What to do if the last name and first name in the ticket are mixed up

Confused places in the ticket last name and first name – this is a fairly common mistake that passengers make when booking tickets online. Unfortunately, the websites of some airlines or booking systems are sometimes so confusing that sometimes you can think that everything is done specifically to ensure that buyers make mistakes.

What to do if, after registration and payment, you find that you have mixed up the last name and first name in the ticket? Do I need to hand over the ticket, make a change to it, and is the replacement free

Unfortunately, there is no definite answer, and it all depends on the rules of the airline and the rules of the tariff at which the ticket was purchased.

The fact is that if you mixed up the name and surname, the ticket will be considered invalid, and according to the law, for example, according to the "Order of the Ministry of transport of Russia of 28.06.2007 N 82 (ed.from 14.01.2019) "on approval of Federal Aviation Regulations "general rules for air transportation of passengers, baggage, cargo and requirements for servicing passengers, shippers, consignees" the airline has the right to charge the passenger an additional fee for making changes. This is what some airlines use, especially budget carriers, demanding a considerable amount for changes in the ticket, which is sometimes comparable to the full cost of the ticket, and sometimes, absurdly enough, even higher than the new ticket.

For example, the budget A/C "victory" suffers very much from this, leaving passengers no chance of a free change or boarding on an erroneous ticket. So, in order to independently make corrections to the ticket on the site, you will have to pay an additional 5000 rubles. And if you need to do it by phone, you still have to pay for a paid phone call to the airline's support service from 55 rubles per minute without VAT.

But fortunately, most airlines value their reputation, and offer more loyal conditions. For example, S7 aircraft even for economic tariffs allows you to correct the error for free, and Ural Airlines is generally ready to register and board a passenger with an incorrectly issued ticket.

What exactly to do if you find an error

Do not rely on reviews and advice on the Internet, including the above examples for specific airlines, as conditions may change over time, and also depend on tariffs. Most likely, you will not be able to find the answer yourself and in the description of the tariff, everything is too complicated written there. Therefore, as soon as you find an error, you should contact the airline on this issue, and describe the situation. Then you will definitely get an answer: whether you need to change the data in the ticket or you will be put on a wrongly issued one, and if you need to change it, they will help you do it.

You can contact most airlines by phone, through the feedback form on the site, or even better through online chat on the site. However, remember that some carriers, mainly low-cost airlines, deliberately do not add a feedback form or chat rooms on the sites, do not respond to emails, and communicate with passengers only by pay phone.