Southwest Airlines Name Change Policy

Occasional name mistakes on flight tickets happen even to the most seasoned travellers. A typing error or a misspelling can’t be ruled out, especially when a travel agency is involved in ticketing. And no matter how harmless this sounds, a name mistake on a flight ticket has more severe consequences than you can imagine. The solution lies in cross-checking every personal detail on the ticket immediately after receiving the booking confirmation email and having proper knowledge of the airline’s name change policy.

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Thankfully, Southwest Airlines has a comprehensive name change policy to guide passengers in rectifying name mistakes on flight tickets. Here, we’ll discuss Southwest Airlines Name Change Policy through some simple questions and answers to help you understand how a name change or correction works for Southwest Airlines. So, take a look for a clear understanding.

Can I Change my Name on a Southwest Airlines Ticket?

As per the Southwest Airlines Name Change Policy, you can change your name on the Southwest Airlines ticket only if you have legally changed your name and your government ID proofs reflect your new name. You have to submit supporting documents to validate the name change. The policy rules further clarify that you can’t change the passenger flying on the ticket, which means that it has to be you who’ll fly after the name change. By name change, Southwest Airlines doesn’t mean a change of passengers.

What if I Misspelled my Name on the Reservation?

The Southwest Airlines Name Change Policy permits correcting misspelt names on reservations. It allows corrections of up to 3 characters in the first names, addition or removal of repetitive characters in the first and last names, and modifications of other misspellings to match your government ID proofs. So, there is no need to worry if you misspell your name on your Southwest Airlines reservation.

Can I Change my Name on a Southwest Airlines Ticket Online?

The Southwest Airlines official website doesn’t mention online name changes or corrections on flight tickets anywhere. However, the website instructs passengers to contact Southwest Airlines directly for any modification on existing reservations. So, you have to contact Southwest Airlines by phone or email them in the specified format to change your name on the ticket.

What Documents do I need to Provide for a Legal Name Change?

You must attach a copy of any of the following documents for a legal name change while submitting the application.

Marriage License
Divorce Decree
Court Order

Also, you must submit copies of your old and new government-issued photo IDs to validate the change and your primary passenger information, such as your name, address, and phone number, for identification.

How can I contact Southwest Airlines for Help with a Name Change?

For a name change, you can contact Southwest Airlines Customer Support via phone calls, emails, or live chats on the official website and the mobile app. For more complex issues and a quicker response, you can contact Southwest Airlines through their X handle or contact Customer Relations at their helpline number.

Does Southwest Charge a Fee to Change My Name After Marriage?

Southwest Airlines doesn’t charge any fees for any changes to reservations. This rule applies to name changes as well. So, you can get your name changed on the ticket after marriage without paying any name change fee.

Conclusion

Southwest Airlines has one of the industry’s most flexible and hassle-free name-change policies. The Southwest Airlines Name Change Policy allows for free name corrections and legal name changes. Also, the policy permits passengers to contact Southwest Airlines directly for a minor name correction. This makes marriage name changes much easier and faster than if you do it online. The only challenge is that the Southwest Airlines Name Correction Policy needs to be well documented and published on the official website or mobile app. So, you must search for all the information you need regarding a name change or correction on the ticket from the official links of the Southwest Airlines community discussion forums. Barring this inconvenience, all seems good as far as changing names on Southwest Airlines reservations is concerned.

FAQ

Ques: How much does changing a name on a Southwest Airlines ticket cost?

Ans: Southwest Airlines doesn’t charge any fee for a name change or correction on the ticket. So, the name change cost is zero.

Ques: Where can I find the official Southwest Airlines policy on name changes?

Ans: Officially, Southwest Airlines has no published page discussing the Southwest Airlines Name Change Policy on its official website or mobile app. The rules, guidelines, and other information regarding name changes are scattered in bits and pieces throughout the policy pages of the website and online passenger forums. To learn about the policy and find more information, search through the links on the Southwest Airlines community pages and the Global Distributions System (GDS) policy pages.

Ques: What are considered minor name corrections on Southwest Airlines?

Ans: Southwest Airlines considers the following to be minor name corrections:

Correction of inverted names
Addition or removal of middle names or initials
Addition or removal of hyphenated last names
Addition or removal of prefixes, suffixes, and titles
Minor typing errors of up to 3 characters in the first name
Addition or removal of repetitive characters in the first or last names

Ques: Can I avoid name change fees on Southwest Airlines?

Ans: Southwest Airlines doesn’t charge any fee for a name change or correction. So, there is no question of avoiding a name change fee.

Ques: Can I change my name for free if I book my flight within the last 24 hours?

Ans: Southwest Airlines needs to come clean about the airline’s name change policy in the last 24 hours before departure. However, considering that the airline follows a no-change and cancellation fee policy and adheres to the 24-hour booking cancellation rule, you can change your name for free if you booked your flight in the last 24 hours.