Transfer Of Airline Tickets To Another Person (Complete Guide)
Be it a business trip or a family vacation, travel plans can change at any time. You may have booked a flight with any major airline and might no longer be able to make the trip. From getting your flight rebooked to applying for a refund, there are only a few ways to save the ticket value in such a scenario. One such option is to transfer the airline ticket to another person.
But do major airlines such as United, Delta, or Southwest allow the transfer of plane tickets to someone else? Let’s find out!
When can a passenger transfer their airline ticket?
Talking about standard flight bookings, passengers are only eligible to transfer an airline ticket to another person if they have purchased a ‘Transferable Ticket’. It is important to note that only a few low-cost airlines offer such transferable tickets.
If your ticket is non-transferable, you can still make a request to the airline via its helpline number. If you are able to provide a valid reason for the ticket transfer requirement, the airline may complete your request.
Transfer of plane ticket for Group Bookings
Transferring a flight ticket to another person is much more convenient for Group Bookings or Group Travel. A group booking refers to a single reservation made for 10 or more passengers. With such bookings, you can remove one passenger and replace them with another passenger. For such purposes, you are recommended to go through the Group Travel Policy of the airline you are flying with.
Difference between transferable and non-transferable tickets
A transferable airline ticket is generally extremely pricy. The reason is that it allows customers to transfer the ownership of the ticket to another person. The person to whom the ownership of the ticket has been transferred will be eligible to take the flight under the same booking. Transferable tickets are not considered a viable option as they will cost you the same price if you simply cancel the ticket and book a new flight for the other passenger.
On the contrary, non-transferable tickets refer to tickets whose ownership cannot be transferred to another person. Most major airlines such as United, Southwest, Delta, etc. only offer customers non-transferable tickets.
Airlines that allow the transfer of tickets
As mentioned earlier, only a few airlines allow the transfer of their flight tickets to another person. Most of these airlines tend to be ultra-low-cost carriers. You can transfer flight tickets for the following airlines:
Wizz Air
If you have booked a flight with Wizz Air then you are in luck. Wizz Air is generally more lenient with its booking modification policies. The airline does allow the transfer of Wizz Air tickets to another person. You can do so up to 3 hours prior to the scheduled departure. You will be charged a standard name change fee.
Frontier Airlines
One of the most prominent names when it comes to cheapest air travel, Frontier Airlines also allows the transfer of tickets to another passenger. The airline will charge you a $75 fee; the same amount as that for making minor spelling corrections to the passenger’s name on the ticket.
Air Arabia
If you have booked a flight with Air Arabia and the reservation is not yet confirmed, you can transfer the ticket free of cost. If the ticket has been confirmed you will be charged a ticket transfer fee.
EasyJet
EasyJet’s customers can also transfer ownership of flight tickets. The fee for the same is greatly reduced if the request is made 60 or more days prior to the scheduled departure. You will have to pay a hefty amount if you are transferring the ticket to another traveler on the departure day itself.
WestJet
WestJet is arguably the most customer-friendly airline when it comes to ticket transfers. It allows you to transfer tickets free if the request is made within 24 hours of ticket purchase. After 24 hours, you will be charged a fee. WestJet tickets are eligible for a transfer up to 2 hours prior to the scheduled departure.
Other airlines that are known to offer transferable tickets are listed below:
- Ryanair
- Vueling
- Transavia
- Flybe
Airlines that do not allow the transfer of tickets
Unfortunately, a vast majority of major airlines strictly prohibit the transfer of tickets to another person. The reason is that ticket transfers increase the chances of fraudulent or phony passengers boarding the aircraft. This can also greatly compromise the safety of co-passengers. Most airlines avoid such situations as they can harm their image in the market to a great extent.
Popular airlines which do not allow their passengers to transfer their tickets are listed below:
- United Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- Delta Airlines
- JetBlue Airways
- Spirit Airlines
- Allegiant Air
- Air Canada
- Qatar Airways
- Turkish Airlines
- Lufthansa Airlines
- KLM Airlines
- Air France
As stated earlier, even if the airline with which you have booked your flight is not offering transferable tickets, you can dial the airline’s helpline number and state your reasons for a ticket transfer and the airline may help you out.
How to transfer an airline ticket to another person?
If the airline you are flying with allows ticket transfers, you can request the same both online and offline. To transfer airline tickets to another person online, visit their online Manage Booking facility and navigate to the edit passenger information section. From here you can change the passenger info and transfer your flight ticket.
In case the airline is not offering a ticket transfer option through Manage Booking, simply call their customer assistance number. You will be then connected to a live representative of the airline to whom you can provide your booking details (booking code and passenger’s name) and the ticket transfer request will soon be completed.
Related: How To Change Name On United Flight Tickets?
What to do if you cannot transfer an airline ticket to another person?
If you cannot transfer your airline ticket to another traveler, the only option to avoid losing the ticket’s value is to cancel the reservation and use the refunded amount to book a new flight. Most airlines such as United, Delta, and Lufthansa have a 24-hour cancellation period. This policy allows passengers to cancel the booking within 24 hours of ticket purchase and get a full refund without paying any cancellation fees.
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