WillTravel

Dick, post on Flyertalk.com. If you post in the appropriate airline forum there, you'll probably get some help or suggestions.

Queenie

Dick-
I would not worry.

I have 3 boarding passes on flights with SWISS, Emirates and KLM on flights taken withing the past year.

All 3 have my first name incorrectly spelled on them.

There were no problems. never noticed this before. this thread made me curious.

Dick

I'll try flyertalk..thanks

queenie...my wife will like hearing thaty...she jokes about leaving the country but not being allowed back..

Christina

Maybe this has something to do with what your name is, as to when they ask. I could see them asking if you said your name was John Jones or something.

I've flown to/from the US just a couple months ago and my middle name wasn't on the ticket. ALso, I just bought a RT ticket US/Paris from Air France a couple weeks ago, and they never asked me my middle name. They don't even have a box to put in your middle name on the online form to buy a ticket from them, so it can't be required.

I have a long name and my full first name doesn't fit on the ticket even now, it is cut off. I imagine it is correct in the computer, however, but no gate agent who asks for my boarding pass is going to match my printed pass with my passport ever, unless they start allowing a lot more characters than they do now.

My name is unique within the US, though, I don't think anyone else has my combination of first and last name.

Eloise

My "real" first name comes in a masculine and a feminine version, and almost no one knows or cares about the difference.

I cannot recall how many times I have flown on a ticket that had me down as a man...

Spygirl

Gardyloo-correction. Sometimes TSA screeners will ask to see your ID at some airports as you pass through screening, but not all. They are not required to do this.

The ticket checker, however, who you meet first before you go to a screening lane, IS required to check your ID and boarding pass for a name match, before allowing you to go to a screening lane. No match, no screening lane. The ticket-checker is a security contractor for the airline. The air carrier may should also ask to see your ID at check-in, but sometimes they don't, since the pax must show ID before entry to the screening checkpoint.

The problem is, with these issues and others, that each airport with a different TSA Federal Security Director (FSDs) at the helm has different rules. What may be confiscated as a prohibited item at one airport, may not at another, or an ID check through screening may occur 3 times at one airport, and only once at another, etc. This is not an optimal situation, of course, but TSA is working on it.

However, I would like to point out that there IS a security benefit in having different rules at different airports in effect that are NOT spelled out to the public as well.

ThinGorjus

I have flown all over the world, from Argentina to Sri Lanka to Japan to Scotland to Las Vegas. My passport and driver's license list all my names. I can't ever recall one of my plane tickets containing all my names, just first and last name. And since I am British, I have flown BA A LOT!! I have never been denied boarding.

Also, once, on a flight to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific, my last name was MISSPELLED. The ticket agent overlooked the problem and allowed me to board the plane.

I think you are being daft.

P_M

"I think you are being daft."

I'm not sure to whom that was directed, ThinG, but can we agree the daft person might have been the agent who demanded I use my middle name? Based on these other posts, it seems that the middle name isn't as important as that person seemed to think it was.

AnselmAdorne

Just to add a little twist to this (in case there are any Canadian readers), when I renewed my passport last year, I was surprised to discover that I could have it issued with only my first and last name.

I have always had my middle name on my passports, but after recollecting that I use only my first and last name on my airline tickets and frequent flyer account, I chose only my first and last name for my passport.

Although I have not travelled on BA, which was the focus of the OP's concern, I would like to add that before I dropped the middle name from my passport, I boarded three other airlines for international flights from Canada, Great Britain, Malta, the Netherlands, and France, in each case with a discrepancy between the name on my passport and the name on my ticket. There were no issues.

Anselm

David_London

No need for middle names, there is not even a field on the BA website booking form to enter middle names, just first and surname.

xxxx

I just booked a tickets on BA on Tuesday. Was never asked for middle names or initials.

sandi

As soon as everything went into high security, I contacted all my FF programs and changed my name on account from Sandi to Sandra... at least these carriers will issue the tickets properly and matching my ID/passport. But as to the middle name, I don't ever remember anyone asking for it, or looking to match it with the tickets and/or ID/passports. Some ticket agents are a bit anal anyway.

nanray

Thanks to all. We have not had this question come up before as all our previous flights have been pre 9/11 domestic. We booked our trip with Globus, using a local travel agent. The Globus website says "it is now more important than ever that the passenger's airline ticket match the full title, first name, middle name/initial and last name exactly as it reads on his or her passport". National Geographic Traveler magazine says airlines "do not allow even small discrepancies" between the ticket and passport names. So, while these sources did not address BA specifically, I did want to be sure of the BA policy. The local agent said not to worry about it, but she's no longer employed there. I did call BA - the person I talked to said it's not a problem, but she didn't seem too sure. Hence I ended up at Fodor's, where I can at least draw on people's experiences. The dispositive comment came from David London, who pointed out that the BA website does not even have a place for the middle name. So -- since they don't allow it, they obviously can't require it! Thanks again to David and everyone else.

