chnaman

my air ticket has my middle initials..my passport has it spelled out...is this any problem departing Osaka, Japan..and Japan security n/or Immigration.

CaliforniaLady

Conventional travel wisdom dictates that the name on the ticket and passport should match exactly, including middle initial versus spelled out middle name. You could, in theory, be stopped at any of four airports, two in Japan, and two in your home country. I suggest you get the airline to re-ticket you. They may claim that it's not necessary, but be nice, but firm.

I made the same mistake recently. I was redeeming a United award for a Lufthansa flight, and I was not home, and I was distracted. After I got home, I checked my passport, and noticed my error. I called United, and they re-ticketed me without charging. It did take a bit of convincing, the agent claimed that it would be fine, but I insisted, and she did it.

chnaman

gosh I booked thru Vayama.com they are so dysfunctional..so I have a huge challenge.

crosscheck

I humbly disagree. You are fine. Airlines care about first and last names, not middle names. I travel often, including to Japan, and never use my middle name on my ticket.

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.c...irline-ticket/

Seamus

You are fine. You will be asked by the airline to provide your passport information and then will need to be sure to enter exactly what appears on the passport. On the ticket, FN, LN is sufficient.

CALady - sounds like you were within the 24 hour free cancellation period so they were able to cancel/reissue, not just change the name. After that 24 hours you would have been charged a hefty fee.

CaliforniaLady

Crosscheck, that's great that you have never had a problem, but airline and security policies clearly state that the name must match exactly on passport and ticket.

The OP does not state his/her country of origin, so their security policy may be quite strict.

We all have a different levels of nervousness about matters such as these, but I contend it's worth the peace of mind to re-ticket, but others may disagree, and that's perfectly fine with me.

chnaman

I am normally a very detailed traveler..this time the travel website was dysfunctional and tricked me ( and many others too). Can't even get into the call center...hefty hefty cancel fee, combined from both website and airline combined......I'm thinking I have no choice but to try it with this ticket. Darn...thanks for all the advice...seems like there are just as many people on both sides that say no worries..and ones that say change ticket...

29FEB

Chnaman, only one person said to change the ticket. Think you'll find almost all travelers wouldn't give it a thought, especially if the middle initial matches the middle name.

So, Wyatt A. Park = Wyatt Andrew Park

Not Wyatt Z. Park = Wyatt Andrew Park

CaliforniaLady

29FEB, I was just stating my personal inclination and ease of changing the ticket. I still contend that if one discovers it quickly, and it's easy to change, then why not?

If all others here think that there is no problem, and chnaman booked through a third part, where there are hefty cancellation fees, then that's fine with me that he leave it. However, he still didn't state his country of origin, so different rules may apply there.

I consider myself corrected, at least in the general sense, but I personally would always want the names on the ticket and passport to match exactly, since that is technically the rule. I'm just a fastidious person, and hence a fastidious traveler, so I prefer to err on the side of caution.

29FEB

CalLady, I assume OP is Japanese since he lists that as his country of departure.

I absolutely agree that we each have varying levels of comfort. Part of maturity is recognizing our own.

chnaman

sorry..I am a US citizen...and my ticket starts from Japan... to Europe then return japan....

crosscheck

<Crosscheck, that's great that you have never had a problem, but airline and security policies clearly state that the name must match exactly on passport and ticket.>

I'm guessing this language means that the first and last names must be accurate and spelled correctly. Airlines and internal security simply do not care about middle names. For work, my tickets often are booked by travel agencies in the US, Asia, Europe and South America and nobody has ever asked for my middle name. (And when I book myself I don't use it because my passport shows my maiden name as my middle name - not hyphenated - and I don't want it confused with my surname). In the US, I have Global Entry and TSA Pre and I've never been called out for not matching.

Here are some of the thousands of threads on the topic:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...ir_Travel.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/klm-f...e-booking.html

And, this from the TSA blog:

http://blog.tsa.gov/2010/10/talk-to-...ember-1st.html

What if a passenger’s boarding pass and ID do not match exactly?

At the security checkpoint, TSA strives to ensure your identification and boarding pass are authentic and validate you are who you say you are. Small differences in the name on the boarding pass and ID, like middle initials, should not impact your travel. It is not uncommon for the information printed on boarding passes to differ slightly from the information on IDs, depending on the boarding pass printing practices of individual airlines.

Blogger Bob
TSA Blog Team

chnaman

thank you blogger Bob...I feel at ease

CaliforniaLady

Lol, Blogger Bob is the final authority from our government. I'm sure you'll be fine, chnaman. Personally, I would try to get the names to match whenever possible, as it's one less possible problem to encounter.

Kavey

{Feeling extra glad I don't have any middle names...}

crosscheck

Blogger Bob is the man.

chnaman

California Lady: ...Vayama told me cost $25 on their end but dunno how much airlines would charge...AND I have to scan and email them a copy of passport...then send to them thru Email no less...( no way ) I am not going to give anyone a cc of confidential info like that)...and then they would "try" to process with the airline....total dysfunction on their part....so I am taking all the advice...and afraid have to just go with the original ticketing...and have plan B and C if whatever happens...

BTW I will never ever again book thru Vayama...and canceling would cost me $375....then rebook with the higher ticket price would cost almost as much as the original ticket anyway..

CaliforniaLady

Oh, chnaman, please take the advice of the other regular posters here and let it go. There is such a big chance here that your ticket will get messed up.

I really regret having scared you--I only changed my ticket because it was easy, and I'm probably one of the most fastidious posters here. If it would make you feel better, you could perhaps call or email the carrier directly, and explain the situation. They could at least put a note in the record explaining the discrepancy, and that may make you feel better.

Please don't worry--I hope you have a wonderful time in Japan.

crosscheck

When using an online travel agency like Vayama, always get for the unique record locator for the airline you're flying (not the Vayama locator). Then you can have direct contact with the airline for changes, delays, seats, etc. But in this case, as everyone has said, you're good to go.