I recently booked tickets through BudgetAir for myself and a friend to fly to Shanghai.
When I checked the e-tickets a couple of weeks later I realised I had added an extra letter to my friend’s surname. BudgetAir said that to correct it I needed to cancel my plane ticket and buy a new one, which would leave me £230 out of pocket. I thought this was a big price to pay, so I contacted the airline in question, Hainan Airlines.
It said it would change the name free of charge if I had booked through it directly, but since I used BudgetAir only the latter could amend the ticket.
How can BudgetAir justify such a huge cost if the airline does not charge a fee? CM, United Arab Emirates
Airlines and travel agents are notoriously unforgiving of typos. Last year, a student changed his name by deed poll because it cost less than half the £220 Ryanair demanded to amend the surname his girlfriend’s stepfather had mistakenly used in a booking.
The official line is that it covers administration and deters passengers from selling on tickets at a profit. The cynical might note that it boosts profits shaved by cut-price tickets.
Your case is complicated by the fact that although your flight number belongs to Hainan Airlines, the flight is operated by Etihad Airways. It’s known as code sharing.
BudgetAir tells me that both airlines initially said that the booking would have to be cancelled for a fee of $250 (£185) and a new ticket purchased, on top of which Budget would levy a £55 “service fee”.
Then Hainan Airlines decided that it could process the amendment free of charge, whereas Etihad Airways declined. Happily, BudgetAir has now realised the absurdity of the situation.
A spokesperson says: “The conflicting procedures of both airlines were making it a very complex and time consuming process for the customer, so we have decided to take matters in our own hands and have taken care of the name change at our own expense.”
If you need help email Anna Tims at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include an address and phone number.
