Airlines under pressure to scrap ‘ludicrous and unfair’ charges of up to £160 for changing the name on tickets
- Civil Aviation Authority is calling on airlines to make booking terms ‘transparent’
- It says carriers are charging ‘significant amounts’ to correct simple mistakes
- Which? found that Ryanair charges up to £160 to tweak the name on a ticket
Airlines have come under pressure to scrap ‘ludicrous and unfair’ charges of up to £160 for changing the name on plane tickets.
The Civil Aviation Authority says some carriers are charging a ‘significant amount of money’ to correct simple mistakes that are made during the booking process.
What’s more, there is concern that these fees are explained in booking terms and conditions that aren’t transparent.
Which? is calling on airlines to scrap charges for changing the name on plane tickets
Recent analysis by consumer champion Which? has shown a wide range of charges made by different airlines for name changes.
Ryanair passengers have up to 48 hours from booking to correct any mistakes in the spelling of names for free.
After this the price is £115 per passenger, per flight, rising to £160 per passenger, per flight, if changes need to be made at the airport.
The CAA is calling on all airlines to make their booking terms and conditions ‘more transparent’
On British Airways, a simple change is allowed for free up to 24 hours after booking. If a change to a ticket is made after that the airline will collect any extra tax or fees that have been imposed since the original reservation was made. Transferring a ticket to another name is not allowed.
For Virgin Atlantic passengers, a small tweak due to a spelling mistake or if a passenger has legally changed their name the change is free but a transfer to another name is not allowed.
Meanwhile on easyJet, the correction of a spelling mistake or a simple change is free of charge.
A more complicated correction is £20 per passenger if done online or £25 per passenger if done over the phone up to 60 days before travel. Anything after that costs £52 per passenger per flight.
Speaking at an Airlines UK conference, the Telegraph reported Richard Moriarty, CAA chief executive, as saying: ‘Some terms and conditions can feel downright unfair to some passengers – charging a significant amount of money to correct a simple typo made during the booking process, for example.
‘Passengers should be able to make informed choices based on transparent and fair terms and conditions. You won’t be surprised to hear that we would like to see greater openness and transparency, albeit some airlines deserve credit for their policies and approach.’
Mr Moriarty’s comments come as the CAA prepares to publish a report that is expected to criticise airlines that fail to clearly spell out the true price of travel.
Meanwhile, Rory Boland, travel editor at Which?, told MailOnline Travel: ‘Ludicrous and unfair charges that tip the scales in the favour of the airlines over their paying customers are widespread and often firmly rooted in overly complicated terms and conditions.
‘Wizz Air has 15 prompts to wade through when booking a return flight and the Ryanair fees page lists nearly 50 individual “optional charges”.
‘Anyone who has booked a flight will know that the process is a test of endurance and concentration these days so it’s no wonder some of us make a mistake.
‘Not allowing bookings to be modified, changed or cancelled for free, even if it is just correcting a small error, is unfair and should be scrapped.’