Ryanairs

Families need to be aware of how this could impact their flights home

Certain young people going on holiday with Ryanair this year could find themselves in trouble if they are booked to fly with the wrong ticket type. It can happen to anyone born in 2010, 2014, or 2024. Ryanair divides its passengers into four categories when assigning seats on planes: adults, teens, children, and infants.

The airline is clear online about who qualifies for specific ticket types when they are travelling abroad with the budget carrier. Outlining the policy online, Ryanair says: “For the purpose of defining our passenger types, adults are over 16 years of age, teens are between 12 and 15 years of age, children are between two and 11 years of age, and infants are those under two years of age.”

This applies from the “date of flight departure”. If families are heading abroad and celebrate a birthday, they need to be aware of how this could impact their flights home. Anyone born in 2010, 2014, or 2024 must comply with the rules.

If a child turns two, 12 or 16 between leaving the UK and returning home, they cannot be booked onto Ryanair flights without potentially facing extra charges. It is important for parents to be aware of this before booking their next holiday – or act now if the plans are already in place.

Ryanair adds: “If an infant turns two years of age or a child turns 16 years of age during your trip, you should purchase two one-way flights rather than a return ticket. You may then connect the bookings by contacting us.”

In terms of pricing, teens (aged 12-15) are treated the same as adults for pricing. They may, however, lose any free seat selection that is offered to under-12s.

The airline has a section on its website for customers who have already made a booking and need to change their passenger type. Changing passenger types may incur fees, and it is generally better to update this to avoid issues at boarding.

Generally, swapping a child or teen ticket to an adult is free when done online, but child passengers will lose their free seat selection privileges and have to pay for a new seat when ageing out of the free under-12s seating offer. The cost of doing this varies, depending on the flight service and the newly selected seat.

In other Ryanair news, the budget airline is selling flights to Spain that are “cheaper than buying dinner”, which is great news if you’re looking for a budget holiday. The travel news was recently drawn to the attention of Spain Explore on Instagram, as they were keen to alert people to the deals.

The page claimed the airline has announced routes to Barcelona that are “cheaper than dinner”. After making a quick check, you’ll see that some flights from the UK are pretty reasonable.

THE BOSS of Wetherspoons has hit back at Ryanair after the airline proposed to scrap the beloved airport breakfast pint.

Sir Tim Martin, 71, boss slammed the idea to ban the sale of alcohol before early morning flights as a “Big Brother” approach.

Ryanair boss, Michael O’Leary, recently called for a ban after saying the rise in badly behaved passengers is causing huge problems for the airline.

He said it had become a “real challenge for all airlines” and questioned why punters needed a pint in the early hours of the morning.

O’Leary has also previously suggested a two-drink cap, something he says the airline tends to follow onboard, in an effort to clamp down on bad behaviour by passengers.

But JD Wetherspoon chief Martin said it could lead to passengers being breathalysed and added that any drinks limit would be hard to manage, The Times reports.

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He told the outlet: “It is in everyone’s interests to have good behaviour at airports and on flights.

“A two-drink limit would be extraordinarily difficult to implement, short of breathalysing passengers, and would, in our opinion, be an overreaction — especially since many of the problems stem from incoming flights.”

Wetherspoon also claimed that the majority of its airport sales were not alcohol and any ban would result in passengers buying alcohol elsewhere prior to arriving at the airport.

But O’Leary said the problem with passengers is getting worse – previously the airline would have around one flight diversion a week, which has since increased to “one diversion a day”.

Current rules allow pubs and restaurants in airports to serve alcohol at any time as they do not have to follow the same licensing rules elsewhere in the country.

Passengers drunk on a plane can face being jailed for up to two years, and huge fines if they force a plane to divert of up to £80,000.

It could cost up to £160 if people do not notice this problem before it is too late

Passengers flying with Ryanair have been warned against making one of the most expensive mistakes, which could leave them facing three-figure bills just before take-off. The mistake can be prevented by carefully checking a small detail when booking a flight with the carrier.

In the rush to snap up a bargain, tiny keypads on mobile phones or a simple typing error mean travellers could easily misspell their name when booking a Ryanair journey. However, this could set them back as much as £160 to correct.

As of April 2026, the charge remains in place and is listed on the Ryanair website. Aside from the £100 missed flight penalty, the name fee is one of the highest charges Ryanair passengers can face.

The budget airline operates a policy for amending passenger information that provides a brief window of opportunity should an error occur. However, this limited timeframe comes with specific terms and conditions, according to the Express.

Ryanair says: “Name changes are allowed on all bookings, with full changes possible online up to 24 hours before departure or at the airport up to two hours before, subject to a fee. Free corrections include swapping first and last names within 48 hours of booking or changing up to three characters per name once, up to 48 hours before departure.”

If travellers only spot the mistake after getting to the airport, it could cost up to £160. The policy was previously flagged by Martin Lewis’ MSE team in an article about the most effective ways to dodge Ryanair’s additional charges.

The budget carrier is known for imposing penalties on travellers who go against their policies when booking, including mistakes that can happen entirely by accident. Correcting a minor misspelling – such as jumbled or missing letters – is free of charge, but only if passengers act within two days of making their booking.

Travellers must also have booked directly through Ryanair, not a third party service. Beyond the 48-hour window, passengers will be hit with a £115 fee for a name change, rising to £160 if done at the airport, according to MSE.

Each airline’s policy varies, so check whether your airline charges to fix these mistakes; some may amend small typos for free if reported as soon as possible. The important thing is making sure that the name on your passport matches for boarding, and errors can lead to being denied a place on your holiday.

The MSE team suggested there is a rather drastic workaround to avoid the charge if it’s too late to make amendments without paying £115 or more. Given the typically low price of Ryanair flights, cutting your losses and starting a new booking could actually be the cheaper option.

MSE said: “If you notice errors after 48 hours, it may be cheaper to make a completely new booking, rather than amend an existing one. It won’t always be cheaper, but it is worth checking the cost of a new flight to see if it’s less than the change fee.”

Ryanair confirmed on its website that certain passengers needn’t worry about being stung by the name change fee. Bookings made under a maiden name can be updated at no extra cost.

It said: “If you booked your flight using your maiden/married name, and you update your name in the passport before the date of travel, we will make the name change on your booking for you free of charge. You’ll need to have proof (a copy of your marriage certificate).”