Can airlines charge fees when you make a booking mistake?

Simon Calder answers your questions on terms and conditions, US public transport and the best way to deliver a Christmas lamb

Martin had to pay extra after a booking error ahead of his journey to Tenerife (iStock)

Q Yesterday I booked return flights from Madrid to Tenerife on the Iberia Express website, and mistakenly booked the outbound for a day too early. I realised as soon as confirmation was emailed to me. Within 10 minutes, I contacted its booking office by telephone and asked if it would change the outbound flight. I was of course willing to pay the difference in the flight price. However, I was not expecting it to ask for an additional €95 per passenger fee to change the flight.

On the terms and conditions on its website, it clearly states that “Permitted changes can be made freely within the first 24 hours after you make the booking”. My question is: should I have been allowed to alter the booking without a penalty charge?

Martin M

A I am afraid that my reading of the airline’s rules indicates that you are not able to make a free date change on Iberia Express. I agree that the wording could be clearer, but this is what I learned from the terms and conditions. First, the airline specifies: “Most fares that are subject to restrictions do not allow refunds or changes.” This is standard on every major airline. Next, the line that you refer to, about changes allowed free within 24 hours, appears to me to refer specifically to corrections of misspelt names.

Maddeningly, Iberia Express’s sister company, British Airways, has a far more generous policy. If you notice a mistake with your booking after you have paid for your ticket, you can cancel for a full refund within 24 hours, and then book the flight you actually wanted. This system works very well.

Ryanair has a deal which is almost as good: “A 24-hour grace period from the time of original booking, to correct any minor errors (ie incorrect routings/dates/times) free of charge.” Note that this applies if you book direct through the airline’s website. You may not thank me for pointing out that Ryanair flies from Madrid to both South and North airports in Tenerife.

I have made mistakes like yours more than once, and try whenever possible to have someone looking over my shoulder as I book to spot any errors.

Sarasota is pretty... but pretty hard to get to by public transport (Shutterstock)

Q I am travelling to Sarasota on the Gulf Coast of Florida next April, and I would ideally like to make the journey by public transport. Can you advise the best way to do it: flying to either Tampa or Miami and taking a train, perhaps?

Name withheld

A April is a good choice to be on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The summer heat has yet to arrive (April’s average high in Sarasota is 28C), and happily it is the month with the lowest annual rainfall – the only time it dips below two inches a month, and one-fifth of the August peak.

But the outlook for travelling to Sarasota looks bleak. When you ask Amtrak, the US national train operator, for the location of Sarasota station it directs you to the RaceTrac gas station at 5600 Fruitville Road, and warns: “Curbside Bus Stop only (no shelter).” This is not going to be a great American railroad adventure, I’m afraid.

To make matters worse, the former shuttle bus link between Tampa airport (the nearest international gateway) and Sarasota appears to have gone out of business; I have been unable to contact the providers.

I then looked at the ever-reliable Greyhound to see what was on offer between downtown Tampa and Sarasota, and discovered there are two buses a day. But both of them depart before the sole British Airways flight arrives at Tampa airport.

Faced with that, you might be tempted to get a connecting flight to Sarasota-Bradenton airport, which has links from several East Coast hubs. In April I am seeing fares of around £800 from Heathrow via Newark (New York) on United, with fairly good connections both ways.

Alternatively, since it is a only an hour’s drive on good roads from Tampa airport to Sarasota, consider simply renting a car – which you can probably drop off in Sarasota for no extra charge. Fares from London to Tampa for April start at under £300 return for connecting flights right now, on Virgin Atlantic/Delta via Boston or Atlanta. The British Airways nonstop from Gatwick to Tampa would involve a lot less faff but costs around £600 return.

One reader hopes to deliver a delicious feast to London (Getty/iStock)

Q I’m flying from a Scottish island to London (on Loganair and British Airways) for Christmas. I’m planning to take some local lamb from my freezer with me for our Christmas dinner, but will I be allowed to fly with it? And if yes, should it go in my hold luggage or in my hand baggage?

Alison L

A I can see no obstacle to your plan to provide your London hosts with a delicious Christmas dinner – so long as you carry the meat in your cabin baggage. This may not be especially convenient, but it eliminates the risk that the lamb is in your checked luggage and goes astray. I realise this is not much of a danger on the Loganair flight to Glasgow or Edinburgh, but once on the BA plane to London the chance of misrouting increases. Were your lamb to go astray for several days, you would lose the main course at Christmas dinner – and find that your suitcase is not especially fragrant when you are finally reunited.

The standard hand-luggage security restrictions apply. Solid foods are fine, but those with “a high liquid content” are not. So I trust the lamb was frozen from fresh rather than cooked in a stew.

I presume you intend the meat slowly to thaw during the journey; any ice used to pack it is likely to melt during the journey, which will be a problem when you go through security for the British Airways flight as you would then be carrying a liquid. Furthermore you will not be able to take mint sauce through in anything bigger than a 100ml container.

Note that while the cabin baggage limit on British Airways is a remarkable 46kg, on Loganair it is a mere 6kg. In the very unlikely event of a missed connection at the Scottish hub triggering an overnight stay, make sure the hotel room has a fridge.

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