Passenger's romantic gesture at Zurich Airport ends up costing him thousands of pounds

Love hurts: romantic doodle resulted in an ambulance call-out and a pricey bill

Finnair Airbus 333

A romantic gesture at Zurich Airport in Switzerland backfired after a passenger’s heartfelt efforts resulted in a hefty bill and drama at the check-in desk.

The unnamed man purchased tickets for himself and two other people to Japan on Finnair and decided to add a special message for one guest on her travel documentation.

The Swiss man, who is of Thai descent, scribbled “duang” – the Thai nickname for “sweetheart” – on his female companion’s boarding pass between her first name and surname.

Upon arrival at the airport, however, airline staff informed the woman that she was unable to check-in because the name on her ticket did not match the name on her passport.

Things escalated further when the woman was told she would not be able to change her name at such short notice and would need to purchase a new ticket for a flight the following day.

The three flying companions agreed that the remaining two passengers should catch their flight as planned, and meet the woman in Japan. According to Swiss news site Tages Anzeiger, however, delays at the check-in desk meant the pair missed their flight and had to rebook their trips too.

This proved to be the final straw for the female passenger, who reportedly fainted at the check-in desk. Ambulance staff attended the scene and, according to The Local, she recovered quickly and without injury.

According to its website, Finnair charges a €30 service fee for a name correction and up to €200 for name changes “in ticket types which allow it”. It also states that the name change fee “depends on both the country of departure and destination.”

One of the UK’s most popular airlines, Ryanair, charges a whopping £115 for passengers to change their name on travel documentation, a fee which costs significantly more than many of its low cost flights