SeeHag

My husband lost his mind while booking an international flight with Delta using points. He was trying to book online but had problems so he used a Delta agent to book. He somehow forgot that the name on his passport is different than what he has gone by all of his life. It's Randell vs Randy. His middle name and last name are correct. When he checked his passport and realized his mistake he called back and Delta said they could't change it over the phone because one leg of the flight is on their partner Korean Air and if they go into the system they may loose the seat? The agent said to change it at the Delta counter when we check in. Does that seem right? I think he needs to check into this more rather than a month from now when we show up at the airport. Any suggestions?

Odin

I wouldn't worry. Mistakes of up to 3-4 characters in a name are usually overlooked.

MitchelAbin

As per every airline's terms and conditions, a traveler's name should match with the name on his credit card. If it is not so, boarding may be denied. It is better not to take risks on the scheduled date of departure. You should visit Delta's booking office in person and get the problem resolved as soon as possible.

SeeHag

I think his credit card is under Randy, passport Randell.

DeborahAnn

I would not wait until your flight day to get this straightened out. We recently had a problem when I somehow ended up with an extra S in my last name and I almost was not allowed to board because it took so long to get the "S" removed . Good luck. Deborah

SeeHag

Deborah, was the change made at the check in counter? If it were me, I would be here tomorrow but my husband insists Delta told him it wouldn't be a problem. Argh.

Odin

<<As per every airline's terms and conditions, a traveler's name should match with the name on his credit card. If it is not so, boarding may be denied.>>

This is totally untrue. What happens if you purchase a ticket for a child with your credit card? What happens if your company uses a corporate credit card? What happens if I buy a ticket for someone else using my credit card? What happens if I pay cash?

There are no T&Cs stating that the name on your ticket and reservation must match the name on a credit card.

The comment probably came from a time many years ago, when etickets first came into use, when the credit card in your booking had to be the one presented at check in as a form of ID for e ticket or for checking in using an airport kiosk. Even then, the FOP just needs to match, not the actual name on the credit card to reservation. Nowadays you are never asked to produce the credit card that paid for the air ticket. And guess what, credit cards are not the only way to pay for air tickets.

The name on the reservation and air ticket is supposed to match your passport, not the credit card.

Most airlines do not care about mistakes in a name that consist of only 2/3 characters. Randy vs Randell is a small error. There is some leeway.

The situation with an extra S at the end of a last name, if it was left as it was nobody would have noticed, the issue of almost being not allowed to board is because the process to get it changed was done at the airport, which is risky if the ticket desk is busy. Did the airline actually tell you you needed to get it changed, or did you make that assumption? Shame on the airline if they told you it had to be changed.

What did DL mean by possibly losing the seat on KE? Did they mean the seat assignment or the actual reservation? Seat assignments will be cancelled with a name change, as will special meals, if you have one.

janewb

This exact same thing happened to me. I also had an issue trying to book an international flight with miles on Delta. The website kept crashing and I ended up calling Delta.

My flight got booked on Alitalia and the reservation used my entire middle name. I realized after that my passport had my middle initial only. I called Delta and they referred me to Alitalia. I called them and was informed that my name had to match EXACTLY and they told me to call Delta.

I called Delta and the agent tried to convince me that it wouldn't be an issue because it was just my middle name. I did not want to take any chances. She had to cancel my original ticket and rebook a new ticket. This is why the previous poster mentioned they may lose their seat. My understanding is that because "name changes" are never allowed, a new ticket must be issued. Because you are booking a new ticket, it is based on the fares and seats that are available at the time you are booking the "new" ticket. In my case, it was only a few minutes so I didn't have an issue.

I also agree - your name on the ticket/reservation must match your passport; the credit card does not matter.

locomotor

The airlines are deregulated, which means they can do what they want. I would suggest going to the DL counter prior to travel or get there much earlier if on date of flight and ask the agent to make an endorsement on your ticket to show the correct name as it appears on pp. Like mentioned, credit card name does not matter, it is the pp that matters and 2-3 characters are important. Be sure to ask for a supervisor when asking for the endorsement. Safe travels.

SeeHag

Hi locomotor, what do you mean by an endorsement?

J62

I'm not quite sure what deregulation has to do with names on tickets and ID - that is a gov't regulation.

Personally, I'd not be concerned about Randell vs Randy, especially if he as some ID that shows the name that matches the ticket even if it's not the passport.

Also, not sure why asking for a supervisor is needed. Once the checkin agent checks the passport you are good to go. They are the only person who will look at you pp - there is no emigration control exiting the US. Gate agents may also look at passport, but that would be to check if it's valid / expiration date not to match computer records.

DeborahAnn

As I remember the problem with the extra S in my last name: (what should have ended in ssar instead was sssar) --I bought my USAir tickets online--my computer did an automatic enter for my ticket info and I didn't notice the incorrect spelling it put in until I was using the return portion of the flight. The misspelling went unnoticed on my flight out but not when I was returning home. I thought it should have been easy to correct but I had to have a new ticket, luckily it didn't cost me anything more than time. I don't let my computer use auto-fill any more!!

Seehag, after my experience I would feel uneasy knowing there is a mistake on the ticket---a trip to the airport a week or two before your flight to get it corrected seems like time well spent. At the same time you can check that all the seat assignments remain in place. Good luck, Deborah

SeeHag

Deborah,

Thanks, I have told my husband (you know how that goes!) that this needs to be taken care of sooner rather than later if for no other reason than it's stressing me out. We are ten minutes from a Delta counter so it isn't any worse than calling!

ChristineTaylor

Yes, it is recommendable to get a new air ticket issued rather than missing your flight at the eleventh hour leading to inconveniences.