India: Aviation Ministry says airlines can't charge extra for misspelled names

Union aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju Thursday said that the airlines cannot charge any additional amount for correction in the name of the same person when the person brings it to the notice of the airline after booking the ticket. The aviation ministry sources said that they have received several complaints in the past over the airlines or their agents demanding extra money for making any changes which causes lots of inconvenience to the passengers. The sources said that it is very common in India to have error in the name spelling or its sequence as a lot of new fliers from smaller towns and cities are getting added each day. Also, a bulk of the bookings still happen through the travel agents who may at times may make mistakes. Many of the passengers are also only semi-literate or illiterate, which can also cause errors. <br/>