British Airways - must ID name match ticket name?
 

I'm flying BA from Dulles to Heathrow to Prague. All my ID's, including passport, have first, middle and last name - but the ticket is being issued in first and last name only. Since the ID's and ticket are not an exact match, will I have problems boarding the flights?

I was told the same thing by BA, in fact I posted a thread last year asking this question. Here it is:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...name+on+ticket

Now to answer your question. I would call BA and ask if there will be a problem. If it is indeed required, and the agent did not ask that question at the time of booking, I think they should amend your ticket at no charge.

Hi nan--of course, you should call BA. I, however, am curious about what you have done other times you have flown. Have you always had all your names on other airline tickets?

Please people!?! RELAX1111

No need to call, amend ANYTHING!

Where do you people get these ideas?

AAFF, last year I was told in no uncertain terms by BA that it is now imperative to have your middle name on the ticket. I was surprised by this, that's why I posted a thread to ask about other people's experiences.

I agree w/ AA. As long as your first and surnames are the same - whether your ticket has a middle name, middle initial or no middle name you will be OK.

Interesting P-M - because I flew BA a few months ago and my middle name was not on the ticket . . . . . . .

I'm willing to make a one-sided bet, right here, right now.

If BA refuses to fly anybody just because their middle name, (which is listed on their passport), is missing on their ticket, I'll buy you a first class ticket on BA for your next trip.

Obviously that's impossible to prove, unless I'm there to see this, but the point is that I'm that confident that there is NOTHING to worry about!

Airlines don't even ask for your middle name when you buy a ticket.

LA woman, when I booked my ticket with BA to Geneva last year, I initially gave only my first and last name. I was surprised when the guy asked if there's a middle name on my passport. I asked if that's necesary and he told me that my ticket must exactly match my passport, and yes they do need my middle name.

Maybe it all depends on who answers your call when you book. Maybe the guy I talked with was new and wanted to be overly cautios not to make a mistake. When I booked my Paris trip w/AA for January 2005 I asked if they needed my middle name. The answer was something like, "It wouldn't hurt to have that," so I included it. I will probably give my middle name from now on, better safe than sorry these days.

I'm not saying with any certainty that nanray will or will not have a problem, all I'm suggesting is that s/he call and ask.

OK, lets go another route on this: What if you do not use your first name and your airline ticket is issued in your middle and last name? IE: John Jay Doe on Passport, Jay Doe on ticket...

We rarely use BA, since more obscure airlines are invariably cheaper.

But Mrs F, whose full name won't fit on any known ticket, did use them (at a client's expense) a few weeks back and, as always, suppressed for the ticket the litany of names that appear on her passport.

As always, nothing happened. But here's what I'll bet BA really meant to say when they spoke to PM:

If you're going to quote a middle name, what's on the ticket has to be identical to what's on the passport. If they differ (as they most certainly would if anyone tried to get Mrs F's middle names onto a ticket), bells will ring, matter will turn into antimatter and security alerts will be declared.

Moral, IMHO: now more than ever, don't give airlines your middle name. The more information they've got, the more confused they'll get.

And confused airlines ALWAYS means messed-about passengers.

BA will check your passport when you receive your boarding pass. TSA will check photo ID (passport) before you go airside. If your middle name is/isn't on one of the other, it won't matter. If the picture in your passport is of a different person, or if the first and last names in the passport are different from those on the ticket, then it's time to worry.

That's cautious, not cautois. Sorry for the typo in my last post. I will be more cautious in the future.

When I booked my ticket to Paris on Air France, the ticket agent asked me for name as it appeared on my passport. EXACTLY as it appeared on my passport. He said I could have problems if they were not exactly the same, and just to be safe he wanted to make sure my ticket AND passport had the same name.

Meant to add, a funny (well to me) story from back when.

A professor of mine at Edinburgh University had a hyphenated name. I'll say it was Nigel Smith-Jones. (Nothing like the real name but you get the idea.)

Gets off the ship in NY shortly after WW2 (that's how long ago it was) and presents himself to the customs/immig. man at the terminal. Official person (NY accent) looks at his passport and says, "Pal, go back to the end of the line. When you get back to me, your entry form says that you're either Mr. Smith or Mr. Jones. You decide."

I am flying BA in May. I booked my tickets online through their web site. I just looked at my e-ticket and it says "Mr John Doe and Mrs Jane Doe". I always give my middle name or initial if prompted to do so, so its absence means that BA didn't ask or didn't record it on the e-ticket.

I don't think I would be concerned unless your first or last name is misprinted.

I'm a little worried...but can't figure out what to do.

I booked FF tickets to Italy and they were reserved under the name on her FF account, Marje. Her passport says Marjorie.

The airline said that they can't resissue the ticket because it would mean canelling her FF ticket first and the gettign a new FF ticket...but there isn't another award ticket available.

We contacted the passport office and without a legal name change..they won't do anything.

I think all we can do is hope....unless anyone here has an idea.

I've never had an airline ticket with my middle name printed on it and I've never had any problems. I don't think I've even been asked for my middle name.