👋 Get My FREE Flight Search Tool That Finds Hidden Flight Deals Like This...

...Unless you enjoy paying full price on tickets!

Published on

Can You Change The Name On A Plane Ticket?

Authors
  • avatar
    Name
    Jonathan Chum
    Twitter
    @jchum

Most airlines charge a flat fee to transfer the ticket to your name, but if the fare has been increased from your original booking, you are responsible for paying the difference.

The few airlines that offer ticket transfers typically charge a hefty fee for this, but policies vary by airline. If a typo simply makes it too late to book a name change call, most airlines will not change the name on your ticket. Most airlines, when considering renaming themselves Air Berlin, will make this change without charging you a fee.

More flexible tickets are also more expensive, but they make it easier for you to change your name and are generally more flexible than the cheapest tickets. Buying a cheaper ticket, which is also the least flexible, rather guarantees that you will not be able to make this type of change on your ticket.

If you are traveling on a refundable ticket, you have the option to cancel the ticket and apply the refund to a new ticket with the correct name. If you cancel the refund on your ticket, you will have to pay the rebooking fee, but if you are flying with a refundable ticket, you will not have this option.

Some airlines do not allow passengers to fly internationally if the names on their passports and the name on the ticket are not identical. It is unclear why Lantz's friends believed she was on the flight to Greece the day her ticket still did not match her passport, and why her boyfriend believed her on a day flight.

So be careful when booking yourself: some airlines sometimes let you go if you make a small mistake, he says, but others require you to pay. Some airlines, such as American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, owe refunds if passengers are denied boarding due to mismatches.

The fees airlines charge not only cover the cost of rebooking or rebooking, Thomas says, but also the cost of the flight itself.

In most cases, you cannot change the name on a ticket or transfer your name to another person. Many airlines charge their customers a fee for every time you book a ticket and make a change, whether or not you have changed the name on the ticket. Other, typically low-cost airlines do not allow name changes at all but require you to issue a new ticket, that is, you must buy it yourself.

If you need to correct an error on behalf of your reservation, you can do so by calling the airline's customer service. There are a number of ways in which these restrictions work, such as canceling a refundable flight, rebooking or canceling within 24 hours of booking, or rebooking the ticket in your name or someone else's name.

If it is a small error, do you really need to spend the extra time and effort to fix it, or do you really care?

Airlines make a lot of money by charging change fees, and they behave as if they know you've actually made a mistake in your book and simply changed your mind. If you find the error a week or more before your flight, you can benefit from a quick check-in with a friendly airline agent who will help you make the change free of charge. Only airlines that have not been booked through your website can make such changes free of charge but are not obliged to do so, as the change fee applies to all reservation changes, including invalid rebooking dates.

If you are traveling domestically, you can squeeze past with a simple change of name on your passport or ID issued by the government to get more information from your airline or travel agent.

If you want to change your name on a flight booking or transfer your ticket to someone else, you are out of luck. Airline tickets are generally non-transferable, so if you can change your travel plans and not use your reservation, read the fine print on the ticket carefully. If you make a change, this may result in you having to cancel and re-book your tickets.

When you purchase a refundable fare, you can simply cancel it and use the credit to rebook a new ticket in your name or that of another person. As mentioned above, some tickets are marked as non-refundable, so if you mark them as "non-refundable," you will probably change and cancel your reservation.

Customer service will guide you through the process, which may include offering you a flight credit for your canceled flight.

Once you have paid for your tickets, you want to make sure that you earn frequent flyer miles. Call the airline that issued the ticket and use your frequent flyer miles and ask your supervisor to coordinate with them to ensure that your new legal name appears on your ticket and your mileage voucher. If you change your name and book your trip with partner awards under your old name, you keep your current passport because it matches your ticket exactly. Only if the name in your frequent flyer account matches the name on the ticket will you be credited with points and/or miles for the flight.