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Old Oct 16, 2024 | 10:28 am
  #14  
JAXBA
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: JAX
Programs: Ex-BA/AA/CP/LY staff, BA Blue, IHG Diamond, Marriott Silver, Chick-fil-A Red
Posts: 3,755
Originally Posted by ATLCDG
On every airline I have 2 given names(first and middle) and an empty middle name field. It solves all problems.
If you're consistent with it, yes, it will work. But airlines don't need your middle name, in either the first name or middle name field of the profile/booking, only in the fields for your passport information. There are ways of making middle names work if you insist on them being there, just like you have, but simpler is generally better.

A more detailed post I typed on another thread:

Originally Posted by JAXBA



To space or not to space, that is the question. And yes, some GDS flavours or airlines automatically remove any spaces anyway- for example UA: I could enter LAST NAME III/FIRST MIDDLE MISS in Amadeus and see that in the Amadeus PNR - but the UA PNR, and Amadeus issued ticket, will show LASTNAMEIII/FIRSTMIDDLEMISS. No spaces for UA. Ever.

The PNR in the OP should have been perfectly fine, with any variation of:
LASTNAME/CLAIRELOUISEMISS
LASTNAME/CLAIRELOUISE MISS
LASTNAME/CLAIRE LOUISE MISS
LASTNAME/CLAIRE MISS
LASTNAME/CLAIREMISS
LASTNAME/CLAIRE

Hopefully it wasn't literally LASTNAME/MISSCLAIRELOUISE as that really would have been wrong.


It all comes down to airlines having limited fields to store name information:

$LASTNAME
$FIRSTNAME

…which are always paired and stored as LASTNAME/FIRSTNAME

The bare minimum data needed for these fields are those values from the passport/ID. The simpler the better.

If someone really wants to enter LASTNAMEJUNIOR/FIRSTMIDDLETHIRD TITLE they can, but it really isn't needed and can cause problems. The extra stuff can go in $SSRDOCS which is where Advance Passenger Information goes (immigration, US secure flight, etc.) and looks like:

SRDOCSBAHK1-----01AUG82-M--LASTNAME-FIRST-MIDDLES

or, with passport:

SRDOCSBAHK1-P-GBR-123459789-GBR-01AUG82-M-01JAN30-LASTNAME-FIRST-MIDDLES

…and ALL of this is sent to the airlines and immigration authorities as:


$SSRDOCS/$LASTNAME/$FIRSTNAME




CX is another airline that require the middle name, and they want it in the $FIRSTNAME field. Awkward, as BA doesn't usually collect it…Even if it is stored within $SSRDOCS in a profile, Amadeus doesn't use that data to populate $FIRSTNAME.


Salutations are fine, and really don't affect anything (as long as not entered before the names).

I actually prefer seeing titles; it's more courteous, and staff know whether to address you as Mr. Reed, Mx. Reed, Dr. Reed or Sir Mike... (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...d-mr-evil.html)


Last edited by JAXBA; Oct 16, 2024 at 10:33 am
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