It's easily done, you're rushing to fill out your details online for a flight to somewhere sunny, click submit, pay and then disaster strikes.
You've made a typo in your own name. Ridiculous, but easily done.
But why then, do so many airlines punish your wallet so heavily for such an easy mistake?
Here is which airlines to be most wary of when you're finalising your preflight details.
Ryanair
Making a mistake with Ryanair could be one of the most costly things you shell out for over the course of your holiday, if you don't act fast. If you booked your flight directly with Ryanair, you'll have 48 hours to correct any mistakes you might have made, but after that a stout fine of £115 per passenger will be applied. Worse, if you only recognise your mistake at the airport, you'll be waving goodbye to £160 instead .
Virgin Atlantic
Maybe the most reasonable on this list. Small spelling errors are free for you to change at any time. Good news for anyone going away to get married, entire name changes are completely free too if you've had to legally change your name , meaning a wedding on the Spanish sands will have one less logistical stress.
British Airways
Almost the same as the above. In the first 24 hours after you booked, if you made a booking in the wrong name, you can cancel it and receive a full refund. For anyone slow to the punch, it's not as simple. You can still change your name , but you will have to foot the bill for any tax or fees that have been made on your booking since you originally submitted it.
EasyJet
Happily, EasyJet will go easy on you for simple spelling mistakes. But if you want to change a name, it will cost you £25 if it's more than 60 days before travel, and £50 if it's 60 days or less. Add on an extra £5 if you want to speak to a real person in the EasyJet call centre.
Jet2
This airline sits just a little in the middle of the road when it comes to mistakes. You can change up to three letters on any booking for free , but anymore will see you paying out to the tune of £35 plus whatever difference there might be in the cost of the ticket since you initially booked.
Change is in the air
There are plenty of people who would agree with you, in fact, most airlines are now under pressure to make changes to the way that they charge people who make simple mistakes.
Chief Executive of the Civil Aviation Authority, Richard Moriarty told the Telegraph: "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."
He added that “Increasingly consumers are simply not going to accept anything they regard as unfair or does not represent value for money.”
