In a major relief to passengers, Union Civil Aviation Minister Gajapathi Raju on Thursday made it clear that airlines cannot charge extra from passengers for correcting errors in the spellings of their names on tickets.

The Minister made the announcement after getting several complaints from harried passengers against airlines and agents over the issue.For the benefit of all passengers – As per DGCA regulations, Airlines cannot charge any additional amount for correction in the name of the same person, when the person brings this to the notice of the airline after booking the ticket.

“The above is applicable to any error in the name of a passenger while booking a ticket. The correction has to be made without any additional charge,” Gajapathi tweeted.

Sources in the Aviation Ministry explained that the names of passengers are often misspelt because a lot of new fliers, especially from small towns and cities, get their air tickets booked through travel agents and these errors often occur due to lack of proper communication between them.

Sometimes, the passengers are not literate enough to give out the correct spelling of their names, sources added.

While airlines in some foreign countries charge excessive fees from passengers for making corrections, most major global airlines, including low-cost carriers such as Irish airline Ryan air and British airline Easy Jet, allow customers a 24-hour grace period to correct minor spelling mistakes.