How much could a typo on an airline ticket cost a passenger?

What happens when someone making a reservation adds an extra letter in their name or accidentally leaves out a number from their passport?

How much do airlines charge for such a mistake in order to make up for it? The holiday website Destinio has compiled a report in which it warns customers that these mistakes come at a price.

The study shows that passengers have had to pay up to 160 euros, adding that airlines have charged more in the past when travellers have had to carry out the process over the phone or at the last moment at the airport itself.

Other airlines are stricter and do not allow customers to change their name, nor their personal details.

Among them, the report mentions American Airlines, Emirates, Alitalia, Binter, Air France, KLM, Delta, Lufthansa, TAP Portugal, Iberia, British Airways, Air Europa, Qatar, Turkish Airlines and Smart Wings.

Although there is an unwritten rule that passengers on domestic flights can board with up to two letters of their name written incorrectly on their ticket, in practice the rules are often stricter.

Certain specific destinations, such as the United States, do not allow any errors on tickets. Víctor Oliva, head of transport at Destinia, warns that: Without a doubt customers struggle to understand this increased cost, and that, even though there is paperwork involved, many airlines could charge a lower price, but instead charge the price of a full ticket as a matter of company policy.

The study highlights that Ryanair is the airline that charges the most to change the name or surname of a passenger who has made an orthographic error: 110 euros per passenger if the changes are made online up to two hours before the flight and 160 euros if the traveller wants to change them over the telephone or at the airport.

Furthermore, the report states that Norwegian allows passengers to change mistakes of up to three letters for free, but for further errors charges 55 euros per journey, an amount that is raised to 100 euros if customers on long-haul international flights wish to change their details online.

Exceptions

With regard to airlines that charge to make up for these errors, it also shows that Alitalia has raised its prices to now charge 60 euros to change up to three letters, through a service only available over the phone. It also doesn't allow passengers to make changes to their name, nor ticketholder.

In the case of Vueling it affirms that it is free to change the order of surnames or to modify them over the telephone, but in other cases it charges 50 euros to modify the names of the passengers over the web (or the price of the difference of the ticket if you have paid for Excellence)and 50 euros if passengers need to change their first surname.

Destinia explains that easyJet charges between 25 and 65 euros in order to change the passenger's name or that of the ticketholder, depending on if the flight is in over or under sixty days' time. The price increases to between 31 and 70 euros, respectively, if the changes are made via telephone.

Likewise, Wizz Air asks for 45 euros per flight to change the name or ticketholder online and charges an extra 15 euros if passengers wish to make changes over the phone.

Furthermore, Volotea charges 40 euros for changes to the ticketholder when processed online or over the phone and 50 euros if the changes are made at the airport, not including an extra fee if the price of the flight has risen.