How to Change Name On United Airlines Ticket
Have you spotted a typo in your name after booking your United Airlines flight? Whether a small word error or a whole name change due to marriage, fixing it is most important to avoid the consequences at the Airport. As you know, Airlines have a strict policy for the correct name. If any single error is found in your name, then you will not be able to sit on the flight, but United Airlines is exceptional.
At United Airlines, you get a chance to change your name under certain conditions. In this article, we will discuss United Airlines' name change policy & also provide you with a step-by-step guide for name change.
Table of Contents
1. Importance of Name Accuracy in United Airlines
2. Common Name Mistakes That Can Create Problems
3. Consequences Faced for Not Changing Name
4. Whats About United Airlines' Name Change Policy?
5. Type of Name Correction Allowed in United Airlines
6. Restricted Name Changes in United Airlines
7. Best Time to Change the Name
8. How to Change Name On a United Airlines Ticket?
9. Review Your Ticket After Booking
10. Determine the type of correction you need
11. Check the United Airlines website for Online Corrections.
12. Contact United Airlines Customer Service
13. Prepare Supporting Documents
17. The Bottom Line
Importance of Name Accuracy in United Airlines
When it comes to air travel, Name is not just a formality but an identity & requirement for security agents & airline regulations. Even a small typo in your name can trigger a red flag during check-in at the airport & it can also result in the cancellation of your flight. As you know, our name is our major identity at the airport, as nobody knows us by our face or our body, which is why a name change can cause many problems during a flight.
Common Name Mistakes That Can Create Problems
Here are some common mistakes that can cause many problems during travel:
- Write a nickname
- Swapping two letters
- Omitting the middle name
- Incorrect name order
- Missing or incorrect Suffixes
- Using a Different name
- Name change after marriage
Consequences Faced for Not Changing Name
Many consequences you have to face if you do not change your name on time. Let's see:
Denied boarding at the gate
- Delayed flight
- Risk of losing ticket fare
- Denied entry at the time of immigration
Whats About United Airlines' Name Change Policy?

United Airlines has some major policies for name changes in flights, but it is for certain conditions. Let's see:
Type of Name Correction Allowed in United Airlines
At United Airlines, various types of name corrections are allowed, which we will discuss briefly:
Spelling Correction
Spelling errors are one of the common reasons that passengers have to change their names. It includes:
- Misspelled name
- Missing letters or extra letters (Rocky instead of Rocky)
- Incorrect use of special characters
At United Airlines, you get an allowance of correction of 3 special characters per name via online or offline.
Adding or Removing Middle Name
Sometimes, Travelers add an extra middle name that is not registered in their legal documents, or sometimes omit the middle name. At that time, United Airlines allowed the addition & removal of the middle name. It includes:
- Adding a missing middle name
- Removing the incorrect middle name
- Correcting middle name spelling
Last Name Changes
Sometimes the last name changes due to some reasons. United Airlines allows you to correct your last name. For these changes, you need to submit the following documents if the reason is valid:
- Marriage certificate
- Divorce certificate
- The court issued a name change order
Name Order Adjustment
Initially, travelers, mostly in countries where the anime is written before the actual name. Due to that, the order of the name changes & creates a problem during travel. Let's see an example of name order adjustment: Asian name order is when the family name is written first; on the other hand, Western name order is the opposite of Asian names.
Nicknames to Legal Names
If any passenger writes their nickname while booking a ticket instead of their legal name, then United Airlines permits them to change their nickname to their legal name. For that, you must update your legal ID proofs, such as a passport, government ID, and many more.
Other Minor Fixes
United Airline also permit some other minor fixes such as:
- Correction of Suffixes
- Fixing Capitalization Errors
- Correction of accents in the name
Restricted Name Changes in United Airlines
By United Airlines, some major conditions under which a name change is not allowed:
- Ticket that relates to someone else's names are not allowed to change the name
- An entire name change is not allowed
- Using another name
Best Time to Change the Name
United Airlines offers the allowance for a name change, but within a specific period. Let's see the time when you can change your name on United Airlines:
- Minor Correction: Immediately after booking
- Legal name change: Need submission of supporting documents
- Request Changes: Immediately after seeing the error
- For International flights, Advance name correction should be done.
How to Change Name On a United Airlines Ticket?
Trip Former is sharing with you a step-by-step guide for a name change at United Airlines. If you follow the detailed steps, then you can easily enjoy your journey without facing any consequences during check-in at the airport. Let's see:
Review Your Ticket After Booking
The first & important step is to review your ticket after booking. Because the easy detection of mistakes can be cured at an early stage. Always double-check your name after booking & also compare it with other government ID proofs.
Determine the type of correction you need
If you find any mistake in your name, then determine the correction like:
- Spelling error
- Minor typo
- Adding or removing a name
- Legal anime change, etc.
Check the United Airlines website for Online Corrections.
If there is a single typo or error in the name, then check the United Airlines website for online correction. A small correction can easily be done via an online website.
Contact United Airlines Customer Service
If the correction is not small & you want to change the whole name or legal name, then contact United Airlines customer service. Explain all the problems to customer services, & they will tell you the next step that you should take.
Prepare Supporting Documents
If there is any mistake in your last name due to marriage or divorce, then start preparing your legal documents because, without legal proof, you can't change your name on the ticket.
Submit your documents
After preparing all the required documents, submit them to the airline & proceed with the process further.
Pay the Applicable fee.
If there is any fee for a name change at United Airlines, then you have to pay it. As the pay is generally applicable for large or major name-changing policies due to having security agents.
Confirm the Change
After paying the fee, you get the confirmation about your name change & your name change request is done from your end. After some time, you get your ticket with a new name.
The Bottom Line
In this article, we can conclude that name correction is most important for a smooth travel on United Airlines. As you know, a single error can cause a big problem in your journey. To keep the journey smooth & enjoyable, you should avoid name mistakes, but by chance, if you face any name change problem during travel, then always keep the name change policy in mind. For more information, Contact Trip Formers.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Marriage certificate
- Divorce decree
- The court issued a name change document