Booking flight travel can be stressful enough without having to worry about getting the passenger names right.

But for Australian low-cost carrier Jetstar customers, naming mistakes can prove costly. Jetstar has tough rules and heavy fees for changing passenger names after booking 

Jetstar operates a tough policy for name changes on bookings, especially for their cheapest lead-in “starter” fares. This no-additions carrier relies heavily on additional fees, including charges for booking changes. Their name change rules are:

• Starter fares – No name changes are allowed under any Condition You must cancel and rebook.

•  More expensive fares – Name changes sustain a fee of $129 per passenger on domestic flights or $299 on international flights.

This policy contrasts with most full-service airlines, which allow complimentary name changes on bookings. Jetstar fees are considered excessive compared to the basic cheap airfare. Their non-flexible rules often lead to customer complaints and frustration. 

As a component of its low-cost business strategy, Jetstar defends its stringent naming policy. Here are a few of the causes:

• Keeping costs down: Manually processing name changes incurs staffing and administrative costs for Jetstar. Having expensive fees helps to balance this.

• Preventing the misuse of name changes: If free name changes were permitted after booking, some travelers could attempt to switch to a less expensive fare.

• Creating ancillary revenue: Jetstar is able to offer lower base fares thanks to revenue from add-on fees. Name change costs are a significant source of income.

• Fraud prevention: Tighter regulations aid in preventing fraudulent reservations and ticket resale.

While this keeps Jetstar's low-cost pricing, many consider the name policy to be excessive in comparison to most other airlines today.

Jetstar's policy for changing passenger names on bookings depends on the basic fare purchased.

Basic Fees

Jetstar “Basic” fares have the most severe restrictions:

• No name changes are allowed at all

• The booking must be canceled and rebooked under the exact names

• This applies to both domestic and international Basic fares

• No exceptions granted, even for minor spelling errors

You cannot change the passenger name on a starter fare booking. You must cancel and rebook from scratch.

Cheaper Fares

On more expensive “Cheap” fares, Jetstar does permit name changes, but a heavy fee applies:

• $129 per passenger on domestic flights

• $299 per passenger on international flights

• There is a fee for each name change, not for each reservation.

•  If changing more than one passenger, each passenger will be charged separately.

• The new name can be used as long as the name change charge is paid.

•  There is no guarantee of fare or seat availability if the booking is canceled and rebooked

So, each name change gets a separate fee based on the number of passengers affected. 

Other Fare Types

Jetstar’s other fare categories, like Business Max and Premium Economy, have similar rules to Flexi fares:

• Name changes are allowed with a fee per passenger

• No changes on discounted sale fares

• Business Max fares have a $50 discount on the name change fee

Always check the specific fare rules before booking tickets with Jetstar. Their cheaper fares tend to have the most severe name change restrictions.

Realted Topic: Jetstar Flight Cancellation Policy