When you book a ticket, most airlines state that the name on the reservation has to exactly match the name on the government issued ID. Is there any truth to this, and what happens if your ticket doesn’t have your middle name attached to it?
Let’s talk about that, because I can appreciate that this can be intimidating, since I don’t think anyone wants their trip ruined before they even get on a plane.
In this post:
It’s generally fine to not include your middle name
Let me cut to the chase — if you book an airline ticket and don’t include your middle name, you’ll typically not have any issues. Airlines generally require you to include your first name and last name, and then there’s a field where you can put your middle name. Some airlines state that this field is “optional,” while others state that it needs to be included “if shown on ID.”
With that in mind, here are a few points to consider:
- It’s a best practice to include your full name, as it appears on your ID, on your ticket
- You can either put your middle name in a dedicated field for middle names, or you can just put your entire “given name” (as in your passport) in the first name field
- Even if you include your full name at the time you make your booking, don’t be surprised if the “surface” of the ticket only displays your first and last name, as that’s common, and it’s nothing to be alarmed about
- If you’re traveling internationally and need to provide your passport information during online check-in, you absolutely need to include your full name (including your middle name) as it shows in your passport; during online check-in you can typically add a middle name, even if your initial ticket didn’t show it
- The much more important point is that you provide your correct legal name, and not a shortened version of it; in other words, if your name is “Joseph” but you go by “Joe,” make sure the ticket has the former, and not the latter
Personally I’d have no qualms booking a ticket with just my first and last name on it, and I’ve never had an issue. That being said, can I guarantee that it will absolutely never be a problem for anyone? Occasionally I see “freak” stories of people claiming that they were denied boarding or had to buy a new ticket because they didn’t include their middle name.
However, I often find the circumstances surrounding this to be a bit questionable, and wonder if there’s more to the story.
Misspelled names are problematic
While I think skipping your middle name is typically fine, what about if you misspelled your name slightly? Well, that’s much more likely to be a big issue, and it’s something you’ll want to correct ASAP.
When you book a ticket, always pay close attention that you didn’t spell your name incorrectly. In other words, if your name is “Benjamin” and you accidentally typed it out as “Benajmin,” you could have problems.
What should you do if you find out that your ticket has a name misspelled? Well, you should try to get it fixed as quickly as possible:
- If you just booked your ticket, try contacting the airline, and they might be able to fix it, or if it’s an eligible ticket, you can refund it within 24 hours
- Some airlines can’t change a ticket to update the name, while other airlines have policies to let you change the name on a ticket in exchange for a small fee
- If you have a more complex ticket that involves travel on multiple airlines, is booked through a partner airline, etc., it can be a bit more complicated to change the name on an existing ticket, so you’ll want to be even more careful in those situations
- In some cases, airline representatives may state that they can’t fix the name, but they can notate the record with information about the correct name; that might work, but it’s not something I’d count on with 100% certainty
While there’s a chance that you can get away with a minor spelling error on a straightforward ticket, personally it’s a risk I’d rather avoid, as I wouldn’t count on being able to take that flight.
Bottom line
While airlines like to pretend that you’ll be denied boarding if the name on the ticket doesn’t exactly match the name on your government issued ID, the reality is a bit different. I certainly wouldn’t be worried if your ticket doesn’t show your middle name (or even if it’s just not on there at all).
Misspelling errors are a much bigger issue, though. That could be cause for being denied boarding, and it’s something I’d avoid at all costs.
What has been your experience with including middle names on tickets, and/or name misspellings?
Lucky (or anyone who has recent experience), did you use your first and last names only for Singapore Airlines? It looks like you took one from SIN-CGK last year. My husband and I are flying EWR-SIN soon (award ticket issued by Air Canada) and realize that he didn't include his 2 middles names, only first and last. Singapore Airlines just said that middle names should be included, but not sure how easy it will be to change with AC. Any insight will be appreciated.
This doesn't really help those people of certain Asian countries who are not given middle names at birth. Despite assumptions to the contrary (thanks, Long Duk Dong, for perpetuating that stereotype). ;)
I got denied boarding with CI China Airline from Hong Kong to LAX during the check in without middle name on their system , she would not issue me the ticket as my passport middle name not showing on their system.
whats funny is the agent was going to issued me , but it was the supervisor that stopped her from issuing , and gave me a fuss that for Chinese names I always have to have 3 syllable on flight ticket when booking.
I once was in Nepal with a friend of mine, getting ready to go with Air India to Delhi. From there, we were supposed to be connecting through to a Lufthansa flight. His Air India ticket had his middle name included but his Lufthansa ticket did not. The agent from Air India would not let him board. It was soon after the pandemic, so the Lufthansa call centre was closed, so we couldn't ge through...
I once was in Nepal with a friend of mine, getting ready to go with Air India to Delhi. From there, we were supposed to be connecting through to a Lufthansa flight. His Air India ticket had his middle name included but his Lufthansa ticket did not. The agent from Air India would not let him board. It was soon after the pandemic, so the Lufthansa call centre was closed, so we couldn't ge through to them to fix the issue. He had to stay behind in Nepal and had to buy a new ticket with Qatar.
in Vietnam you better put your middle name. if they make you pay to re-issue the ticket pay by credit card so you get a receipt
My daughters have TWO different names, depending on which of their two passports you look at. In one of them (EU country), they have two surnames (not one mandatory middle name plus a family name, but two family names). In the other (also EU country), they have only one surname. They have both nationalities - I tried, but neither country wanted to "bulge" at the time of issuing their birth certificate. I need to be...
