Southwest is a low-cost American Airline, that solely focuses on its customers with the most hospitable approach. This airline makes sure that all the passengers are served first, providing excellent service and support. The airline has very lenient policies, and if you wish to use any of the services, you won’t have any difficulty. If your name has somehow been misprinted or has changed since booking, the Southwest Airlines name change policy will surely help you out in changing the name.
What is Southwest Airlines Name Change Policy?
Sometimes either by the fault of the system or a human error, passenger names can be misprinted or swapped with first and last names. Also sometimes you might have changed your name legally after booking your tickets. In such cases, the role of Southwest Airlines’ name change policy is vital in helping you change your name.
Southwest Airlines Name Change Policy Highlights
Moving forward with the policies, we have listed down some of the crucial Southwest Airlines name change policies that you must be aware of:
- The tickets must have been booked via Southwest.com.
- If you change/correct your name within 24 hours of booking, you can easily do so without any interruptions.
- The Airline will only allow name changes if the approval field has the “NAMECORRECT” selected.
- If the approval field does not have the “NAMECORRECT” selected and approved, you will be charged a Debit Memo Service Charge, which is $25 per ticket.
- Apart from the name change, you can not make changes to the gender or date of birth.
- These are the types of changes you can make:
- Inverted names.
- Adding/removing middle name or initial.
- Adding/removing hyphenated last name.
- Adding/removing repetitive characters in first or last name (ex. Willliam to William or Rebeca to Rebecca).
- Minor typos are limited to a max of 3 characters in the first name only.
- Adding/removing Prefixes/Suffixes (Mr., Mrs, Dr., Jr, Esq.).
Types of Southwest Name Change Policy
The corrections in your name are of different kinds, some have mistakes of one or two letters, while others have their whole name misprinted. So the airline has devised various types of Southwest change name on tickets according to the mistakes:
1) Minor Modification
Minor changes like spelling mistakes in either first or last name can be easily corrected. For example, if your name is “Henry” and the ticket has it as “Henri,” these mistakes are common and can be made by anyone unknowingly. So you must contact the airline immediately when you spot the mistake and make changes accordingly.
2) Significant Modification
Mistakes that are more significant and will change the entire name of the person will need valid travel documents and government-issued ID to verify your claims. Major changes can be anything from changing your last name to changing your first name. You will soon learn how to make such changes with different processes and steps.
3) Legal Modification
If your name has changed legally, you will be allowed to make changes according to the valid documents submitted. The Southwest Airlines name change might be due to the reason for:
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Adoption
If applying for these changes, you need to submit the following documents:
- Marriage license
- Divorce decree
- Adoption certificate
- An old government-issued photo ID plus a new government-issued photo ID
How to Change Your Name on the Ticket?
If you wish to change your name on a Southwest ticket, you will have to follow the Southwest Airlines name change policy. The process of changing your name can be a tough deal in Southwest Airlines as you are not allowed to make changes to the name online. So here we have mentioned the alternative methods by which you will be able to make the desired changes:
1) Name Change via Post
To make changes to your name via the post, you will have to follow these steps:
- Get a pen and a paper.
- Write down a letter addressing the airline with all the details of your booking and name.
- Attach all the supporting documents with it.
- Drop the letter to this address- Southwest Airlines, P.O. Box 36657, Dallas, Texas 75235.
- Once they receive the letter, they will make the changes accordingly and revert a confirmation letter to you.
2) Name Change via Mail
If you wish to change/correct your name on the itinerary via mail, here are the steps to follow:
- Visit this page and draft a mail addressing the airline executive about your intent to change/correct your name on the itinerary.
- Send the mail.
- The executives will look into the matter and revert you soon with confirmation mail.
3) Name Change via Phone Call
If you wish to make changes to your name by directly contacting the executives, here are the steps you can follow:
- Call the toll-free number that is being displayed at the top or the bottom of the website.
- You will connect to an agent at the other end soon.
- Provide them with the booking details and inform them about the changes you wish to make.
- They will make the changes according to your wishes as per your travel documents state.
4) Name Change via Airport
The changes at the airport will require you to visit the Southwest booking counter and make the changes face-to-face with an agent. Here are the steps you must follow:
- Get to the booking counter carrying all the valid documents required to support the changes.
- Talk to the agent and let them know about the changes you wish to make.
- Provide them with the booking details and the necessary documents.
- They will make the changes and let you know.
Southwest Name Changes for Group Booking
If you are traveling in a group of more than 10 people, you will get extra benefits for booking group tickets. We all know while in a group plan, there are people who suddenly back out or have some unfortunate scenarios where they can not join. This might fall hard on you but if you wish to change the person travelling to replace the previous one, you have 72 hours from the time of booking. Within this time, you can make unlimited name changes and add or remove any passenger you wish to.
How to Minimize Southwest Airlines Cost To Change Name On Ticket?
Technically, there is no cost to change your name on the ticket. However, there are certain charges that might apply. So follow these instructions to ensure you do not pay anything extra for changing your name-
- Make sure your itinerary has an approved “NAMECORRECT” so that you can avoid a Debit Memo Service Charge of $25.
- Changing your name within 24 hours of booking is free and very easy.
- The easiest way to make changes is to call and get a live agent to help you. This will save you time as well as money.
Summary:
Southwest Airlines has once again proved its leniency with the Southwest Airlines name change policy. So having a firm knowledge of these policies will surely help you with the name changes as well as avoid any extra cost imposed during the change process. The policies mentioned above are only applicable for bookings on the official website. If you have booked from any third-party website, you will have to contact them directly.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1) Can I book a ticket in another’s name?
No, you are not allowed to book a ticket in another person’s name, but you can book a ticket for other people.
2) Can I transfer my tickets to another person?
If you transfer your ticket within 24 hours of booking, you will be allowed by the airlines. Apart from that, you won’t be allowed to transfer your ticket to others.
3) I have transferred my ticket to someone else, can I cancel it and get a refund?
Yes, transferred tickets can be canceled for refunds, but the refunds will be received by the original buyer of the ticket upon cancellation.
4) Can I simply fly on another’s ticket without changing my name?
No, if you are caught doing such an unauthorized act, you might face penalties from the airlines and might also get into legal trouble. So do not try to fly on anyone else’s ticket.
5) If all the method of contacting Southwest mentioned above fails, what should I do next?
You still have one option left to get in touch with Southwest Airlines, which is by contacting them via Social Media either on Twitter (X) or Facebook. The team there is super responsive and surely will help you out. Even if they fail to help you out, they will point you in the right direction.