My daughter and her boyfriend purchased two easyJet tickets on December 23 2006 for flights on 29 July out and 9 August return, East Midlands to Malaga. She then split up with her boyfriend and in early July decided to sell the tickets with a £17.50 each way name change. But when we tried to alter them a £39 flight supplement came up for each ticket. Surely we have already purchased these seats, and paid the name change, so why should we pay the difference in ticket price? EasyJet have already been paid for these last December so why are they subject to an extra charge or supplement?

The other thing we tried to do was give them to friends who have a place in Spain. They tried but were unable to change the names to a different person to return than went out. He wanted his mother to travel with his son outbound, and he would accompany his mother back while his son stayed in Spain but the easyJet website would not let us do this even though you pay £17.50 seperately for each name change outbound and return?

We feel this is unacceptable. Easyjet don't make alterations easy do they? S Wilsher, by email

A press officer for easyJet responds: To change a name on an easyJet booking, you incur the standard admin fee £17.50 per flight plus any fare difference if the cost of the flight has increased.

The reason why easyJet charge the fare difference, is to prevent travel agents and tour operators buying up all of the lowest priced seats well in advance, preventing genuine independent travellers from taking advantage of the lowest fares, and selling them on at a later date at an increased rate and changing the names.

As for changing a name only one way, the booking system associates one person with the full journey in a booking. So by changing the name on your outbound, you must change the name on the return. The only way around this is to make separate individual one way bookings, then you have full flexibility with your name changes.

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