Yes, the name on your airline ticket can be changed! (Thanks, Expedia)

For years, we’ve been told that names on airline tickets can’t be changed. Never, ever. Wouldn’t be safe.

Usually, our only option was to buy a completely new ticket, even if the name was a small mismatch, like an obvious typographical error.

Well, it turns out that isn’t our only choice. And it took an aspiring lawyer to figure that out.

Here’s the note I received from Nathan Hasiuk a few days ago:

I will be starting law school at Temple University in August. I had booked a trip on Expedia to Ecuador, Peru, and Miami for two weeks in August prior to the start of classes. The flights alone cost $3,500.

Anyway, my girlfriend dumped me. Now, not only am I heartbroken, but apparently I’m stuck with $1,750 worth of American Airlines flights that Expedia tells me can only be used my girlfriend on the same airlines in the next twelve months. I have a friend that wants to come with me, but all the searching I have done has given me the same result: non-refundable and non-transferable.

I called Expedia and told them my story and that I’d be more than willing to pay whatever fees or penalties they asked, along with the difference in the new tickets.

After being transferred several times I still got the same response. I’m at a loss for what to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Like most experienced air travelers, I believe the non-transferrability rule for tickets is bogus. It has absolutely nothing to do with security and everything to do with money. Forcing someone to buy a new ticket means the airline sells another ticket — and that is the primary reason for the rule, in my opinion.

I suggested that Hasiuk send a brief, polite e-mail to a manager at Expedia, explaining his predicament and asking for help.

It worked! American Airlines agreed to rebook the tickets in my friend’s name. It ended up costing me an additional $800 after the differences in fare and fees, but all in all I feel it was a great success. It all happened in less than 24 hours. Thank you so much for the advice!

Ah, another happy customer.

In fact, American’s name policy is surprisingly flexible — if you read it in a certain way. This is from its travel agents-only page, buried deep on the airline’s Web site:

Legitimate changes to a passenger’s name will be accommodated. The agent will need to call AA Sales Support to complete the name change and retain the inventory. Legitimate name changes include spelling changes, changes to last names due to marriage or divorce and changes to prefixes (for example, Mr. to Dr.).

I guess it all hinges on how you define “legitimate,” doesn’t it? I certainly think Hasiuk’s request was valid, and I’m glad Expedia and American Airlines agreed.

If only the rest of the industry were so accommodating.

  • http://gogreentravelgreen.com Elizabeth

    By “accommodated” AA means they will charge you $200 for changing your name if it was due to marriage. Happened to us. But you can still fly and just show TSA your marriage certificate if you’re willing to risk it.

  • Gina Hamilton

    Not sure his reason would be considered “legitimate” on a normal basis. He was lucky to find someone in AA sales support to do this for him.

  • David Z

    That’s odd. Last I checked, AA allows some (well some if not all) travel agencies to change the person’s name from A to B on a ticket, although they need to be contacted and the person charged a big fee for it.

    Either something changed at Expedia, or Mr. Hasiuk had the misfortune to talk to some folks there who told him they really can’t. That part Chris quoted is rather interesting, though, as it seems AA changed their policy on that.

    Hmm, now might be a good time to state here which airline does allow name changes/transfers.

  • http://www.caroletmeyers.com Carole Terwilliger Meyers

    I still am irritated by an incident right after 9/11 at the American Airlines counter in an empty airport. They wouldn’t accept my ticket because it had my professional name–Terwilliger is the middle name–and my passport had my legal middle name. However, after I had already started struggling with the thought that I wasn’t going anywhere but home, they informed me that $100 would fix everything! I agree that it is just another way for the airlines to shore up their expenses.

  • Ron in Santa Monica

    Gee–and it only cost $800. How accommodating and what a win! Pyrrhic, I’d say.

  • http://Travel-Writers-Exchange.com Travel-Writers-Exchange.com

    Wow! Who knew! I’m certainly learning a lot of the “ins and outs” of the travel industry by reading this blog. I don’t think I’m going to listen to the airlines when they “no we can’t do that, no that is not our policy, or no that is not allowed.” It really is about dollars and cents! Makes a great article for travel writers.

  • http://waynedayton.tripod.com Wayne Dayton

    I am happy if the complainant is happy with having to fork out an additional $800…but I would have been more than happy to have taken the ex-gf, who had agreed to take this trip, to Small Claims Court to recoup the costs of her ticket. Unless he had clearly indicated to her that it was a gift, she should be forced by the courts to reimburse him…and then she can use the air credit however she wishes by contacting AA herself.

  • ric kempton

    well there ya go, just another reason to fly with southwest airlines…you can always cancel a ticket. yes, it is non-refundable, but you receive southwest airline credits for the purchased dollar amount, including security fees, taxes etc, to apply towards another ticket. these credits are good for up to a year. and you dont need an agent for it. just manage everything online, even applying credits to the purchase of a new ticket. and if you have left over credits..they remain in your account…and, now listen close…if you have credits, someone else can use those towards the purchase of their ticket, even if they are in your account…sweet! so just another example of how most airlines are trying to just rip of the consumer with bogus fees…..i dont work for southwest, but i sure am a loyal customer, because they treat the passenger respectfully, dont take advantage of you like you are some idiot that will just pay unjust fees etc…work with them, they will work with you…i even book with them when they are not the lowest fare….the security of flexible, no cost changes are worth it!!!

