A small typo on a plane ticket doesn’t seem like a big deal—until it suddenly costs thousands of dollars.
Some airline rules are important for obvious reasons, such as not bringing weapons with you on the plane and following flight attendants’ instructions.
However, there are other rules where sometimes there might be a little bit of wiggle room. And sometimes they don’t.
Ontario resident Brandon Bowman noticed there was no space between his middle and last name on his plane ticket to Thailand; instead of being “Brandon Rodrigues Bowman,” it read “Brandon RodriguesBowman.” He knew the name on his boarding pass had to match the name on his passport, so he contacted his carrier, Air Canada, to let them know.
The employee told him the typo was minor and there should be no problem.
“My last name and my middle name were joined,” Bowman told CTV News. “I called them and the employee said I should be fine.”
But things were not fine
Two days before his flight, he decided to double-check with Air Canada about the name discrepancy. This time, the airline’s response was very different, as the employee told him his ticket would have to be canceled and rebooked with the correct name.
Bowman agreed.
When Bowman originally booked his trip, his airfare had been $4,958. But, of course, a last-minute ticket costs significantly more, and the fare had jumped to about $11,200—an increase of over $6,000.
He didn’t want to cancel the flight because he had been planning the vacation for months and had already prepaid for several tours and outings. So he agreed to pay for the $11,200 ticket and still had what he described as one of the best trips of his life.
Follow up after he got home – and a win!
After returning home, Bowman felt he should be compensated for the extra $6,000+ he wound up paying because he had, after all, contacted Air Canada and told them the name on his boarding pass was incorrect. So he called the airline again.
A spokesperson for the airline said in a statement:
We reviewed this case and we concluded that the customer should have been advised more clearly about his options during the initial call, which would have remedied this situation.
They refunded Bowman the $6,213 difference in ticket prices. Needless to say, he was thrilled.
Air Canada’s policy for name corrections
All airlines have some sort of policy for minor name corrections. After all, mistakes do happen.
Air Canada’s online instructions for name corrections are specifically for “unused…tickets to correct misspelled first and/or last names, or to match legal travel document, following a legal name change due to marital status or gender change.”
That would certainly seem to cover what Bowman was trying to fix, which makes it puzzling that the first employee told him the combined name wouldn’t be a problem.
A happy ending, but…
When speaking with CTV, a spokesperson for the airline said:
Passengers should always check the booking confirmation immediately after they purchase a ticket to be sure all information is correct, including the itinerary, travel dates, and name spellings.
It’s a good thing Bowman followed up before his flight—otherwise, he might have been stuck paying thousands more for a mistake he tried to fix from the start.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
