khedge

Does the name on our passport pertaining to middle name, middle initial, or lack thereof, have to match the flight reservation precisely?

Or is it more important that it match the driver's license? Our driver's licenses are different from our passports regarding our middle names/initials.

Thanks!

nytraveler

The only people that care about drivers lic are rental car companies.

Your passport is your official ID and should match your plane ticket. If the ticket has just your first and last name - and not the middle name on your passport you should be OK. If the plane ticket has a 3 part name and the passport doesn;t that might cause a question. (Hopefully you are not John Smith).

adrienne

Your passport needs to match your plane ticket exactly. The TSA is getting stricter about this. If your ticket is incorrect, the airline can include a notation/correction that the TSA can see when you go through security.

UNCalum

New rules set in the last few months require an exact match between ticket and passport. Boarding may be denied otherwise. It's best not to take a chance that this requirement won't be enforced.

J62

I believe the above posters after nyt are incorrect.

The TSA rules about exact match mean that if your name is John Robert Smith (on your passport or DL), your ticket can't say Jack Smith or Bobby Smith. Jack might actually be ok but I don't know anybody who's tried.

John R. Smith is fine. Your ticket would probably say Smith, Johnr anyway. That's the way AA and Lufthansa both print out my name on a ticket.

My passport doesn't match my DL. DL only has middle initial. Besides the rental car co's, the TSA does accept DL as ID. International departing flights from the US are usually at adjacent gates to domestic flights, and there is a single TSA security checkpoint. A DL is all you need to pass that point, regardless of your destination.

The airline will ask for your passport at checkin as it's their responsibility to fly you back to the US if you're turned away at the gate. TSA doesn't give a flip if you use pp or DL to pass through security.

I've flown numerous times with a Rodney (pp) who's ticket says Rod, a Thomas (pp) - Tom (ticket) and a Susanna (pp) - Susan (ticket). None has had any problem on several flights in the last 6mo, and I've yet to read one single report here on Fodors of anyone being rejected if the middle initial/middle name don't match.

TPAYT

Don't take a chance. I had trouble because of a middle name on my passport and a middle initial on the ticket. Make sure they match exactly.

djkbooks

The name of your ticket should exactly match whichever ID you present to TSA at security. If a passport is requried for your destination, your driver's license will have nothing to do with anything.

But, you should not be asking here. The airline determines whether to issue a boarding pass, so you should be asking them.

And, TSA determines whether you get through security, so you should check with them.

See:

http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers...ight/faqs.shtm

joannyc

My middle name is spelled out on my passport (not just an initial) and my plane tickets always have only my middle initial... I've never had any problems.

I fly to Europe once per year... wish it could be more often!

peterSale

Catholics who have a confirmation name can get into difficulties as well, because their confirmation name is not on their birth certificate and possibly will not match other official documents.

joannyc

I'm Catholic and have never used my confirmation name for anything.

adrienne

Well...if J62 says I'm incorrect I must be. Don't pay any attention to me, I only speak from experience with my passport not matching my airline ticket and having trouble with the TSA.

peterSale

Joannnyc. Some Catholics I know, do use their confirmation name. Not all, but enough to give general warning.

Odin

The passport name needs to match the airline ticket name exactly. The rules are getting stricter. The TSA guidelines are quite clear so it is bad advice to give the impression that it does not matter based on an individual's personal experience.

J62

An annotation is simple for the airline to do at checkin. Have any of you actually been denied boarding because of a middle initial, or did you just have to get it straightened out at the airport?

If anything it shows inconsistency between different airports, or even different TSA agents at a single airport. There are certainly no absolutes when it comes to the TSA.

J62

Here's the TSA website on the Secure Flight program

http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/secureflight/

Small differences between the passenger's ID the passenger's reservation information, and the boarding pass (such as the use of a middle initial instead of a full middle name or no middle name/initial at all, hyphens or apostrophes) should not cause a problem for the passenger.

scatcat

My son goes by his middle name and buys his ticket with it. He travels several times a year with no problem. I always fear the TSA will reject it, but not yet. Could be he has just had good luck. We leave again September 5, so hoping it still passes.