My daughters have TWO different names, depending on which of their two passports you look at. In one of them (EU country), they have two surnames (not one mandatory middle name plus a family name, but two family names). In the other (also EU country), they have only one surname. They have both nationalities - I tried, but neither country wanted to "bulge" at the time of issuing their birth certificate. I need to be extra careful when deciding which name to use, depending on the passport.
I remember the time when their valid passports were for different countries and it was impossible to get something arranged prior to a CDG-HAV flight. They were both minors at the time, and the agent in CDG was concerned about child trafficking and fake passports, but mainly couldn't compute two sisters having two passports with different issuing countries and different names. Thankfully, the manager on the other end of the phone was understanding of the issue. Upon arriving in HAV, we purposefully went through immigration in two pairs to avoid issues. Lesson learnt.
Another thing is that, in countries with two surnames (Spain, I am looking to you), the field in the web form tends to have a structure including "first surname" and "second surname". After many decades, firms and government offices are now accepting filling in only one field, BUT... the convention seems to be to leaving the second surname field empty. US travelers tend to read "first surname" as "middle name" and generally have a tendency to leave that first surname blank, going directly for the second surname field. I had some colleagues have serious trouble 10-15 years ago boarding flights by a small Spanish airline because their name in the generated ticket was "MR. JOHN BLANKDOE" or "MR. JOHN NULLDOE". RENFE (the Spanish rail operator) was yet another company that had the same issues. I guess an IT supplier not having traveled outside of Spain much was the culprit.
I'd recommend to be safe and always enter your full name. If there is no field for middle name, put it next to the first name with a space. This can be an issue with airlines from country's where middle names are not very common, like in Italy for example. I remember lots of issues with Blue Panorama airlines from there when it was around. So it's best to err with caution and just include it to cover yourself.
The issue is that governments have different definitions of 'middle name'. How this is reflected in passports and IDs can cause confusion for people working in the travel sector.
For example, if the full name is Andrew Jason Smith:
- For the US and UK, the middle name is Jason
- For my country, the middle name is the mother's maiden surname. In this case, the first name for info field is...
The issue is that governments have different definitions of 'middle name'. How this is reflected in passports and IDs can cause confusion for people working in the travel sector.
For example, if the full name is Andrew Jason Smith:
- For the US and UK, the middle name is Jason
- For my country, the middle name is the mother's maiden surname. In this case, the first name for info field is "Andrew Jason", and the middle name would be Williams (e.g. if the mother's maiden name is Elsie Williams).
I've had to deal with issues arising from this inconsistency in visas, airline tickets and travel clearances in my workplace. It's usually caused by airline or embassy people who insist they know better and impose their definition of middle name over my country's -- which results in inconsistencies with what's on my passport or ID.
It's 2024 and they can't correct misspelling because there's no law that forces them to fix it. From the industry that can't handle a 3rd party software update, I'm sure they reason is that they suck.
As for middle names. It's highly visible on my ID. Multiple ones. Long. Never on my ticket. Never a problem
Changi Mai check-in fine with first and surname on boarding pass. Security check would not accept boarding pass missing middle name. Did not match passport. Had to return to airline desk to get rubber stamp on boarding pass.
Be happy if you don't have a hyphen in your name!
I always use my middle name, as it's on my passport.
The problem I run into when buying tickets is that my name also has a SUFFIX - "Jr."
It's on my birth certificate, and it's on my passport. The problem is that adding a suffix is rarely an available form field when buying a ticket online.
Do I put it after my first name? Or after my surname? That depends on the airline.
It...
I always use my middle name, as it's on my passport.
The problem I run into when buying tickets is that my name also has a SUFFIX - "Jr."
It's on my birth certificate, and it's on my passport. The problem is that adding a suffix is rarely an available form field when buying a ticket online.
Do I put it after my first name? Or after my surname? That depends on the airline.
It also becomes a problem when applying for frequent flier accounts, as the forms for those usually don't include an option for adding a suffix, either.
I had a problem recently when buying a ticket on Singapore Airlines. They provided a place for the suffix when I bought the ticket, but did not include a place for one when I signed up for my Krisflyer account.
When I tried to add my Krisflyer number to my newly-purchased reservation, I couldn't do it do to a name mismatch. It took too weeks to sort that out via email with the airline, as they kept insisting that the name was correct on the ticket AND on the Krisflyer account, but they couldn't both be correct, as the ticketing system wouldn't let me add the frequent flyer number to the reservation.
After 8-10 days of exchanging email, I finally got a reply: "We've changed the name on your Krisflyer account."
My father is long gone, so my suffix resolves no ambiguity. But it's on the birth certificate, so it remains on the passport, and it remains attached to my name.
So it goes.
So what do those pretentious types (looking almost exclusively at Americans) who typicallly choose to use their middle name in everyday life and show their first name as an initial, e.g. F. Sherman Nickerbocker, do when confronted with the boxes for First Name and Second Name?
That's what I do. Watch it, bub (lol). Though to seriously respond, they need to put their name exactly as it appears on their passport. So if their name is F. Sherman Nickerbocker on their passport then that is what they put in, if it's not they need to put it exactly as it appears (no acceptions) NE questions let me know. Hope this clarifies.
I once booked an intra-Asia ticket for my friend and didn't put his middle name that shows in his passport. He was forced to re-buy the ticket in front of my eyes. Because of this horrifying experience, I've religiously put middle name on any reservation ever since,
From reading all the comments, I gather that it's not how much you fly but where you fly.
Like others, I had hundreds of flights without a problem... until it happened. "No big deal," I thought. They'll just change/reissue the ticket. Nope. They denied boarding for a flight that occurs twice a week. No amount of providing proof or begging would persuade them to change their mind.
