Business travel is a critical activity involving thorough planning and implementation of a travel plan. A perfect travel itinerary and effective travel booking process ensure a smooth travel experience. The planning should focus on organizing travel essentials such as airline tickets to prevent last-minute confusion. Seasoned business travelers double-check every minute detail of the air ticket, such as the correct name of the traveler, date, and seat number. A spelling mistake or name change after the booking date may require a correction to avoid confusion while boarding the flight. You may wonder, can you change the name on a plane ticket in such a situation? The simple answer is yes, you can. Knowing how to change the name on a flight ticket helps you take timely corrective action for a hassle-free travel experience.
Is name change allowed on flight tickets?
Minor changes in the name is allowed by airlines. Typos or misspellings are common, and correcting such mistakes is logical as the airline ticket must reflect the legal name. Marriage is also a plausible reason for the name change on the air ticket. A recent marriage can result in a name change that may not appear in government records instantly. Airlines allow you to change the name on producing a marriage certificate. Most people prefer using their maiden name if they travel soon after the marriage because it may require months to change the name in the official records and passport.
Changing names for flight ticket transfers is not usually allowable. Security is an important reason to disallow name change for transferring a ticket to another individual. The airlines forward travelers’ details to TSA for verification and screening at checkpoints. The security personnel will not allow the person if the original name at the time of booking is of another individual.
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What are the major airlines’ policies on name changes?
The possible answer on how to change name on flight ticket may differ according to the airline’s policy. Knowing the name correction or name change policies of airlines is helpful if someone is facing such a situation.
1. Air Canada
One must be alert and careful while booking an Air Canada air ticket because the airline does not allow any name change in the same ticket. You will have to cancel and rebook the air ticket by paying a fee of $400 for international air tickets and $300 for domestic flights.
2. Alaska Airlines
There are a few circumstances under which Alaska Airlines allow corrections without charging any fees. Minor changes like correcting spellings by changing a maximum of three letters, changing nicknames to correct first names, and changing of last name because of change in marital status or divorce. Alaska Airlines charges $125 for transferring names but waives the charge if any Gold member wishes to transfer the ticket to someone. The name transfer fee is applicable for transferring the ticket to a Gold member from a non-member.
3. American Airlines
American Airlines permit the following types of name changes if the names on tickets do not match documents mandatory for TSA checks.
- Misspellings
- Change to a maiden, divorced, or married name
- Legal name changes
- Inverted name changes
- Change of secondary last name
AA does not permit the transfer of the ticket or name changes.
4. Delta Airlines
Air travelers can change their nicknames on the plane ticket to the correct name, whether it is their first or middle name. The airline allows corrections to the last name up to three characters. Delta Airlines accommodates name changes on air tickets only if the name is not of another person.
5. JetBlue Airlines
Correcting a name is not an issue if you want to correct the name on the JetBlue Airlines flight ticket because of misspellings, marriage, divorce, or nicknames. You may add a middle name or an additional last name for a necessary correction. JetBlue Airlines permits a single change per flyer. One should cancel and rebook the ticket by paying relevant fees in case of a substantial name change.
Conclusion
There are times when you may ask, can you change the name on a plane ticket, because of a wrong name on the ticket? Ideally, the traveler’s name should be the same as the name on their flight ticket. However, the name may differ because of typos, marital status, name changes, and misspellings. Airlines have a policy of not allowing another person to use the ticket by transfer. Traveling on a ticket, having an incorrect name may deprive you of flying miles or cause issues at security checks. Many airlines allow minor name corrections without charging any fees.
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FAQs
Can you change the name on a plane ticket?
Generally, airlines adopt a compassionate approach if any flyer wants to correct the name on the plane ticket. You can request name correction on a plane ticket but cannot change the name to transfer the ticket to another person.
What are the standard policies for name corrections on flight tickets?
Airlines may not allow changes on flight tickets if there are less than 24 hours before the take-off. Air travelers allow correction up to three or four letters without any charges. Critical changes can attract charges as per the policy of the airline.
How to change the name on a flight ticket because of a typo or other valid reason?
One should contact the travel agency or airline as soon as they notice the mistake in the name. Minor changes or corrections are permissible, but one may have to cancel and rebook the ticket if the change is significant.
How to prevent typos on flight bookings?
Misspellings and typos are human errors, and most airlines allow corrections for free. You may consider updating all frequent flyer accounts to eliminate spelling errors.
Can I offer my plane ticket to a friend?
Air tickets are non-transferable. One cannot make another person travel on original ticket by changing name.
