Booking a budget-friendly flight with Spirit Airlines can feel like a win for your wallet, but spotting a name error on your ticket right before departure can spark major headaches, particularly with TSA’s strict Secure Flight requirements that demand an exact ID match. As an ultra-low-cost carrier, Spirit keeps things lean, which means its name change policy is more restrictive and fee-heavy than legacy airlines, but it does offer free fixes for minor misspellings and legal updates in 2025. If you’ve got a simple typo, reversed names, or a legal change like after marriage, you can correct it without always rebooking, though expect charges for most cases beyond the basics, and no passenger swaps ever.
In this detailed guide, we will walk you through the complete Spirit Airlines name change policy, allowed correction types, associated fees, required documents, step-by-step processes, and important restrictions so you can resolve the issue quickly and travel stress-free, without losing your shirt on extra costs.
Spirit permits limited name corrections and legal name changes, provided the change concerns the same passenger. The airline strictly adheres to IATA, TSA, and U.S. DOT security regulations, which require the traveler’s identity to remain unchanged. Ticket transfers to another person are never allowed.
However, Spirit does not permit complete passenger substitution under any circumstances.
Spirit distinguishes between minor corrections (often free for small errors and fast) and formal legal name changes (which require documentation and may incur fees).
| Type of Correction | Examples | Documentation Needed? | Typical Processing Time |
| Minor Spelling & Typo Fixes | “Jhon” → “John”, “Rodrigez” → “Rodriguez” | No | 5 minutes – 24 hours |
| Name Order Reversal | “Smith John” → “John Smith” | No | Instant – 24 hours |
| Adding/Removing Middle Names | Adding “Marie” or correcting “J.” → “James” | Sometimes (ID copy) | Instant – 24 hours |
| Hyphens, Spaces & Special Characters | “O’Connor” → “Oconnor”, “José” → “Jose” | No | Instant |
| Legal Name Changes | Marriage, divorce, court order, adoption | Yes | 24–72 hours |
For Free Spirit members (Spirit’s frequent-flyer program), it is highly recommended to first update the name in your Free Spirit account to keep all future bookings consistent.
Despite its approach to basic fixes, certain changes are strictly prohibited:
In such cases, the original booking must be cancelled (subject to fare rules) and a new ticket purchased.
Spirit offers several channels to process name corrections, though options are more limited than full-service carriers:
Most simple name corrections can be made directly on spirit.com:
Note: The online name correction tool is available only for tickets issued directly by Spirit (booking references starting with NK) and is limited to very minor spelling errors.
Best for legal name changes or when the online option is unavailable:
Fees depend on the type of correction, fare family (Go, Go Comfy, Go Savvy), route, and timing.
| Name Change Type | Typical Fee (USD) | Remarks |
| Minor spelling corrections | Free | Eligible for slight misspellings; no charge if under 3 characters |
| Adding middle name/initial | $0–$99 | Free for minor; up to $99 for verification |
| Name order reversal | Free–$99 | Free online if simple; fee via phone |
| Hyphens & special characters | Free | Processed instantly online |
| Legal name changes | $0–$150 (~USD 0–165) | Free for eligible legal with docs; higher on long-haul if reissue required |
| Award tickets | $50–$150 | Partner-issued awards may cost more |
Within 24 hours of booking, any correction, even legal name changes, is completely free thanks to the U.S. DOT passenger rights regulations.
Request the change as soon as you notice the error. Benefits of acting early:
Spirit recommends completing name corrections at least 72 hours before departure for all flights.
Facing difficulties with the Spirit name correction process? Our expert team at CheapFlyFinder can:
No. Spirit strictly prohibits transferring tickets to a different traveler.
Minor spelling mistakes, adding middle names, and fixing hyphens are often free if slight; otherwise up to $99.
No documents are required for corrections of up to three characters or minor formatting.
No, you must contact Expedia or the original agency; Spirit cannot edit third-party bookings. But CheapFlyFinder can help, send us your details now.
Yes, adding or correcting middle names is allowed but may cost $0–$99 depending on verification.
Name change policies can be updated by Spirit Airlines at any time. The information above is current as of December 2025 and provided for general guidance only. Always confirm the latest rules directly with Spirit or the relevant authorities. CheapFlyFinder is not affiliated with Spirit Airlines.
Disclaimer: CheapFlyFinder is a third-party travel assistance service. We are not affiliated with any airline or government agency. All airline names and logos are used for reference only. For official information.
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