But I was saved. A man in...
From reading all the comments, I gather that it's not how much you fly but where you fly.
Like others, I had hundreds of flights without a problem... until it happened. "No big deal," I thought. They'll just change/reissue the ticket. Nope. They denied boarding for a flight that occurs twice a week. No amount of providing proof or begging would persuade them to change their mind.
But I was saved. A man in line behind me came up to the counter, identified himself as a Minister in the national government, and suggested that I, as a foreigner, be allowed a one-time pass. The gate supervisor knew who he was and capitulated.
Since then, I have never omitted my (horrible) middle name. FYI, this was in Africa.
Never used middle names on the reservations and never had a problem
My parents called me by my middle name because my father's first name was also the same and they didn't want me to be nicknamed "junior" . This most definitely screwed things up on the airlines. I will enter my middle name with "brackets" or (brackets) and it would typically work with people calling me by that middle name and the legality measures were met.
The same can't be said for my wife who...
My parents called me by my middle name because my father's first name was also the same and they didn't want me to be nicknamed "junior" . This most definitely screwed things up on the airlines. I will enter my middle name with "brackets" or (brackets) and it would typically work with people calling me by that middle name and the legality measures were met.
The same can't be said for my wife who has a Ph.D and on Delta, uses the provided credentials however, when you fly on Westjet which is a Delta partner, the ticket came out all screwed up. I forgot to mention my wife was not given a middle name by her parents so I believe the credentials and having no middle name made the transition to another airline wrong.
Until two years ago, all of my airline tickets and frequent flier accounts were listed with my middle name as my first name. I booked all flights using my middle name as my first name. I never, not one single time, in all the years of my life, had anyone question that my ID had a different first name.
I made the change to all my frequent flier accounts to change them all to my...
Until two years ago, all of my airline tickets and frequent flier accounts were listed with my middle name as my first name. I booked all flights using my middle name as my first name. I never, not one single time, in all the years of my life, had anyone question that my ID had a different first name.
I made the change to all my frequent flier accounts to change them all to my legal name two years ago, just because I didn't think it was worth testing it any longer. But it is worth noting at least in this anecdote, I never once had an issue with a name mismatch, including internationally.
Last year I booked 2 business class tickets on Fiji Airways to New Zealand using the Chase Travel site ( and paid with my new Chase Sapphire card which gave me the signup bonus and a lot of points). I entered the first and last name correctly but when I looked at the Fiji site the first and middle were smashed together in a single word. I worried about that quite a bit even though...
Last year I booked 2 business class tickets on Fiji Airways to New Zealand using the Chase Travel site ( and paid with my new Chase Sapphire card which gave me the signup bonus and a lot of points). I entered the first and last name correctly but when I looked at the Fiji site the first and middle were smashed together in a single word. I worried about that quite a bit even though they said it was fine, and it did turn out fine. This year I booked two business class seats round trip to Spain on Air France using miles from my Chase card (thanks OMAAT for the tip!). Air France didn’t even have a place to put a middle name so I didn’t enter it at all. I guess I was suppose to have put both first and middle in the first name field. I called Air France and they were very nice about fixing it for me.
I don't have a middle name. But don't add any nicknames or other names that people call you or you will have a problem.
Last June AA gave me the run around for a JAL ticket HNL to CGK I had booked with them. AA has my full, 2 middle name profile, yet the ticket was w/o middle names. First they suggested, that I have it changed on the boarding pass, when physically checking in, so TSA had same name on boarding pass and passport. Phoned JAL two times, they told me, it cannot be done, I would not...
Last June AA gave me the run around for a JAL ticket HNL to CGK I had booked with them. AA has my full, 2 middle name profile, yet the ticket was w/o middle names. First they suggested, that I have it changed on the boarding pass, when physically checking in, so TSA had same name on boarding pass and passport. Phoned JAL two times, they told me, it cannot be done, I would not be able to fly with them. Finally, after 5 calls back and forth, AA changed it for me. Typical case of HUCA.
I have heard the same thing from hispanic friends with 2 middle names, a British friend with 4 (yes 4) middle names, and a friend with no middle name. Isn't it fun when TSA/Patriot Act flying mandates do not line up with the rest of the world's normal names?
I did have an issue entering Australia >10 years ago. I left the middle name off the ETA. The kind gentleman who processed my entry (this was before us yanks could use electronic gates) said he need a couple extra minutes to update my file, so my exit would be uneventful. I've not repeated the error and always use the three names on my passport for all ETA type things.
Here's a followup to ponder. I have 2 middle names! No service provider to date allows me to include both middle names when booking. They're both on my US passport. To date, it's never been a problem for me, a leisure traveler to English-speaking countries (think British Commonwealth), world-wide. Thanks for addressing this.
What if my Passport doesn't have my Middle name and I included it? Will that be problematic?
Yes, a problem.
Bad advice..... If you do any type of international travel with a passport and use international carriers... AND have a middle name, you should (when you can) get your passport and profiles to have all three.... As others have stated, it can cause problems... Also, at a minimum, you may have issues with online check in as the docs , ticket, and (with some carriers) the scan of your passport will not match up.... Not...
Bad advice..... If you do any type of international travel with a passport and use international carriers... AND have a middle name, you should (when you can) get your passport and profiles to have all three.... As others have stated, it can cause problems... Also, at a minimum, you may have issues with online check in as the docs , ticket, and (with some carriers) the scan of your passport will not match up.... Not to mention Automated Entry.....
In summary, if you have a middle name, use it on all of your documents and itineraries.
