NWR: Booking a flight then changing your name?

Hey LM, I just wanted to update you with what happened with this.

So I booked a ticket last week for Southwest. My rewards name was my maiden name so I booked it under my maiden name. But I already have my SS card and Driver's license with my new name. So I called Southwest and I just had to email them with a copy of my marriage certificate, my rewards number, my ticket confirmation number, and my home address. They said it could take 30 business days to change. I put "Urgent" in the subject line and today, two days later, it's changed and my ticket now reflects my new last name.

For my ticket on Hawaiian Airlines it was similar but I also sent a copy with my driver's license to change the name. I called them too to see what I had to send. They say it will take 3-5 days.

My SS card took less than a week to receive and the driver's license I got a temporary the day of and the new one came in the mail maybe 2 weeks later.

I thought maybe this would help you decide what you need to do. Check the airline first. But it was super easy for me so far!

Oh! The other thing you could do, is book your flight under your new name and for now the miles won't be credited to your account. Then after they change your name in their system you can retroactively apply the miles to your account. So this is if you're worried about getting your miles.

Just wait and save the headache. I changed my name before my honeymoon, packaged up my passport to send for the change, booked our tickets in my new name - but my CC still had my maiden name on it - and the agent booked it in my maiden name. I called immediately to change it but they said they couldn't. So I didn't mail my passport in, so it matched maiden name, and I was fine. It might be OK, like HiH was, but, do you want to chance getting there and they don't let you fly? I wouldn't.

This happened to me with the flight I booked yesterday. Delta did not change my name on my sky miles account, yet (the paperwork was already sent in). When I was buying the ticket, I put in my married name and my sky miles number and the message said the name didn't match the sky miles account. I didn't realize that it also switched my name to my maiden name, even after I changed it back twice. Then I booked and found out it wasn't right! I called Delta customer service and explained the situation. One lady was rude and cranky but the second lady was sweet and just re-issued me a new ticket with my new name. So, from my experience yesterday with Delta, they changed it for me. It was just a 20 minute phone call. If it's early December, I would just wait. We are already so close to the end of the year. It was my fault, though, but they fixed it easily. I was just too ecstatic about to to OKD'S wedding!! Lastly, is it OKD'S wedding you are booking for? Are you the person who took the last two seats together on the one flight home?!?! There were two together when we started but then poof it was gone! Lol.