried to have me download a mobile app. So I didn't watch 60 minutes
So.. in case you haven't noticed..
This post is a clever little advertisement disguised as a blogpost/story. The submitter and author are the same person, selling services for moovweb, which solves the issue characterized in the advert.
You can't claim that links are a contract. At best maintaining links is a courtesy and one you should not rely on.
Having said that I can see why this is annoying and a clear thinking business should allow manual override.
The word "contract" is just a metaphor. Your customer is going to treat a broken link as a broken promise, whether or not you actually made one.
I wish the airline had been mentioned. I don't think leaving their name out will ensure that the site is improved.
Also it is ironic that we are discussing this on Hacker News.
Unknown or expired link.
Mobile browsers can help matters by letting you override the user agent (e.g., with a desktop user agent), to stop sites from redirecting you to their horrible mobile versions.