I booked a complicated international trip that's now 2 months away using a Lufthansa phone agent and they completely butchered my name - left out my middle name and spelled Brian with a y. I noticed quickly and they insisted they couldn't just fix my name. They gave me 2 options:
I'd either have to cancel the ticket and rebook (there was a big risk I wouldn't be able to re-book for anywhere near the...
I booked a complicated international trip that's now 2 months away using a Lufthansa phone agent and they completely butchered my name - left out my middle name and spelled Brian with a y. I noticed quickly and they insisted they couldn't just fix my name. They gave me 2 options:
I'd either have to cancel the ticket and rebook (there was a big risk I wouldn't be able to re-book for anywhere near the same price).
Lufthansa told me they could update the "advanced traveler information" with my middle name and I wouldn't see it but TSA could. They didn't seem to think a middle name was a big deal to have missing. They also said that a one letter mistake in the name was allowed. I spoke to united over the phone since my first leg is with them, and they seemed to agree that the additional information was in the system correctly where I coudln't see it, and that 1 letter difference was OK.
Anyone have experience with a similar situation? I'm still uncomfortable with their solution because it's just such a big trip and I can't believe there wasn't a better way to fix it after noticing immediately.
If you do a DS-11 application with a SSN and birth certificate showing the middle name at the time of passport application and write in the middle name as it exists with the SSA, the US State Department should put in the middle name right after the first name in the given name field of the passport when your new US passport is being produced,
If you do a DS-82 application for a renewal...
If you do a DS-11 application with a SSN and birth certificate showing the middle name at the time of passport application and write in the middle name as it exists with the SSA, the US State Department should put in the middle name right after the first name in the given name field of the passport when your new US passport is being produced,
If you do a DS-82 application for a renewal passport and you haven’t changed anything in terms of names with SSA, the names in the passport should be issued just as they were in the previous passport.
The problem with foreign airlines is that their foreign employees just don't understand that middle names are viewed as something "optional" in Western societies. They're just clueless to many Western conventions so they incorrectly think that the middle name needs to be on everything. I've come across the same thing among some foreigners even in the US. Best advice is to just change your name to have only a first and last name and that's...
The problem with foreign airlines is that their foreign employees just don't understand that middle names are viewed as something "optional" in Western societies. They're just clueless to many Western conventions so they incorrectly think that the middle name needs to be on everything. I've come across the same thing among some foreigners even in the US. Best advice is to just change your name to have only a first and last name and that's it. Or at a minimum just have first and last name on your passport, social security card, and all accounts. Btw, the State Dept will put just first and last on your passport even if you've had a middle name on there before. Same with the social security administration, where the legal name is just first and last name irrespective of whether you have a middle name or not. Also, having no middle name is much better for privacy and security because it makes it more difficult to uniquely identify you by name alone in online databases.
When I booked my ANA ticket through Virgin Atlantic, no less than 3 phone agents all repeatedly warned me that if I had a middle name on my passport but not my ticket they issued, I'd be denied boarding by ANA (I do not have a middle name). Not sure if true, but every agent I talked to the multiple times I called in, without prompting from me, proactively led with that warning when they saw no middle name on my ticket.
Absolutely agree, same experience with ANA and other international airlines... Also... remember you have immigration to deal with too... U.S. based advice and experiences do not line up with international standards....
I recently had a minor issue with a Korean LCC on a domestic Korean flight. When I booked the ticket through Capital One’s travel portal, it didn’t ask for a middle name. At check in, they had to manually add it in as they required it.
A friend also has a kid with a hyphen in his middle name. He was worried since the hyphen never shows up on the tickets after booking. Luckily, that never caused any problems for him.
Only time I’ve had problem with middle name missing was intra Vietnam Bamboo Airways flight where I had to buy a new ticket for both of us as I had not included our second names on the ticket.
One thing that I found a bit problematic is long names. For example my step father has extremely long name that does not fit in almost any field. Sometimes I’ve recommended to use the name found from...
Only time I’ve had problem with middle name missing was intra Vietnam Bamboo Airways flight where I had to buy a new ticket for both of us as I had not included our second names on the ticket.
One thing that I found a bit problematic is long names. For example my step father has extremely long name that does not fit in almost any field. Sometimes I’ve recommended to use the name found from passport machine readable part. Computer should say Yes, but for human it’s less good than just having first name there.
Delta is crappy!
Tim Dunn, can you help or advise?
I booked a Westjet award (WS flight number) on Delta.com using Delta Skymiles. The Delta website pre-populated my name correctly. Delta's email is also correct. For example, Derek T. Smith.
However, looking on the Westjet website using my record locator / flight confirmation number, it appears as Derekt Smith.
Advice?
Had the same issue a number of years ago at a hotel in DC. The check-in agent called me Derekt (to follow your example) and was mystified how the T could be my middle initial, as though Derekt was a common name! I said yes, just like your (then) President, Georgew Bush.
Delta is crappy! I booked an award seat on Delta.com for a Westjet flight and flight number. Delta's website then uses my pre-populated name. On the website, it looks fine. In the email, it looks fine. Example, Derek T. Smith
However, looking at the Westjet website, it appears as Derekt Smith. I wonder if I am going to have trouble?
Tim Dunn, can you help or advise?
I disagree that you can add a middle name during online check in for traveling internationally since the fields are greyed out. A few months ago, I redeemed Turkish miles to travel on Air India. Turkish agent didn’t ask for my middle name when booking the ticket and later on I realized Air India requires the name on the ticket to match the name on the passport. I unsuccessfully tried calling both Turkish and Air...
