When you use the transfer tool, it asks for the login credentials at AirTran.com or southwest.com Once logged in, it displays the current balance and asks you how many credits/points you want to transfer. I'm not sure if there is a name matching involved.
When United and Continental merged and they created their tool, you needed to make sure your personal information matches exactly to be able to transfer. Not sure if Southwest/AirTran do that. You can give it a shot and have her log in with her account info and see if you can transfer points from her SW account to your AirTran account.
While most airlines allow you to share miles with friends and relatives, I didn't find that option on southwest.com, so it doesn't look like you can combine points from both accounts.
P. S. I believe it takes 4 credits to upgrade a single fight, not necessarily one-way. If you have a connecting itinerary, the upgrade might only work for 1 of the segments.
Last edited by Phoenixtinct; Apr 3, 2013 at 2:17 pm