Ryanair tops table for rip-off fees as airlines bag £7bn a year through high charges

Airlines are making ­passengers pay up to £160 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 reissued 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 £115 is whacked on, rising to £160 for changes at the airport.

A study by Travel Supermarket found that other airlines also levy large fees. 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 passengers can be forced to pay a series of extra fees before they are allowed to board their flight (Getty)

Ryanair also charges £55 to check in at the airport and £20 to print out a boarding pass. Another study this year found that low-cost carriers make £7billion a year from such extras.

It comes after the Civil ­Aviation Authority criticised airlines charging up to £25 per ticket to reclaim taxes if a booking is cancelled.

British Airways were also criticised for their non-transferable policy, which forces passengers to buy whole new tickets (Getty)

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.