In order to be considered an exempt employee in California, an employee will generally need to meet a strict duties test. For most exemptions, more than fifty percent of an employee's time must be spent performing exempt job duties. Job titles do not determine a California employee's exempt or nonexempt status.
I haven't used Southwest gift cards before, but I have purchased tickets for my kids to fly without me. You can pay for the ticket with your credit card and as long as you fill in her details exactly as it appears on her ID she will use for travel, it should be no problem. If she has access to email, use her email address for the notifications.
That is: buy with credit card / preloaded anonymous Amex/Visa/MC card, then re-bill on a GC later when the project is complete. Also, when it's time to redeem my points for gift cards at Discover, I'm not going to be choosing Lowe's card any longer.