I disagree that you can add a middle name during online check in for traveling internationally since the fields are greyed out. A few months ago, I redeemed Turkish miles to travel on Air India. Turkish agent didn’t ask for my middle name when booking the ticket and later on I realized Air India requires the name on the ticket to match the name on the passport. I unsuccessfully tried calling both Turkish and Air India to add my middle name but each telling me to reissue the ticket. Since Turkish Airlines increased the miles required between India and the US, that option was not feasible until a few days before departure I went to the Turkish airlines office and got a letter confirming that they have verified my passport and added a note in their system. I didn’t have any issue at the airport.
I flew Starlux Airlines to Taipei and then Bangkok and the original ticket did not include my middle name. The airline required that a new ticket be issued with my middle name. Yes, sometimes, airlines can get super picky about it.
was your middle name already in their secure flight information during your initial booking ?
I have starlux reservation , i booked with AlaskaAir and had my middle name there on their middle name section but the boarding pass seems without middle name, the alaska agents said it should be fine as long in their secure flight information . did you have to pay extra for the airline to change it ?
Ben, how about an article for those of us with names with suffixes. I am a "Jr" and it's a real pain. The "Jr" is on my passport, including in the machine readable area. However, the "Jr" is not on my Global Entry card (I don't think there was a field for suffixes on the 2012 application form).
Some online forms don't have a dedicated fields for suffixes. Sometimes the suffix gets concatenated onto my...
Ben, how about an article for those of us with names with suffixes. I am a "Jr" and it's a real pain. The "Jr" is on my passport, including in the machine readable area. However, the "Jr" is not on my Global Entry card (I don't think there was a field for suffixes on the 2012 application form).
Some online forms don't have a dedicated fields for suffixes. Sometimes the suffix gets concatenated onto my surname. Sometimes it's not clear if I should enter "Jr" or "Jr.".
This issue has prevented me from checking in online on several occasions. I've also had problems checking in at the airport and when boarding.
Airlines need to get consistent about this.
My primary advice about this is to NEVER give your child a surname.
Sammmmmeeeee.
I'm a "Fourth," and it's on my passport, so I have to include it on foreign itineraries.....
....except that airlines have all manner of different ways of including it: most follow the passport convention of including it with my last name after a space.
Others attach it to my last name with no space, and yet others think it *is* my last name.
THE RESULT: good luck checking-in online, due to ever-present name mismatches!
...Sammmmmeeeee.
I'm a "Fourth," and it's on my passport, so I have to include it on foreign itineraries.....
....except that airlines have all manner of different ways of including it: most follow the passport convention of including it with my last name after a space.
Others attach it to my last name with no space, and yet others think it *is* my last name.
THE RESULT: good luck checking-in online, due to ever-present name mismatches!
This was surprisingly a huge problem with AA, until around 2016. No issues with DL and UA. Foreign carriers could go either way.
My experiences with this issue are the same as yours.
I was very happy when AA finally got it straight.
I find it so surprising that AA was the one to have so much trouble with it, considering their strength in the Latin American market..... where names can be even more challenging, compared to the boring Anglo convention, lol.
I have a friend who equally goes by "L. Diaz," "L. Diaz Cortes," and "L. Cortes" and had various government/college/work IDs that reflect all the above.
Have to imagine that AA sees the likes of that...
I find it so surprising that AA was the one to have so much trouble with it, considering their strength in the Latin American market..... where names can be even more challenging, compared to the boring Anglo convention, lol.
I have a friend who equally goes by "L. Diaz," "L. Diaz Cortes," and "L. Cortes" and had various government/college/work IDs that reflect all the above.
Have to imagine that AA sees the likes of that all the time, in their client base. If they can figure that out, why did it take them so long to deal with suffixes??
Count me in the group of people who have run into more potential issues by including my middle name, than leaving it admitted.
Anyway, this matter is trivial compared to British Airways’ silly reservation system insist on using a title… then weirdly merges your names.
Yes because heaven forbid you not be addressed properly if you're a sir, dame, or lord. Check out the British airways sign up form for their frequent flying program and you'll see a list of 20 or so titles you can use, including "viscount," "viscountess," and "baroness." Maybe they need to stop having one foot in the 18th century!!
My given names are quite long (two middle names, 34 characters including spaces). I tend to get more trouble if I include my middle names than when I don't. YMMV.
Just enter your name as per the machine-readable zone and that's it.
While working in customer support, I never understood how so many people make mistakes and don't know their own name. It's crazy.
Also, better safe than sorry. If you have a middle name in your document, include it.
As this blog has amazing SEO just in case this comes up in a search I want to point out if somebody only has one name (called a Mononym). Most likely would come up if you're assisting with refugee travel. Generally, the thing that will work is to put that name both in the first and last name fields, leave the middle name blank, and hope for the best at the airport.
That or use FNU (field not used). Whatever matches the passport with a simple passport swipe of the MRZ zone is what works best in those circumstances.
Remember that in most European and Latin American countries there is no middle name. There might be several family names so you always use your first name and the last family name.
Here is the full name of Spanish F1 racer Carlos Sainz. How do you think his boarding pass looks like? Carlos Sainz Vazquez de Castro Cenamor Rincón Rebollo Birto Moreno de Aranda de Anteriuga Tiapera Deltun.
What are you talking about? Of the presumed Christian Europeans whom I know, the vast majority of have at least three names on their passports — at least one name in the last name field and at least two names in the other name field on the passport — much like in the US.
