AUCKLAND- Air New Zealand (NZ) initially refused to correct a minor name error on a codeshare ticket with WestJet (WS), telling passenger Alicia Tomchuk she must cancel her $2,700 non-refundable booking and rebook at around $4,000.
After Stuff contacted the airline on December 15, 2025, Air New Zealand reconsidered, coordinated with WestJet, and corrected the name at no extra cost as a goodwill gesture, saving a long-planned 2026 family reunion.
Photo: Clément Alloing
Air New Zealand $4,000 Name Change Cost
Alicia Tomchuk, 38, from Tauranga (TRG), booked return flights directly through the Air New Zealand website on November 1, 2025.
She paid $2700 per ticket to bring her two nieces, aged 19 and 21, from Canada for their first visit since she moved to New Zealand a decade ago.
On December 13, 2025, while arranging travel insurance, Tomchuk noticed one niece’s ticket showed only “Tomchuk” instead of the full double-barrelled surname “Tomchuk Gassner” listed on the passport. She immediately contacted Air New Zealand expecting a quick correction.
Air New Zealand directed her to WestJet because the itinerary included a codeshare flight operated by that carrier.
WestJet responded the same day that the change must be handled by the ticketing airline, Air New Zealand. When Tomchuk returned to Air New Zealand, staff informed her that name changes were not possible on multi-airline bookings.
Her only options were to cancel the non-refundable ticket with no refund or rebook the same flights at current prices, which had risen to approximately $4000, an increase of about $1300 per ticket.
After a full day of calls between the two airlines, Tomchuk contacted Stuff on the night of December 13. “I was told I had to cancel my niece’s flight and rebook. No refund. Close to $3000 down the toilet.
I am so gutted,” she said. She admitted the oversight was hers but added, “people make mistakes. It should be okay.”
Tomchuk had not yet told her nieces. “It would break their hearts. This has been my absolute dream to bring them out here.
I don’t have children so these girls mean so much to me,” she explained, breaking down on the phone. “I’m crushed at the thought of having to pay another $4000. That’s almost double what I paid. I just can’t afford that.”
Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300ER; Photo- Bill Abbott | Wikimedia Commons
Stuff, a New Zealand-based media reached out to Air New Zealand on December 15, 2025. The next day, December 16, the airline told Stuff it would support Tomchuk directly as a gesture of goodwill.
It offered her a full refund or placement of the booking value into credit for a new reservation with the correct name, both subject to current fare availability.
Tomchuk pushed back, questioning the lack of any visible policy on Air New Zealand’s website restricting name changes for codeshare bookings.
“It is very close to 2026, and to not have a system in a digital world to edit a booking is hard to believe,” she told Stuff.
She added, “I appreciate the offer to refund the ticket, but the price increase from $2700 to $4000 is an unfair penalty.
Rebooking the same seat on the same flight wouldn’t incur additional costs for Air NZ, and it seems this situation primarily benefits them.”
On December 17, 2025, an Air New Zealand staff member called Tomchuk and confirmed they had contacted WestJet.
Later that day, she received an email stating: “Both our Air New Zealand team and the WestJet team were able to correct the name on the ticket. You should have received an updated e-ticket.”
Photo: G B_NZ | Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Air_New_Zealand_A320_ZK-OJC_at_AKL_(27804562754).jpg
Why Resolution Required External Pressure
Stuff asked Air New Zealand why the issue was resolved only after media involvement. The airline explained that name corrections are handled on a case-by-case basis and become more complex when another carrier is involved, requiring coordination across systems.
WestJet confirmed it collaborated with Air New Zealand to make the change and apologised for the inconvenience.
A WestJet spokesperson stated: “In this case, where the ticket being issued was on the stock of Air New Zealand, advance changes or updates are best completed by the airline with whom the initial booking was made.”
Photo: Brisbane Airport
Passenger Calls for Policy Review
Tomchuk expressed relief that her niece can now travel on the original ticket and itinerary. However, she remains concerned that many passengers might accept cancellation and lose thousands without challenging the airlines.
“One simple mistake shouldn’t have meant I was on the hook for cancelling a non-refundable ticket and paying an extra $4000,” she said.
According to Stuff, Tomchuk added: “I’m very thankful Air New Zealand reconsidered my case, and I hope this example helps change their policies because situations like this could have devastating outcomes for other families and individuals.”
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