Spygirl

Unfortunately, Nanray-that may not be the end of the matter. First of all, it's not the fact that BA does not have a space for a middle name, it's that THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE NAME ON YOUR PASSPORT AND YOUR TICKETS. And as for a res. agt. having the correct answer on questions such as this-9 times out of 10, they do not. Even the supervisors may be of little help-but I would immediately go to a supervisor for a question like this-FIRST. I would not be at all surprised, however, if BA STILL raises an issue with you concerning this discrepancy when you show up at the ticket counter at IAD, so be prepared.

That's the first hurdle. Assuming you get by o.k. at the BA ticket counter, then you'll encounter the second hurdle- IAD has ticket checkers who are not employed by BA, they are American security contractors that work either for the airline or for the airport-and are thus bound by TSA security regulations and policy. Like I said before, the ticket checker has to look at your passport and boarding pass before you are allowed to enter a screening lane. If they decide there is an insufficient name match, no screening lane, or possibly a delay. Not saying it WILL be a problem for you, but it MIGHT BE. You might want to email TSA at [email protected] and put the question to them.

You might also have problems on the outbound flight-as you go through BAA security, and Immigration and Passport Control on the other side as well.

The point I'm emphasizing here is this: having discrepancies between your passport and airline ticket post 9/11, post 2003 (greater emphasis on name match since this point) is NOT ACCEPTABLE.

CarolA

I fly out of an airport with the world's most diligent ID checkers. (I have several other names for them. These folks should not have a job with public interaction....) NONE of my tickets have my middle name on them. All my IDs do.
I figure if I can get by the folks at Nashville I can get anywhere. (They have told me more then once that I need to cut my hair since "it is short in your DL photo... which is about 10 years old! They once reached back and took a cell phone out of my hand and hung it UP, I had actually stepped out of line to finish the call, but that was NOT good enough. In Nashville I was told you can't use a cell phone with x number of feet of them! )

Patty

I don't recall ever having an airline ticket issued with my middle name included while both my DL and passport do include my middle name. It's never been an issue at check-in, security, immigration, etc. in the US or abroad.

islandgirltime

I made my flight reservations under my name of Myra not under my first name of Myriam which is on my passport with my middle name. When I went to get my passport I asked for the name Myra to be added, but there was not enough room for Myriam Eva Myra + last name to be added. They told me to sign it as Myriam Eva Myra + last name. I have it this way on my driver's lis. as well. Since there was not enough room for all 3 names. I have contacted Swiss Air and gave them our passport numbers and let them know of the issue with the names. They took all the info down asked me to bring other ID's which I will bring my Driver's Lis. SS. card and voter reg. card. They supervisor told me that there should not be a problem with this.
I have been reading the info on Fodor's and am a bit scared that there will be problems. On one hand some say don't worry all of there names are not on their tickets, names have been misspelled, which has happened to me on a couple of occasions.
What do you think?

Spygirl

Islandgirl-honestly, you've done all you can do, and you did it ahead of time, which is good. The important thing is, that you'll have all your ID's with you to establish not only proof of identity, but that your names appear a certain way on other state/govt. issued docs. than your passport-that's essential. No one can guarantee you won't have a bit of delay while they look at the situation at the airport, though. At this point, you'll just have to wait and see. I might suggest in the future that you use the name "Myriam" for your flight res. Good luck.

tomboy

How would Queen Elizabeth fly on British Airways?
Name, please. Elizabeth
Last name? I don't have one.
Is that Mrs or Ms.? Queen
Let's try title. Queen
Do I have this right..Elizabeth Queen

No, no, it's Queen Elizabeth.
This ain't the army, maam. First name first, last name last.
OK, OK, you want my full name, it's Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
By the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of her other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith

The plane's boarding now, ma'am

islandgirltime

Thanks Spygirl for you reply.