And I am pretty sure that I have seen way more European passports than you. ;)
Oh yes, I forgot you work at the passport control at an European airport so for sure you have seen way more European passports than me. Middle names in the US are regular names. For example, John Paul, Paul is middle name. What I said is that in Europe and Latin America, you usually see people with only one regular name but several family names. Usually, Name_Mother's Family Name_Father's Family Name. Thus, sometimes they combine...
Oh yes, I forgot you work at the passport control at an European airport so for sure you have seen way more European passports than me. Middle names in the US are regular names. For example, John Paul, Paul is middle name. What I said is that in Europe and Latin America, you usually see people with only one regular name but several family names. Usually, Name_Mother's Family Name_Father's Family Name. Thus, sometimes they combine both family names as a combined last name. FYI, I have an European passport myself.
In The Netherlands it is normal to have middle names. Much more common than double last name. Can be more than one.
No middle names in Italy. One first, one last name. Everything else is extremely rare, although it was discussed recently to allow parents to give their kids both parents' last names (more in line with Spain and Latin countries, I believe).
Good article because I see this online. You should add a section though about spacing - FIRSTMIDDLE - I always see people worried when the names are lumped like that, or MRFIRSTMIDDLE.
As a general rule, passengers can use the machine readable portion on their passport to tell the minimum they need to provide on the ticket.
For example, P<USADOE<<JOHN<HENRY, you’d need to have at least John Doe on the ticket. Some countries may list your name as P<USADOE<JOHN<HENRY, in which case John Doe, Henry Doe, or John Henry Doe could be used. Conversely, if it’s presented as P<USADOE<<JOHN<<HENRY, you’d need to have all three names on...
As a general rule, passengers can use the machine readable portion on their passport to tell the minimum they need to provide on the ticket.
For example, P<USADOE<<JOHN<HENRY, you’d need to have at least John Doe on the ticket. Some countries may list your name as P<USADOE<JOHN<HENRY, in which case John Doe, Henry Doe, or John Henry Doe could be used. Conversely, if it’s presented as P<USADOE<<JOHN<<HENRY, you’d need to have all three names on the ticket.
Do you need JR on ticket if passport says:
P<USADOE<JR<<JOHN<HENRY
If u want problems have a hyphenated name , especially American bookings , I gave up and changed passport, so now put first and first part of hyphenated in forename box and leave middle blank
Having name "exactly like on government ID" matters for TSA Pre.
Forgot middle initial couple times on the airline I do not fly much - and, alas, no pre-check
I have seen people get PreCheck on over 100 flights straight even when their ticketed name left out the middle name shown on the government-issued ID shown at check-in and/or security checkpoints.
I once had trouble with Eva Air without the full name on ticket. It was a 2 legs international flight. The first flight from US was fine without any problem but the second flight from Bangkok to HK insisted the name should be exactly as on passport. I provided the first flight ticket to prove it was Ok with Eva Air from US. Then they agreed to revise the ticket for free.
Just a data-point: since about 2010, I’ve flown to the US and back from Europe 100++ times and I have always just put my first and last name (no middle name, despite my passport showing all names) on all airlines and that has worked perfectly. My visa is also just first and last name. Never been asked about it.
Same here, until a domestic flight in Malaysia recently. Ticket had to be changed.
If you ever fly internationally from GMP, make sure the name on your boarding pass matches exactly the name on your passport. I usually do not include my (hyphenated) middle name, which is included in my passport, when booking plane tickets and had never had an issue in millions of miles flown. But the agents at GMP that scan your BP and check your passport apparently are sticklers about this. I had to go to...
If you ever fly internationally from GMP, make sure the name on your boarding pass matches exactly the name on your passport. I usually do not include my (hyphenated) middle name, which is included in my passport, when booking plane tickets and had never had an issue in millions of miles flown. But the agents at GMP that scan your BP and check your passport apparently are sticklers about this. I had to go to the airline check in counter and have my BP reprinted (I had used online check in and had an electronic BP) and my middle name had to be handwritten in.
At the same time, my carryon got weighed and I had to check it because it was over the 7kg weight limit. And there was no arguing with the agent, who would not make any exception, even for a business class passenger on a relatively empty flight. Which is what really annoyed me. I’d be curious if anyone has tips about this when traveling on airlines with strict—usually unreasonably low—weight limits for carryons. I usually avoid the check in counters and travel with a European-sized carry on so it for sure fits in any sizer, but the bag itself is already ~10 lbs (4.5kg) empty, so there’s no way to keep the weight under 7kg/10kg when packing for a week or two (or even for a few days) internationally.
Years ago my wife and I had multiple 1-2 week trips on LH. Staying under their 8 kg. limit was challenging. I learned to only take the shoes I was wearing (which were of good quality and suitable for most occasions) and to place small, heavy items in my travel vest or personal bag. We also purchased a travel scale to check our bags before departure. We never had to check a bag because of...
Years ago my wife and I had multiple 1-2 week trips on LH. Staying under their 8 kg. limit was challenging. I learned to only take the shoes I was wearing (which were of good quality and suitable for most occasions) and to place small, heavy items in my travel vest or personal bag. We also purchased a travel scale to check our bags before departure. We never had to check a bag because of the the 8 kg limit.
A 7 kg limit sounds impossible for a trip of a week or more.
I was just traveling with a friend domestically in Vietnam who has a diplomatic passport and ID; her ticket (on Vietnam Airlines) did not include her middle initial but her ID had a middle name. On the way down from HAN to DAD, there was no issue - no one even blinked at it. However, on the way back to HAN, security agents denied her passage. She pointed out that this was the return sector...
