Making a reservation under the incorrect name it may be; in particular, after properly changing a name by court action (marriage, divorce, court order), it can be a source of avoidable stress when it comes to actually making a flight. Airlines take the accuracy of names with high seriousness despite it being a small matter. Having different names on your airline ticket and your government issued ID may result in you being denied boarding, delayed, or penalized with the extra charges.
Luckily, most of the large airline companies such as Delta have regulations that deal with legal name changes. This is what passengers should know on how to correct the names of those who committed errors in their ticket, how Delta Airlines Name Change Policy does it, and what other airlines do as well.
The Importance of Name Accuracy
Strict security rules regarding transportation of passengers have to be adhered to by airlines including those administered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and international aviation bodies. According to these guidelines, the name on your boarding ticket must be the same as the name on your passport or other government issued identification. Nor do I mean by a slight difference, such as an omitted middle initial, or a mis-spelt surname: or this is enough to cause the raising of the red flag at security point and at immigration.
Glitches with Legal Name Changes
In the event that there is a change in name (legal name change), then it is always essential to reflect this change on the ticket. It not only makes your experience in the airport run smoothly but also prevents the possibility of you needing to cancel your ticket and rebook it which can be a very expensive exercise.
Delta Airlines: The Policy of Name Change
Delta Airlines enables someone to make corrections or alterations of change of name on the flight ticket, though, there are exceptions. The company uses two approaches: distinguishing between the low-level corrections (such as spelling) and change of legal names, when supporting evidence is necessary.
Delta also offers corrections on names on a one-time basis per ticket and this is on the condition that the traveler is still the same person. This involves modifications on grounds of marriage, divorce, or name change by the court.
Permitted Corrections Contain
- Typing mistakes (e.g. using the wrong spelling, e.g. writing John instead of John)
- Inversion of last names and first names
- Addition or rectification of first names or initials
- Name changes with marriage or divorce
The legal changes of name caused by the weddings or the divorce are completed in California through the form of a divorce paper or a marriage license.
When passengers want to change their legal name, they will need to show official documents which include:
- A matrimony certificate
- Divorce decree
- ID issued by the government with the new name on it
- Name change order by the court
Delta in other cases might have to re-issue the ticket and this might lead to fares difference based on availability. Nonetheless, when the change is done in a timely manner, the majority of the passengers do not incur extra costs.
What of Other Airlines?
The other large carriers have analogous name change policies:
- United Airlines enables a misspelling correction and the changes of a legal name to be made, provided there is proper documentation.
- American Airlines will allow change of name under the following condition, namely legal requirements that must be backed by legitimate legal documents.
- JetBlue and Southwest airlines provide flexibility in fixing the legal name change but it might have to reissue the ticket.
- Alaska Airlines is also aware of legal name changes and usually does not charge a correction fee when made to the airline in advance.
The essential discrepancy among carriers involves that of rebooking and difference in fare. They might not impose any charges and thus allow you to make some changes, or they may include charges maxed at the base of booking fares.
Ways to Prevent Name Problems in the Future
- You should prepare your ticket with the same name that is within your ID or passport.
- Ensure you do another confirmation of your booking immediately after you have made a purchase.
- Make sure you change your name in your frequent flyer account and according to your identification documents in case there has been a recent change of name.
- It is highly recommended to have both soft and hard copies of the records of a legal name change with you and more so when travelling abroad.
Final Thoughts
Changing your legal name should not be a problem on your travels. It is also possible to have a pleasant trip by being timely and knowledgeable about the policy peculiarities of the airline you chose. Airlines such as Delta Airlines and the majority of the large airlines offer an amicable procedure of name correction when accompanied with the right documentation.
To further ease your trip, Aeroflyticket provides useful tools and instructions to help you be aware of the airline company regulations, so that every aspect of travelling can be correct and stress-free without errors being made during booking, or getting on the plane.
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