The short answer is: Yes! The rest of your group can still head off on their holiday, but because the lead passenger is the main point of contact for the booking, we’ll need to update the suppliers to let them know who's taking over.
What are my options?
As long as you are more than 7 days away from your departure date, you have two main ways to sort this out:
Option 1: Swap the lead passenger for someone else 🔄 If you have a friend or family member who can take the lead passenger's spot, you can request a name change. This keeps the booking exactly as it is, just with a new name on the tickets. How do I change a passenger's name or correct a spelling mistake?
Option 2: Remove the lead passenger entirely ❌ If the group is simply going to be one person smaller, you can request to remove the lead passenger. We will then need to appoint one of the remaining travellers as the new lead passenger so they can manage the booking and receive all the travel documents. How do I remove a passenger from my booking?
⚠️ Important: Flight costs
Please keep in mind that if you choose to remove the lead passenger rather than replacing them, their flights remain entirely non-refundable so the full cost of that flight must still be covered.
💡Why do we need to know?
It’s vital that the hotel know who the lead traveller is for check-in purposes. If the person named as the lead passenger doesn't show up and we haven't updated the booking, it could cause issues when the rest of the group tries to check in at the hotel.
What happens if it’s within 7 days of travel? ⏳
If you're less than a week away from flying, we aren't able to make these changes for you. However, you can try reaching out to your travel suppliers directly to see if they can help.
Flights ✈️
Flights are non-refundable, but you might still be able to change the name of a passenger.
If you're flying with Ryanair, easyJet, TUI, Jet2, or Vueling, you can contact them directly. They are often able to process a last-minute name change for a fee.
Other Airlines: For most other airlines, a name change this close to departure isn't possible. You would likely need to purchase a brand-new ticket at the current price if someone else wants to take that spot.
Insurance: If the lead passenger can't travel due to an emergency or illness, this is the time to check your travel insurance policy to see if you can claim back the costs.
Hotel 🏨
To change the lead name on your room at this late stage, you’ll need to contact the hotel directly.
Every hotel has its own policy; some are happy to update the name for you, but others have strict rules that don't allow lead name changes within 7 days. It’s always worth checking!
More information on making changes too close to departure can be found here.