I was just traveling with a friend domestically in Vietnam who has a diplomatic passport and ID; her ticket (on Vietnam Airlines) did not include her middle initial but her ID had a middle name. On the way down from HAN to DAD, there was no issue - no one even blinked at it. However, on the way back to HAN, security agents denied her passage. She pointed out that this was the return sector of her ticket and that there hadn't been an issue in HAN, and then tried to pull rank, mentioning her diplomatic status (I cringed a bit...)...they would not budge for her, though they let me through as I had my middle name on the ticket. Fortunately, the folks at the Vietnam Airlines counter changed her name, adding the middle name. As luck would have it...they misspelled it, and once again she was turned around. We finally got it all sorted, but she was unquestionably flustered by it. She does have a rather common first and last names of Chinese heritage, which she thought might have had something to do with it, but we found it interesting that when I, a tall white dude with a rather European reading/sounding name, was leaving Vietnam - on Vietnam Airlines, on a different ticket that did not have my middle name on it, there was no problem whatsoever...
Interesting that you chose Air China as the headline image for this post.....I have a middle name on my passport and never put it on airline tickets and have never had a problem except for with mainland Chinese carriers，but they have always made a fuss about it, for domestic and international travel.
Just typical CCP bureaucracy for you
"If you’re traveling internationally and need to provide your passport information during online check-in, you absolutely need to include your full name (including your middle name) as it shows in your passport"
This is 100% false information. I've taken 100s of international flights and never have I used my middle name while doing online check-in.
As a side note, I have found that what's on your driver's license is not always the same as you passport. As an example, I have a travel buddy in this situation.
Since I make the reservations, I have copies of both. For foreign travel, I make sure what's on the passport is the same for customs, tickets and travel agency records, etc.
On domestic legs, its what's on the driver's license.
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As a side note, I have found that what's on your driver's license is not always the same as you passport. As an example, I have a travel buddy in this situation.
Since I make the reservations, I have copies of both. For foreign travel, I make sure what's on the passport is the same for customs, tickets and travel agency records, etc.
On domestic legs, its what's on the driver's license.
My heart goes out to women with name changes. Sitting at the DMV or submitting paper work for revised passports must be a headache!!
And names, name arrangements or transliterations in a dual-citizens’ passports may be different between countries of citizenship for the person. Then it can get extra-interesting if flying on a roundtrip ticket directly between the countries of citizenship.
Another interesting topic is the fact, that in Germany it is still typical to put in the "Dr." in front of your last name on the passport. I have therefore very often a problem, especially with Emirates, and I am actually very confused whether to put in the "Dr." or not in bookings -- "DR" will then be put in with the last name, like "DRMULLER".
Look at how the name stripe on your machine readable part of your passport is structured, that will tell you all you need to know about which parts of your name is required or not.
Per Axel Nikolaj Clausen in a Swedish passport can fly just fine from Australia to Japan to Qatar to Denmark to the UK to Canada to US and back with the ticketed name and name on boarding pass as Per Clausen. It’s not even a major obstacle with de facto electronic visas needed for the trips as long as the names and numbers used to submit and get back the visas is what is on the passport.
Yes, and I am sure Per's name in the machine readable part of his passport is structured the way to allow that.
The passport MRZ has more names than just the ticketed two names, and the ticket and passport still works fine for travel with just the initial last name + initial first name on the ticket.
I have flown millions of miles internationally and domestically in the US where travel party members flew with just one first name and one last name on the ticketed reservation despite their passports having more than just two names. It has not been a problem with even the most uptight of the TSA clowns at US airports, and I have seen more problems because of people putting in more than two names from their passports/ID...
I have flown millions of miles internationally and domestically in the US where travel party members flew with just one first name and one last name on the ticketed reservation despite their passports having more than just two names. It has not been a problem with even the most uptight of the TSA clowns at US airports, and I have seen more problems because of people putting in more than two names from their passports/ID instead of keeping it simply as one first name and one last name.
I have flown all overt the world with my first name misspelled (one letter omitted) because the company I worked for had my first name wrong (which was used in the corporate booking system) and I never corrected it. It's never been an issue, except the TSA has questioned me it a few times, but it's quickly resolved after summing a supervisor. Their response has been the same each time: "it's okay to be off...
I have flown all overt the world with my first name misspelled (one letter omitted) because the company I worked for had my first name wrong (which was used in the corporate booking system) and I never corrected it. It's never been an issue, except the TSA has questioned me it a few times, but it's quickly resolved after summing a supervisor. Their response has been the same each time: "it's okay to be off by one letter". It's never been an issue in Europe, Asia, South America...
I rarely if ever use my middle name on a ticket and never once had an issue anywhere in the world.
Also from the airline side, name on the ticket is a matter of internal policy rather than regulatory.
What about suffixes? John Smith III - if ticket is missing the “III”, would that be a problem?
Appreciate the article BUT : Why open the door for potential hassles at either end ? I have three names prior to entering the surname. Up until 9/11 I only used Erik and my surname. Since 9/11 as we know I have to enter all 3 on passport etc. I have found that it is not a big deal.
In years of frequent international travel I've always specifically avoided entering my middle name. The way the middle name field is handled across airlines / systems is weirdly inconsistent - some airlines treating middle name as a unique & separate name from first / last, some appending your middle name to your first name, some replacing your middle name with an initial, etc.. My experience has been that using the middle name field *at all*...
In years of frequent international travel I've always specifically avoided entering my middle name. The way the middle name field is handled across airlines / systems is weirdly inconsistent - some airlines treating middle name as a unique & separate name from first / last, some appending your middle name to your first name, some replacing your middle name with an initial, etc.. My experience has been that using the middle name field *at all* opens you up to more potential headaches than leaving this field blank. Essentially a non-entry in this field is reliably handled the same way every time so it is preferrable.
