Originally Posted by
US HK UK flyer
The worst problem might be a consequence of someone recently hired who is inexperienced, but unlikely to be a result of official policy.
I would say the official policy should have gotten you into trouble, but many agents either did not realize or did not care. As of 28MAR2023, CX no longer imposes a charge on ticket name change when given name and surname are reversed, although the change approval is contingent on flight inventory. It is best to get the ticket name corrected as soon as possible.