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Old Jan 21, 2012, 11:38 pm
  #16  
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Do not reissue tickets with a name that does not match her LPR card's name. If you do, be prepared for problems returning to the US. DHS knows her by the name on the LPR card. The LPR card name is the one with which she needs to exit and enter the USA.

An LPR only needs her LPR card to re-enter the USA, so if she manages to board the flight that leaves the USA, she will be fine upon return, especially if she presents only her LPR card to the CBP.

OP says the airline says they will board her if she brings her marriage certificate, so no problems there. I suggest when checking in for her return flight, she present just her LPR card and see if that flies. I've done that on flights from BLR on itins back to the US, and Lufthansa is fine with that.

The only issue would be if she presents anything other than her passport to a TSO. Unlike TSOron, some TSOs insist on a passport if the boarding pass is for a nonUSA destination. . Also see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/check...tl-flight.html . Since she is an LPR, she should present her LPR card. If she gets push back, then she should present a copy of the CBP's web page that says that LPRs only need their LPR card to reenter the US. At the penultimate resort, present the passport and marriage certificate. Failing that, buy a refundable ticket in her passport name on a different airline, check in, present the BP, and cancel after clearing security.

Note that for travel back to the USA, the sole document an LPR must have is her LPR card. Thus it is not a mistake to have airline tickets that match the name on the LPR card; indeed it would be a mistake for the name on the card to not match the name on the airline ticket. If she were flying from a pre clearance airport outside the US, and the CBP officer asked for her boarding pass, then she might get a hassle.

The mistake was to have the name on the LPR card mismatch the name on the passport. After this trip, she should fix that by getting a new LPR card with a name that matches her passport. I never under stand why people insist on changing their legal name after getting married.

It is most fortunate that the child's birth certificate has both of your wife's names. That way she prove she is the child's mother, regardless what identification she uses.

Last edited by mre5765; Jan 22, 2012 at 9:24 am
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Old Jan 22, 2012, 5:54 am
  #17  
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Originally Posted by Dovster
The big problem is that under the new rules, passengers to/from the US must have the exact same names on their passports as they do on their tickets.

A passport issued to "Robert J. Smith" can not be used in conjunction with a ticket issued to "Bob J. Smith".
And yet what you say cannot be done has been done three times by me this month alone and yet again tomorrow morning.
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Old Jan 22, 2012, 5:58 am
  #18  
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Originally Posted by aekthug
Thanks everyone for your advice!


By the way, I forgot to mention that I did contact US airways through their 800 number and described the situation to them. Their representative told me that they could not change the name on the ticket (I did not inquire about canceling and repurchasing). They did state though that my wife should be ok if we bring along our marriage certificate which clearly states both her maiden name (on the passport) and her married name (on the green card and current ticket). The us airways rep said to get to the airport early in case of possible delays due to this. I still don't want to take any chances that's why I will attempt to cancel and repurchase.

By Monday I'll have my travel agent's take on the situation. Hopefully he has some pull with US airways and can get this fixed.

In a way I believe he has a degree of responsibility in explaining the regulations, but in the end, it was my own stupid mistake.

I'll update this forum on how everything turns out for us...

Hopefully everything works out in the end.

Thanks
Worked well enough earlier this month for a trip from PLS to the US a couple of weeks ago.
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Old Jan 22, 2012, 6:37 am
  #19  
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Originally Posted by mre5765
Do not reissue tickets with a name that does not match her LPR card's name. If you do, be prepared for problems returning to the US. DHS knows her by the name on the LPR card. The LPR card name is the one with which she needs to exit and enter the USA.

An LPR only needs her LPR card to re-enter the USA, so if she manages to board the flight that leaves the USA, she will be fine upon return, especially if she presents only her LPR card to the CBP.

OP says the airline says they will board her if she brings her marriage certificate, so no problems there. I suggest when checking in for her return flight, she present just her LPR card and see if that flies. I've done that on flights from BLR on itins back to the US, and Lufthansa is fine with that.

The only issue would be if she presents anything other than her passport to a TSO. Unlike TSOron, some TSOs insist on a passport if the boarding pass is for a nonUSA destination. Since she is an LPR, she should present her LPR card. If she gets push back, then she should present a copy of the CBP's web page that says that LPRs only need their LPR card to reenter the US. At the penultimate resort, present the passport and marriage certificate. Failing that, buy a refundable ticket in her passport name on a different airline, check in, present the BP, and cancel after clearing security.

Note that for travel back to the USA, the sole document an LPR must have is her LPR card. Thus it is not a mistake to have airline tickets that match the name on the LPR card; indeed it would be a mistake for the name on the card to not match the name on the airline ticket. If she were flying from a pre clearance airport outside the US, and the CBP officer asked for her boarding pass, then she might get a hassle.

The mistake was to have the name on the LPR card mismatch the name on the passport. After this trip, she should fix that by getting a new LPR card with a name that matches her passport. I never under stand why people insist on changing their legal name after getting married.

It is most fortunate that the child's birth certificate has both of your wife's names. That ware she prove she is the child's mother, regardless what identification she uses.
I have never, ever been asked for a passport in lieu of DL or other appropriate ID by TSA at any checkpoint whether on intl. or domestic travel. And, TSA website is very clear on the point.
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Old Jan 22, 2012, 8:40 am
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My two cents..