Semi-unrelated, but be cautious when using your ID/passport when it includes your middle name. Folks in foreign countries (and places like Miami) may not be familiar with English or the format of IDs/passports. It's how you end up with massive headaches like your Costco membership having your middle name as your last name
Wildcard: Many GDSes have a fixed number of characters per name (L/FM). So if someone has a particularly long name, it won't fit on the PNR. I have a friend with a 20-character (as shown on ID) last name who has this problem regularly...
When booking tickets for others, I used to enter the middle name for one person but not for the other (because I didn't know it when setting up the account) and it has never a problem at all even internationally.
I once swapped my own first and last name on a ticket after booking several flights and not paying the necessary attention anymore. It was a combined EVA Air / Lufthansa ticket with a total...
When booking tickets for others, I used to enter the middle name for one person but not for the other (because I didn't know it when setting up the account) and it has never a problem at all even internationally.
I once swapped my own first and last name on a ticket after booking several flights and not paying the necessary attention anymore. It was a combined EVA Air / Lufthansa ticket with a total of 6 international segments.
After messaging EVA, they said they can't change the name anymore because it contains the Lufthansa segment, but they annotated the ticket and I should contact Lufthansa for their flight.
The LH flight was intra-europe and knowing Lufthansa's idea of customer service, I didn't do anything hoping the passport won't be checked. That's exactly how it played out eventually.
Every check-in for the EVA flights ended up to be a bit troublesome, because they always had a hard time finding the name even after I told them the issue. In the end it worked though.
For anyone interested in issues with crediting the miles (to Asiana in my case):
- EVA miles usually post almost instantly, though in this case didn't. Officially, in case of a wrong name, you have to mail them the original documents; but after filling in the "missing miles" form online the miles posted next day.
- Lufthansa miles were credited automatically
Well, that's completly new to me. For over 30 years I fly an average of 500k miles a year worldwide and not once I used my middle name.
Exactly. Portuguese and Spanish surnames are long and not hyphenated. If the field says “last name”, I put the very LAST name. Not the ones in the middle. Even though they are part of the family name.
UA Million Miler, mostly international, NEVER have my middle name on my ticket (unusual spelling), NEVERRRRR had problem having only first/last names, with many airlines, many countries... Not a single person anywhere has ever asked about the middle name not being on the ticket
Try a flight from SZB airport in Malaysia... Until then I would have said the same.
Some Governments require airlines to provide, in advance of landing, a list of all passengers. This is not API but a listing of passenger names from the manifest.
If the name on your passport is different, including an abbreviation or missing middle name you could have problems.
I’ve learned this lesson the hard way, I have a suffix in my name, and I found a great fare to Tokyo once and in my excitement, I left the suffix off when booking.
Getting there was fine, but coming back… I wasn’t able to check in because of this. I had to do multiple security screenings and show every form of id I owned with my name on it, (some with the suffix...
I’ve learned this lesson the hard way, I have a suffix in my name, and I found a great fare to Tokyo once and in my excitement, I left the suffix off when booking.
Getting there was fine, but coming back… I wasn’t able to check in because of this. I had to do multiple security screenings and show every form of id I owned with my name on it, (some with the suffix some without) drivers license, credit cards, insurance cards, employee ID, even receipts! just to prove I was who I said I was.
After all that, one of the inspectors told me next time, make sure my name matches EXACTLY to my passport, or I could be denied boarding.
Try having a non-hyphenated last name like my wife, depending on the airline it makes it all one long name, or just the first last, or just the second last name.
Indeed. And that is standard last name convention for most of Latin America, and also in Portugal and Spain
Eurowings: you can change up to three letters free of charge. (Same applies to swapping first and last name).
Easyjet: up to three letters are free of charge.
Ryanair: free of charge if corrected online within 48 hours of booking.
British Airways: changing letters itself is free of charge, but there is the 30GBP service charge since you would have to call the customer service.
KLM: letter change free of charge until 30 hours...
Eurowings: you can change up to three letters free of charge. (Same applies to swapping first and last name).
Easyjet: up to three letters are free of charge.
Ryanair: free of charge if corrected online within 48 hours of booking.
British Airways: changing letters itself is free of charge, but there is the 30GBP service charge since you would have to call the customer service.
KLM: letter change free of charge until 30 hours before departure. Can be done by phone or via social media.
Singapore/Silk Air/Scoot: correcting minor typos cost USD50.
Qatar: free of charge. Depending on how many letters are incorrect, the passport may need to be sent to Qatar for the name change.
Regarding British Airways, the fee to call the service centre is usually/should be waived if the change/service cannot be carried out online. You may have to ask though.
I notice for mideast airlines registering for their airline programs, they don’t ask for your middle name.
Lufthansa: typos cannot be corrected. One has to cancel the ticket and rebook.
Condor: 10€ to correct a typo.
You say you should absolutely put your whole name on your ticket when flying internationally—I think that may be incorrect when your passport does not include your whole name; my passport does not include my middle name. You are right, however, that this can be a big issue at certain airports; you may pass through 3 airports with no problem and then have a problem at the fourth.
@ EC -- Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear. My intent was to say your whole name as it appears on your passport. After all, for travel purposes, that's what your name is. :-)
what if you put in their middle name as appears on your passport , but some airline like alaska air does not print out your middle name. they claimed its in their secured flight information field , but eventually its the check in agents or the gate agent decide whether allow boarding or not due to first/last on boarding pass.