Changing Name
 

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this question so mods feel free to move.

I am getting married Sept 6. My wife has to go through all of here Airline and hotel programs and change her last name.

We already have a flight booked for November, when she changes her name with Southwest I'm guessing the reservation will also update ?

She is booked as my companion on SW so I was actually thinking of having her wait until after that flight to change her driver license as her last name wouldn't match the reservation or my companion.

I'm sure TSA and SW run into this issue often but was hoping to get some info on how we should proceed with the name changes, new license, companion name change, etc..........thanks

Assuming your future wife has a passport, she might be able strategically to change the driver's license early and the passport (or other government ID) much later so as to be able to travel on tickets in either last name during the transition period.

If she doesn't have a passport, she could apply for one immediately in the new name and ask that it be expedited, while postponing changing the name (and address?) on her driver's license as late as legally possible.

An easy way to avoid the hassle would be for your wife to continue to use her own (maiden) name indefinitely for legal matters, perhaps using her married name socially.

As far as I know, airlines do not change names on tickets, regardless of whether a FF account is updated to reflect the name change.

A person whose name changes after a ticket is issued is accommodated, but needs to be prepared to endure some hassles, which may include having to produce various documents, being yelled at for offering certain documents, secondary inspection, and the like. Each encounter likely will vary. These can all be overcome with patience and allowing extra time for the check-in process.

What does not vary is an airline's refusal to change the name on a ticket.

Thanks.................we'll just wait until after the November flight to change her Drivers License and update her SW account.

Oh, this on Southwest, where there's no fee for cancelling, right? (I'm assuming you actually mean WN -- SW is the airline code for Air Namibia!) Has the price for the flight gone up already? If not, can you simply cancel and rebook (using reusable funds) under the new name?

The easiest thing to do is simply wait to update her driver's license or passport that she'll be using on the trip until afterwards. Unless you have booked an Anytime or Business Select fare, her ticket isn't refundable to your original form of payment (though Wanna Get Away fares can be canceled and turned into travel funds for use by the same passenger up to 12 months from original booking..which doesn't help your situation). AFAIK Southwest doesn't permit a name change on tickets.

Related note, I think you've signed up your fiance as your named companion for the Southwest Companion Pass, is that right (you mentioned "companion" a couple of times)? You can update her name as your companion (after the trip) There is a dedicated thread on the Southwest forum for the Companion Pass, btw if you have any related questions on that in the future:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...15-2016-a.html

Southwest stopped allowing the travel funds to be used for a different passenger, I think a couple of years ago.

As the OP has cross posted http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...-marriage.html we'll close this thread and continue the discussion in the WN forum.

~beckoa, co-moderator Information Desk