riteshraja

What is the Asia Miles award tool?

Never mind: I see its CX's frequent flyer program name.

MisterTanaka

We flew to Las Vegas with Joe Biden on US Airways back in November, just a couple weeks after the election. He flew in coach, and apparently had his security detail (and his wife) quite unhappy with him for talking to his fellow passengers. (I say apparently because I was, amazingly, in first, and didn't actually witness his politicking.)

We did not realize Biden was on the flight until after we took off -- but it explained how we were able to get out of PHL completely painlessly: back up, taxi a few hundred yards, take off. That never happens at PHL ... unless you have the VP-elect aboard!

c_stanley

That's a pain. But seeing PEK in your story I'm not shocked, the Chinese authorities are ludicrously overbearing on this kind of thing. On a return flight from PVG the agent accidentally stamped the wrong BP (ie my domestic connection, not the ex-PVG one). I was denied boarding, as apparently the BP must be stamped properly. Then I had to stand at the gate for 20+ minutes while they convened a small crowd of immigration officers to figure out how to deal with this serious breach of protocol, which was eventually solved by using the stamp on the correct BP and letting me on the plane. Of course after much heated discussion and summoning of senior law enforcement supervisors.

As for the OP, I find it impossible to believe you'll be given any problem at all with a typo that insignificant. Even in China you'd probably be OK. I'd put it out of your mind.

TravelerMSY

The only issue, at least domestically, is that you will not be able to swipe your passport for online checkin at the kiosk. It will lock up with a message asking for an attendant to verify your id. Once they clear it you are good to go.

Traveler

jrhone

You will be fine.

Changing the name would create more problems, CX reservations system would see the name change as a cancellation. The agent gave you good advice.

socalterp

Well, I called CX, and they said they couldn't do anything...and to call AA. So, I call AA back and they are supposedly manually sending some kind of message/request to CX, and should hear back sometime next week.

If it does cancel, at least right now there looks to be award availability on our flights.

anacapamalibu

If the agent gives you a boarding pass chances are even if the PSB exit official decides on having a mini Pow Wow with his sups, they will still make sure you get on your flight.

socalterp

Yeah...ordinarily wouldn't worry too much about it, but we'll be traveling with our 4 month old, and that will be enough of a hassle.

AGuyAndADogInDFW

Glad I saw this thread. Guess I should not worry about my upcoming business award flight to BCN. My GF and I are flying DFW-MAD on AA and MAD-BCN on IB and I noticed that my ticket says "Doug"* for my first name but my passport says "Douglas".

When the return was available and confirmed, I asked the EXP agent if I could change the name to match my passport and she mentioned that it would be very difficult. She said that since the last name is the same and that there isn't a huge variation in the first name, I should be okay.

Never understood why, in 2009, it it so difficult to correct a name change.

GUWonder

The EXP agent is correct -- generally, you'd be fine even on an international itinerary.

The reason why -- in 2009 -- the airlines generally don't allow for name changes on tickets is revenue protection. Enabling name changes on tickets would help return things to the way they were in the mid-1990s and before when some people would fly on other people's tickets (and in another party's name). Customers did that in order to help get around the need to purchase higher fares with a shorter (or no) advance purchase requirement. Now the airlines still want to avoid that outcome and so the usual situation (with some exceptions at some airlines) is that getting a ticket name change done is not readily possible.

tbassny

Slightly off topic but this thread reminds me of when I was denied at security one time due to a "typo." The TSA agent attempted to turn me away as my last name (as you can tell from my handle) is Bass, but pointed out that it said "Pass" on my BP. I politely pointed out that he was looking at the text "Boarding Pass" and my name was actually below that. A very red faced TSA agent admitted me through.

aktchi

I wouldn't worry about it. Nor draw anybody's attention to it preemptively.

oklAAhoma

I think I would have been laughing too much to be polite.

AGuyAndADogInDFW

I totally understand what you're saying regarding people trying to "get one over" on the airlines with name changes. Makes perfect business sense.

However, when it comes to a legitimate MINOR name correction on a ticket (adding an "las" for Douglas or adding an additional "l" for Michele) AND the correction is requested less than, say, 48 hours after the ticketing was done, I just don't see the need for all the "drama" from the airline; like they have to sacrifice a chicken and etch a new ticket in granite. Just say "Oh, this is a common-sense correction", hit a few keys and be done with it.

But, I guess the airlines have to be consistent and by them using common sense, they open themselves up to someone arguing "Well, I know it's 2 hours before the flight. I MEANT to put Wanda Baker instead of Wallace Barker on the ticket. Why can't you change it? You changed it for brother when his said "Don" and you put "Donald"! It's the SAME THING!"

GUWonder

For legitimate minor differences appearing when comparing ticketed name of passenger and passenger's identification documents, the airline reps at check-in usually do not make any drama whatsoever when it comes to tickets with minor spelling mistakes in names, common name abbreviations used in a ticket or apparently different name sequence on a ticket. In practice, common sense does generally prevail for such circumstances -- much of the common sense applicable for such circumstances is even formalized as part of IATA rules. The PNR can also host and transmit ("corrected") passenger data distinct from that which is just on the ticket, so it works too for government compliance as well. There usually is no such drama for legitimate circumstances of apparent slight discrepancy between name and airline-demanded ID.

No correction of the ticket itself is necessarily needed for the passenger to be able to travel on the ticket even if there are apparent minor name discrepancies -- current practice seems to generally handle such circumstances quite well as a matter of daily occurrence.