Mrs Zeus is in the same situation as the OP's wife. When she flew to her native country in South America she flown on a ticket with her married name on AA. No probs coming or going. On the other hand I booked a ticket with AC for a European destination with a Bob J Bagadoughnuts vice Robert J Bagadoughnuts and realizing what I did, called AC and they told me "Call 48hrs prior to flight and we'll change the name on the ticket" At the 48 hr mark called and no problem changing the name.
I'm thinking that a call to the airline the OP may be able to solve the problem.
Hope it helps

Last edited by Akazeus; Jan 22, 2012 at 3:50 pm Reason: Grammar :the/you
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Old Jan 22, 2012, 9:07 am
  #21  
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Originally Posted by Often1
I have never, ever been asked for a passport in lieu of DL or other appropriate ID by TSA at any checkpoint whether on intl. or domestic travel. And, TSA website is very clear on the point.
This forum is getting monotonous. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/pract...l-flights.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/check...tl-flight.html

If you aren't going to read threads then don't contradict.

Last edited by mre5765; Jan 22, 2012 at 9:22 am
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Old Jan 22, 2012, 9:39 am
  #22  
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If it's never happened to somebody, then it can't ever happen to anybody. It's not limited to here, it's a pretty standard theme on Flyertalk.

It's pretty funny when I post something and somebody will post it's never happened to them, so I must be making it up. Even if a dozen others said they had it happen to them too. They are all lying.

But when your defense is it says so on the TSA website, how can anybody possibly disagree with that, as we all know they follow the website all the time to the letter.
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Old Jan 22, 2012, 2:51 pm
  #23  
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The TSA refused to accept my domestic US driving license in conjunction with my boarding pass and asked for my US passport instead. As they said, it was supposedly because my trip was for an international flight departing the US. That was four months ago. The name on my passport was not an exact match in every regard with what was on my boarding pass. No problem because of the names.

When it comes to maiden name being used on some travel documents while other travel documents are in a revised name, the airline rep's suggestion noted above does work still quite regularly but that seems to present somewhat more issues than even abbreviated versions of names being used or name sequences being different.

Originally Posted by Dovster
True, but the rest of us do not have the advantage of working undercover for the CIA.
Retirees from the CIA ordinarily "do not have the advantage of working undercover for the CIA", but even ordinary US persons with no history of government service affiliation can do as I noted above. My under 18 relatives did travel to the US with their non-US grandmother just two weeks back on a US airline where the names on the tickets did not match the names as documented on the passports in terms of full names and sequences of names. No problem whatsoever.

The airlines are well capable of transmitting the details as noted in the passport to the USG even when the ticketed name and the passport names are not an exact match in terms of full names and sequences of names.

Last edited by GUWonder; Jan 22, 2012 at 3:04 pm
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Old Jan 23, 2012, 2:28 pm
  #24  
 
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Originally Posted by Often1
I have never, ever been asked for a passport in lieu of DL or other appropriate ID by TSA at any checkpoint whether on intl. or domestic travel. And, TSA website is very clear on the point.
I have - twice. IAD and RDU. One of which seems to make their own rules, one of which just treats passengers badly.
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Old Jan 23, 2012, 2:37 pm
  #25  
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Hi everyone - a mini lecture.

I must confess, I'm with he side that believes if it happened to one person, it could happen to anyone. JUST BECAUSE you didn't have a problem, doesn't mean no one will have a problem. Doesn't this forum exist partially because flyers have idiosyncratic problems with TSA, CBP, Dept of State etc?

So please don't continue the argument that because YOU never had a problem, no one else will. and instead focus on what steps the OP might take to lessen his chances of a hassle. \\In fact, don't continue arguing here at all.

thanks.

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co Mod TS/S
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Old Mar 6, 2012, 11:42 am
  #26  
 
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Exclamation Passport Name

I recently booked a round trip flight to Europe, and noticed the ticket lists my full middle name. My passport has only the middle initial. Does anyone have any experience in whether or not this will this cause any issues?
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Old Mar 6, 2012, 1:07 pm
  #27  
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It's never been an issue for me, but YMMV
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Old Mar 6, 2012, 1:29 pm
  #28  
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Originally Posted by chuck400
I recently booked a round trip flight to Europe, and noticed the ticket lists my full middle name. My passport has only the middle initial. Does anyone have any experience in whether or not this will this cause any issues?
Never had a problem, but that doesn't mean that every air carrier, security officer or customs/immigration officer you encounter will be rational.

Our corporate travel recommends and actually matches passport information to ticketing information so that the ticket is always issued in exactly the name(s) which appear on the passport.
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Old Mar 6, 2012, 2:28 pm
  #29  
 
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"Should not" be a problem.

Some airlines like United (and formerly Continental) actually have a spot to put in your passport info if it is different from your name on the ticket. The gate agents can do the same IIRC.

Enjoy your trip.
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Old Mar 21, 2012, 12:19 am
  #30  
 
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Different name on Ticket/DL acct/Passport....

So not sure if this is the best place to post this, but my parents are going to Ireland in June, their first trip out of the country in 22 years. They got their passports, and just booked their tickets today, but an interesting issue came up. My dads legal first name is James, middle name Brian, but he always goes by Brian, its on his Delta acct, all his tickets in the past, his credit cards all say Brian, its what hes known as to the world. But on his passport he is listed as James Brian.

When booking his ticket he used miles from his acct, and his CC for the taxes, the system rejected his putting his FF# on the ticket as it thinks hes Brian, but the ticket says James Brian. Im worried however that there may be some flag in customs with the varying names on the credit card/ff acct name/ticketed passenger name/passport name....I'd rather they not have to get caught up in some snafu because of a simple name problem. Anyone know what they should expect with somethign like this?

Thanks guys!

Last edited by xolinlevh; Mar 21, 2012 at 12:30 am
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