  • David Z

    @ric kempton

    Does Southwest only let the listed passenger use those cancelled flight credits? Or the cardholder also?

  • http://waynedayton.tripod.com Wayne Dayton

    If you know the original file locator/ticket number, you can access the WN file…and anybody can then be the passenger. If you purchased the ticket for an employee, simply say you are the employee when you call in, and then say “Person X” will travel on Day 27.

    Westjet also follows this pro-consumer policy of ticket credit assignment to anyone of choice.

  • Carver

    @Wayne

    Sorry, but zero chance of that. People get dumped all the time. It doesn’t make it actionable;

  • JP

    @ric kempton

    Except in this case Southwest was not an option as it does not fly to Ecuador or Peru.

  • tylerzmum

    @Carver

    Come on, I’ve seen Judge Judy, and that scenario has come up many a time with the jilted lover being awarded the cost of the ticket! lol

  • Krys

    $800?? Wow. Here is what I did and it only cost me about $60.
    I had similar problem. The ticket was in my name and i bought it in June 08 for the trip to Poland in December. In July, my grandmother died. Since we did not have a lot of money I decided to give my ticket to my dad. I ran into the same problems trying to change name on the ticket. After whole week of trying I gave up. I looked into changing my dad’s legal name. And there it was. A process that took about 1 week, $60 in cash, 15 minutes in front of judge and we had my dad’s first name changed to mine. I was honest with the judge as to why he wanted to change his first name (my dad doesnt speak english). Once we got the approval, we went to secretary of state to get him new license, once we got that we got him new green card (took 2 months) and there he went. He now changed his name back for another $60.

    So you can do it for a lot less, without dealing with airlines. You can do it a lot quicker if your flight is domestic and not international (you do not need passport on domestic flghts).

    There are always ways to go around things.

  • TimC

    I too am struggling with a name change with British Air. My wife originally was to travel under her maiden name on her Peruvian passport, but since purchasing the ticket, she has become a naturalized U.S. citizen and will travel under her married name on her American Passport. Have tried twice with B.Air customer service, once from a very rude person who refused to pass me to a supervisor. Twice I’ve faxed copies of both passport pages, still has not changes. Even received the excuse that they don’t want to change it because I may cancel my ticket. ( being non refundable, I assurred them that was not going to happen.) I even agreed to a 20.00 name change administration fee.. What do do? Thoughts? Thanks,

  • Jesse

    @Krys: This has crossed my mind a few times and you are right, maybe in the pain scale, changing someone’s name and trying to make an airline agree to change the name on the ticket.

    It seems we have to take the airline’s contract as is. With anything else we buy (most things) we have the power, we can return items, with airlines, once you sign the dotted line you cannot go back…

  • Zoe

    I was scheduled for a business trip earlier this year. My employer canceled the trip on me (longer story here) and I quit that same day. I had a one way ticket on American Airlines and a one way ticket on Southwest. 8 months later they are suing me in small claims court to recoup the cost of the AA ticket, which wwas purchased by the company as a non-transferrable, non-refundable ticket. I called AA several times and tehy stated this is their policy. The ticket cannot be refunded back to the company credit card and cannot be transferred to anyone but my name. When I contacted an attorney he said that the ticket is now my property. It is also not stated anywhere in my contract or travel policy that I would need to reimburse the employer for a non-transferrable, non-refundable ticket. The Southwest ticket was returned to them. Why should I pay out of pocket the expense of the ticket? They would not receive this refund from AA.

  • http://WWW.GMAIL.COM SURESHA

    I WANT TO KNOW FOR US AIRLINE.AS WE ARE UPDATING SNFC FOR NAME MISMATCHING…SO WHAT IS THE CLEAR MEANING OF SNFC–

  • cheryl gatt

    i am very angry at easyjet whanting more money just for changing the name on the ticket its the same seat and day its just another way to rip us off my family and i will never fly with them again

  • http://brusselairline Omorus Christophermr

    my partner in korean buy a ticket from brussels airline in korea, because of some reason I can go on it” so I want to change the name to send someone else. how can the change be???

  • Natali

    My agent (a family friend) booked my ticket incorrectly under the name Natasha seeing as my entire family refers to me that way. My legal name is Natali. Upon calling USairways, the first agent added a note to my file saying that would be enough to get me through security, but explained calling my agent to fix the problem would be best. My agent was unable to change the name. I called USairways back, explained the situation again and within minute received a new ticket on the basis that they realized the effort I put in to ensure the proper name change.

    Long story short, if you are nice to the agents, but firmly persistent they will change the name withOUT a fee.

  • Bubble

    Hi! Thanks a lot for this post, you saved us hundreds of Euros! I used your information to claim a name change in tickets purchased months ago to travel to USA & Mexico from Europe with UA. UA did not accept the name change but they will give us a refund if we can provide the documentation for the change, in our case our children surnames were incorrect. Your post gave me the courage to fight for the change and I am thankful for your help! =)