Which airlines charge the most for booking mistakes?

Booking flights for June instead of July, misspelling your partner’s surname, choosing flights in the am instead of after work… when you’re DIY-ing a holiday, it’s easy to let little mistakes slip through the cracks.

But beware, some airlines don’t look too kindly upon error – no matter how tiny it seems. We looked at nine popular airlines to find out how much it’ll cost you if you fall foul of their rules.

How much does it cost to change a name on a flight ticket?

Changing the name on a flight ticket can be a costly exercise but while low-cost carriers sometime receive a bad rap, it’s not all bad news.

Most airlines will forgive genuine typos and amend your booking free of charge. And if you’ve recently changed your name (due to marriage or divorce, for example), they will generally change your ticket to match whatever is on your passport – you will just need to prove you are the same person flying and are not attempting to transfer your flight to another person.

However, those who are looking to pass a flight on to another person will have to pay for it. Ryanair will charge £115 to change the name online. This jumps to £160 if you call up to do so. For other airlines, the cost can be anywhere between £35 to the full price of your ticket. Remember, for flights with low-cost airlines, it may be cheaper to book a whole new ticket than to mess around with fees and customer service – so check before you pay anything.

Bigger carriers, such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, do not offer the chance to change names and travellers will need to cancel their booking and start the process again. For more, check out the table below.

Note: This is indicative for economy tickets only and as always, remember to read your airline’s T&Cs before you book.

How much does it cost to change the date of or cancel your flight?

Holiday plans can change. If this happens, airlines generally offer a few options to make the sting of missing out a little easier: you may be able to change the date of travel or cancel the trip altogether.

The easiest way to avoid getting stung by excessive fees is to purchase flex tickets straight off the bat. However, if you’ve gone down the budget fare route, expect to pay a fee starting at around £25 to change your flight. Airlines will generally also add any fare increases to the charge. They will not refund you if ticket prices have dropped.

Similarly, flex fares are easier to cancel for a refund than budget tickets, which are often non-refundable. Some airlines such as British Airways and easyJet offer a 24-hour cooling off period where you can receive a full refund – although easyJet charges a cancellation fee of £49 online and £55 via the call centre to do this.

Some airlines charge to cancel, so it may be cheaper to just skip the flight altogether without actually cancelling. If you go down this route, be sure to read your airline’s terms and conditions carefully first: you may be able to skip out on a flight you no longer want to take, but it may result in a no-show fee and any connecting or return flights may be cancelled, too.

As always, we recommend purchasing travel insurance as soon as you book your flight so you’re financially covered in case you need to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances such as a death in the family.

For more, check out the table below.

Note: This is indicative for economy fares only and, as always, remember to read your airline’s T&Cs before you book.