Can airlines charge fees when you make a booking mistake?

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Martin had to pay extra after a booking error ahead of his journey to Tenerife (iStock)

Q Yesterday I booked return flights from Madrid to Tenerife on the Iberia Express website, and mistakenly booked the outbound for a day too early. I realised as soon as confirmation was emailed to me. Within 10 minutes, I contacted its booking office by telephone and asked if it would change the outbound flight. I was of course willing to pay the difference in the flight price. However, I was not expecting it to ask for an additional €95 per passenger fee to change the flight.

On the terms and conditions on its website, it clearly states that “Permitted changes can be made freely within the first 24 hours after you make the booking”. My question is: should I have been allowed to alter the booking without a penalty charge?

Martin M