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Of all the things that can go wrong during air travel — delayed luggage, unexpected fees, flight delays — there’s one that has the potential to cause your heart to race before you even get to your gate: your name spelled wrong on a plane ticket.
And while it may cause mild panic when an airport employee or security agent holds you back because the name on your ID and ticket don’t match, most times, there’s a fix for it. Here’s what to do if you realize there’s a misspelled name on your plane ticket.
A few minor name mishaps
There are many ways that a name might appear on a boarding pass that make it look misspelled or oddly oriented:
Your first and last names might be switched.
Both names (or your first and middle) might run together into one word.
Your first or middle name might be truncated due to space.
Suffixes like “Jr.” can also be missing without causing an issue, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
These are all fairly normal and shouldn’t be a cause of worry. Slight misspellings aren’t much worse. It’s usually an easy fix if you accidentally:
Forgot a letter in your name.
Used a shortened version of your full legal name during booking.
You or a travel agent misspelled your name by a letter or three, it’s usually an easy fix.
That said, you should try to ensure the name on your ticket matches the name on your ID or passport as closely as possible for the smoothest travel experience. Here’s how to fix it if the name on your booking isn’t quite right.
» Learn more: REAL ID — what you need to know for air travel
Before the day of departure
If you book travel with any given airline and shortly thereafter notice a misspelling in your name, don’t worry; most airlines will help you fix it post haste.
If you’re within the 24-hour free cancellation window that U.S. airlines offer, you could simply cancel your ticket for a refund to your original payment method and rebook using the correct spelling. The only downfall is there’s a chance you may not find the same seat for the same price.
If you’d prefer to keep your original flight, contact the airline via phone using their customer service number, live chat if available or send them a direct message on X (formally Twitter). Make sure to have your confirmation number on hand so the agent can help you.
The good news is most airlines will correct mild misspellings or missing letters for no extra fees. For example, JetBlue Airways allows customers to modify their ticket once in order to match their government-issued ID or passport. The date of birth and gender must remain the same.
If you’ve had a legal name change after purchasing your airfare, most airlines will still change it for free but will require you to submit supporting documentation. However, if you’d like to change the full name on a ticket, some airlines, like Delta Air Lines, do not allow it, as tickets are considered nontransferable. Others, such as Frontier Airlines, charge a $75 name change fee.
🤓Nerdy Tip
Booking through a third party like Expedia or Priceline may require you to make any changes through the third party, and it may charge extra fees. You can check with the airline with which you’re scheduled to fly, but it doesn't always have full access to third-party bookings.
» Learn more: The pros and cons of online travel agencies
At the airport
If you’re already at the airport by the time you realize you’ve slightly misspelled your name, head to your airline’s check-in desk and explain the problem to the customer service agent. They will likely be able to reissue your boarding pass. Typically no fees are related to updating a minor name spelling, but it does vary by airline.
Just make sure you catch and adjust the spelling before you fly if there are multiple legs or connections in your journey; on some airlines, once travel starts, misspellings or a wrong name on flight bookings can’t be corrected.
International vs. domestic flights
Keep in mind that international flights tend to be stricter about exact spellings than domestic flights. For example, if your legal name and the one on your passport says “Joshua” but you booked an international flight using “Josh,” you may still get through, but possibly with a bit more hassle from check-in agents or security, so it’s not a bad plan to get it fixed as soon as you realize the error to avoid missing your flight.
» Learn more: How to get a passport name change after marriage
The bottom line
If the name spelling is wrong on your airline ticket, there’s no cause for alarm. Simply get in touch with the airline’s customer service number or online chat, explain what happened and ask them if they can fix it for you. Most of the time airline employees, including those at the airport, are more than happy to help.