Can You Change the Name on a Korean Air Ticket?

Editorial review: October 15, 2026. Check the linked official guidance and your booking conditions before making a decision.

Korean Air distinguishes a correction for the same passenger from changing the traveler. If your ticket has an error, compare it with your travel document and ask for review before canceling or buying another ticket.

What the published exceptions cover

Korean Air’s booking guide describes a one-time correction when it confirms the same identity and one of its listed exceptions applies. These include legal name changes, correction of three or fewer letters in English spelling, changing an English name to a Korean name and a name correction connected with a gender change.

Those exceptions are not permission to transfer a ticket to another person. A short typo still needs to fit the policy and ticket conditions. If your case is different or involves multiple airlines, ask how the issuer can handle it.

Direct purchase or agency

The guide says to contact Korean Air’s service center for a correction and the travel agency for an agency-issued booking. Give the issuer the complete itinerary, including partner-operated flights, and mention any flown segment. Do not assume changing a loyalty profile updates an already issued ticket.

Information to prepare

1. Reservation reference and ticket number.
2. Current spelling and requested spelling.
3. Passport or accepted identification if requested.
4. Proof linking old and new legal names when required.
5. Departure date and every operating airline.

Fees and documents

Korean Air’s guide states that the reissue fee is waived for ticket-name corrections under the described rules. That is narrower than promising every name-related request or a new purchase will be free. Ask about any agency handling and have the total explained before consenting to a different solution.

Confirm that the ticket is usable

After assistance, retrieve the trip and check the passenger name, ticket, flight dates and services. If you have already checked in, ask how to replace or validate the boarding pass. Keep the confirmation with your travel records rather than relying on an informal note.

Questions travelers ask

Can another person use my ticket after a name change?

The ordinary correction process does not authorize a passenger substitution.

Is a legal change treated as a typing error?

It has its own exception and evidence requirements.

Must I act within 24 hours of buying?

Do not assume a universal free-correction window; ask early so there is time to review the case.

For the next part of your planning, see How to Fix a Name Error on a KLM Flight Ticket and How to Fix a Wrong Name on a United Airlines Ticket.