Student Adam Armstrong changed his name rather than pay £220 Ryanair fees after booking error

Something must be rotten in the state of Ryanair when it turns out to be cheaper to change your name and buy a new passport than get the airline to correct a mistake on a ticket. 

 

But that is precisely what happened to Adam West – nee Armstrong.  He was facing a charge of £220 to be able to use a ticket, bought by his girlfriend's stepfather, which accidentally carried the wrong name. 

 

“Her step-dad got my name from Facebook but I had put it as Adam West as a joke, because he was the actor who played Batman on TV,” he told The Sun. 

 

To make sure the trip to Ibiza could still go ahead the 19-year-old student decided to change his name to West by deed poll (for free) and buy a fast-track passport under his new name for £103, saving him more than £100. 

 

Ryanair would have charged double the price of his ticket because his girlfriend India Lomas was on the same booking, meaning the administration fee would be doubled. The charge is supposed to stop people from re-selling Ryanair tickets for a profit.

 

The situation is ironic given Ryanair's recent customer friendly approach…