Airlines are making passengers pay up to €180 to correct or change a name on a ticket, prompting calls for a crackdown on rip-off fees.
Basic services like checking in at the airport or having a boarding pass re-issued can also hit travellers hard in the pocket.
Ryanair allows 48 hours to make name changes after a booking. But after that a charge of €128 is whacked on, rising to €180 for changes at the airport.
A study by TravelSupermarket found that other airlines also levy large fees (see table).
And British Airways and Virgin Atlantic tickets are non-transferable so passengers must cancel and rebook.
Changes and corrections are often needed for group bookings if one person drops out to be replaced by another.
Confronted with Ryanair’s fee after a booking error, student Adam Armstrong even changed his name by deed poll and got a new passport because it was cheaper.
Ryanair also charges €61 to check in at the airport and €22 to print out a boarding pass.
Another study this year found that low-cost carriers make €8billion a year from such extras.
It comes after the Civil Aviation Authority criticised airlines charging up to €27 per ticket to reclaim taxes if a booking is cancelled.
TravelSupermarket said such “excessive” charges caused “a lot of anger and resentment” to passengers.
Ryanair did not comment but industry body Airlines UK said carriers offered “value and choice” and enforcing the rules helped keep fares down.
