Originally Posted by kaceyellis

For international travel the name on the ticket MUST match EXACTLY the name on the passport. This is according to Customs. It used to be a little more lenient (ie: the Deborah vs Debbie) but recently Customs has been cracking down and fining airlines exhorbitant amounts for ANYTHING that doesnt match. And 'human error' doesnt get factored in.

Because the ticket was issued by Expedia had it been caught in time Expedia could have reissued it electronically. It depends on what ticket stock the actual ticket was on.. if its was Alitalias then they could have reissued it with a name change without hassle. Might be they would charge for the name change, however making the passenger purchase a whole new ticket doesnt sound quite right. My thought is there are other details here that havent been stated which could clear up the confusion.

As far as recourse NOW - I would suggest calling or writing Expedia. They can be really difficult (REALLY difficult!!) and you would just have to really persevere. State emphatically that you (your friends) were NOT advised (make them show you where it was documented/advised) that the name MUST match exactly and that due THEIR negligence you (your friends) were subjected to additional charges. Also if the price of the day of travel ticket was at the walk up price (ie Higher than the original ticket) then the difference in fare should also be refunded.

Hope that helps