Loading page
Last reviewed
Airline tickets are not transferable — you cannot give yours to someone else. What airlines will do is correct a genuine error: a misspelling, a swapped first and middle name, a missing suffix, or a legal name change. Most correct minor errors free of charge if you report them promptly.
Key Travel Facts & Insights
Airlines distinguish between correcting the name of the person who is travelling and substituting a different person. The first is generally permitted; the second is not.
Typical permitted corrections include a spelling error of a few characters, a first and middle name entered in the wrong order, a missing or incorrect suffix, a maiden name after marriage with supporting documentation, and a legal name change.
Airline tickets are contracts with a named individual, and the name is used for security screening and government passenger data requirements. Allowing transfers would also undermine the fare structure, since it would create a resale market for cheap advance-purchase tickets.
Southwest is the closest thing to an exception: Wanna Get Away Plus flight credit is transferable to another traveller, though the original ticket itself still is not.
Contact the airline as soon as you notice. Minor corrections are frequently handled free at any point before departure, but the process gets harder once a ticket has been reissued, once bags are checked, or on an international itinerary where passenger data has already been transmitted to border authorities.
If you booked through an agency or consultant, go back to them rather than to the airline — the airline may not be able to modify a ticket it did not issue.
If you spot the error within 24 hours of booking and you booked at least seven days before departure, the cleanest fix is often to cancel under the 24-hour rule and rebook correctly. That returns your money to your card and avoids any correction process entirely.
This is almost always faster and cheaper than negotiating a correction, particularly on carriers that charge for changes.
For international travel the name on the ticket must match the passport exactly, including any hyphens and both surnames where applicable. For US domestic travel under REAL ID requirements, it must match the identification you present at security.
A mismatch that seems trivial to you can be refused at check-in, and the airline is not obliged to carry you.
No. Airline tickets are non-transferable at every major carrier. Southwest allows Wanna Get Away Plus flight credit to be transferred to another traveller, but the original ticket itself still cannot be. If plans change, cancel to preserve the value as credit for your own future travel.
Usually, for a minor error of a few characters, if you report it promptly. Corrections become harder and more likely to attract a fee once the ticket has been reissued or once passenger data has been transmitted for an international flight. Report it the moment you notice.
Travel under the name that matches your current government ID, or update the booking with documentation of the name change — a marriage certificate or court order. Airlines handle this routinely, but do it before you get to the airport rather than at the counter.
Our US travel consultants handle changes, cancellations, refunds and claims directly. No charge to ask.