Air travellers with busy and changing lives should follow one golden rule to minimise the cost if they need to change their flight.
As the cost of living crisis continues to get worse and most Brits continue to tighten their belts, the temptation to opt for the cheapest flight available is only going to get stronger.
In addition to an uncomfortable seat and minimal inflight extras, going budget leaves you open to big extra costs down the line - and not only in the form of a baggage allowance so small you're forced to stump up for another bag at the check-in desk.
The cheapest tickets tend to come with a big fee for rescheduling, meaning they can end up costing a lot more if you have to change a name, departure date or flight time.
Before booking make sure you check out exactly how much it will cost you to make an adjustment, and whether going for a more premium option with lower extra costs will help you sleep better at night.
If the information isn't clear online, then ask your travel agent or call the airline's customer helpline.
It is almost always cheaper to make changes online if you've booked with an airline directly rather than over the phone or at a help desk in an airport.
It may be worth exploring other ticket options with your preferred carrier rather than ditching the budget airlines altogether.
For example, Ryanair now sells passenger-friendly 'Flexi Plus' ticket which has no change fees, while easyJet's Flexi fare allows free flight changes a day either side of your original departure.
If you don't go for one of these options, then you should be prepared to fork out the following amounts:
British Airways change fees
BA now charges £30 for changes to tickets over the phone, and £40 at airport ticket offices.
Until June the company had a generous pandemic policy which allowed passengers to change their dates, destination or even cancel altogether for no fee.
For bookings made before 7 June 2022 for flights due to depart before September 30, the change booking fee will still be waived.
Ryanair fees for changing booking
Ryanair allows passengers to change their flight date and route up to two and a half hours before they depart, and the name two hours before - at a cost.
If you make changes online the fee will be £45 per passenger, per one way flight.
If you contact the company's reservation centre to make a change or ask for the change at the airport ticket desk, the fee will be £60 per passenger, per one way flight.
Customers who have booked their flight directly on the Ryanair website have a 24 hour grace period from the time of original booking, to correct any minor errors such as dates and times free of charge.
easyJet change fees
The budget airline charges £49 online and £55 over the phone for cancellations and name changes made within 24 hours of booking.
Changes to flight times and dates cost £25/£30 if made 45 days before departure, and £42/£47 if made in a shorter time frame than that.
There is no charge for title changes and spelling mistakes.
Jet2 fees for changing booking
Jet2 charges a flat administration fee of £35 for all changes to tickets, including date, time and names.
You can correct genuine spelling errors for free.
Wizz Air changes
Changes to your Wizz Air reservation must be completed up to three hours prior to the scheduled departure time of the flight.
Changes cost £27 if made 30 days or more before departure, £31 between seven days and a month before departure, and £35 if made within the week before.
TUI fees for booking changes
If your situation changes and you’re unable to travel to your holiday destination due to a number of coronavirus related reasons, TUI lets you make a fee-free change right up until your day of departure.
In all other cases you'll need to pay an amendment fee for each person named on the booking and for every booking detail which you change.
Change to a name, passenger or passenger type costs £25 and changing date and time costs £50.
Cancelling or moving a holiday with TUI costs different amounts depending on when you make the change.
Virgin Atlantic costs for booking changes
With restrictions easing and travel becoming easier once again, the company's Covid-19 flexible booking policy came to an end on 23 June 2022.
Virgin Atlantic Airways do not charge a change fee if you change a flight within 24 hours of purchasing your ticket.
To find out how much a change will cost you need to contact the airline directly and they'll give you a price.
