Apr 19, 2016, 4:36 am
Last edit by: Prospero
Trivial name differences - first and last names without middle name, blending of middle or Latin style names, etc. should not cause trouble flying, as long as the identification used displays the primary characteristics of the name on the boarding pass / ticket on AA, and on most airlines.
However, Cathay Pacific and some airlines are genuine sticklers and may not make changes at their end. Members have reported challenging times getting fixes for otherwise trivial name issues.
Changing a name on an issued ticket - reissuing the same ticket to another person - will not happen.
Changing a date of birth due to an accidental account entry must be rectified by contact with AA.; you may (or not) be asked to fax supporting documentation. Some other account changes that don’t “stick” (sometimes passport information, etc.) will also have to be called in. Contact for gender changes or issues as well. See here for AAdvantage Account contact form (AAdvantage Customer Service is only open work days 7-7 Central time.) See post #1 for contact phone numbers and aa.com contact form page illustration.
See:
U.S. Department of State: Change or Correct a Passport link
Posts prior to 2016 have been archived, and can be read here.
Signed in members with 90 days / 90 posts can edit this Wikipost. Wiki contents may be printed by using the
(lower right wiki corner)
However, Cathay Pacific and some airlines are genuine sticklers and may not make changes at their end. Members have reported challenging times getting fixes for otherwise trivial name issues.
Changing a name on an issued ticket - reissuing the same ticket to another person - will not happen.
Changing a date of birth due to an accidental account entry must be rectified by contact with AA.; you may (or not) be asked to fax supporting documentation. Some other account changes that don’t “stick” (sometimes passport information, etc.) will also have to be called in. Contact for gender changes or issues as well. See here for AAdvantage Account contact form (AAdvantage Customer Service is only open work days 7-7 Central time.) See post #1 for contact phone numbers and aa.com contact form page illustration.
See:
U.S. Department of State: Change or Correct a Passport link
Posts prior to 2016 have been archived, and can be read here.
Signed in members with 90 days / 90 posts can edit this Wikipost. Wiki contents may be printed by using the
(lower right wiki corner)
Name, Gender Difference, Date of Birth, Change, Errors, etc. Account, Ticket, Award
Dec 12, 2017, 4:28 pm
#136
Join Date: Dec 2017
Programs: AA/Alaska
Posts: 2
First name spelled wrong on a first class ticket price mistake?
2 weeks ago, we purchased 2 first class tickets on a long flight (for us) to Mexico.
I noticed my first name is spelled wrong - should be Matthew but I am ticketed as Mathew (Matthew is on the passport)
Normally I would just stop by the airport and go up to the desk and see about a name change but, I believe our tickets were some sort of price mistake.
Coach for 2 would have been $1,500 but we were able to book first class for 2 at $1,250. first class for 2 is now $2,300
My hesitation to stop at the airport is I think less human interaction is better since this may have been a price mistake.
The flight is not for several months.
1. will my first name spelling mistake cause a problem (all other info is correct, date of birth, etc)
2. if I stop at the airport, will a human notice the potential price mistake and cancel the tickets?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Sorry if this is in the wrong forum but it is American Airlines and looking for any experienced help.
Thanks
Mat(t)hew
I noticed my first name is spelled wrong - should be Matthew but I am ticketed as Mathew (Matthew is on the passport)
Normally I would just stop by the airport and go up to the desk and see about a name change but, I believe our tickets were some sort of price mistake.
Coach for 2 would have been $1,500 but we were able to book first class for 2 at $1,250. first class for 2 is now $2,300
My hesitation to stop at the airport is I think less human interaction is better since this may have been a price mistake.
The flight is not for several months.
1. will my first name spelling mistake cause a problem (all other info is correct, date of birth, etc)
2. if I stop at the airport, will a human notice the potential price mistake and cancel the tickets?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Sorry if this is in the wrong forum but it is American Airlines and looking for any experienced help.
Thanks
Mat(t)hew
Dec 12, 2017, 8:58 pm
#140
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: AA Gold, Enterprise PLT, Marriott Gold
Posts: 604
Just go in a bit earlier then planned to the airport when you go to leave, and have them fix it there. The agents are not going to be looking to see how much your ticket cost, they do not care to be honest. If somehow your ticket gets flagged by AA (Highly highly unlikely) it would have nothing to do with what you are doing with the name edit, it was always going to happen and you would probably learn of it long before travel.
I would get it fixed, you never know what power tripping moron you may get.. Flying back from CUN-MIA a few summers ago my girlfriend's name was spelled, for an example in this case let's say Jen, but her passport said Jennifer. The security at CUN home would not let her thru to leave even though it's clearly short for her name. We had to actually go have the name fixed by AA. Most ridiculous bunch of crap ever, but a mistake I will never leave up to chance again personally.
I would get it fixed, you never know what power tripping moron you may get.. Flying back from CUN-MIA a few summers ago my girlfriend's name was spelled, for an example in this case let's say Jen, but her passport said Jennifer. The security at CUN home would not let her thru to leave even though it's clearly short for her name. We had to actually go have the name fixed by AA. Most ridiculous bunch of crap ever, but a mistake I will never leave up to chance again personally.
Dec 13, 2017, 9:17 am
#141
Join Date: Dec 2017
Programs: AA/Alaska
Posts: 2
2 weeks ago, we purchased 2 first class tickets on a long flight (for us) to Mexico.
I noticed my first name is spelled wrong - should be Matthew but I am ticketed as Mathew (Matthew is on the passport)
Normally I would just stop by the airport and go up to the desk and see about a name change but, I believe our tickets were some sort of price mistake.
Coach for 2 would have been $1,500 but we were able to book first class for 2 at $1,250. first class for 2 is now $2,300
My hesitation to stop at the airport is I think less human interaction is better since this may have been a price mistake.
The flight is not for several months.
1. will my first name spelling mistake cause a problem (all other info is correct, date of birth, etc)
2. if I stop at the airport, will a human notice the potential price mistake and cancel the tickets?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Sorry if this is in the wrong forum but it is American Airlines and looking for any experienced help.
Thanks
Mat(t)hew
I noticed my first name is spelled wrong - should be Matthew but I am ticketed as Mathew (Matthew is on the passport)
Normally I would just stop by the airport and go up to the desk and see about a name change but, I believe our tickets were some sort of price mistake.
Coach for 2 would have been $1,500 but we were able to book first class for 2 at $1,250. first class for 2 is now $2,300
My hesitation to stop at the airport is I think less human interaction is better since this may have been a price mistake.
The flight is not for several months.
1. will my first name spelling mistake cause a problem (all other info is correct, date of birth, etc)
2. if I stop at the airport, will a human notice the potential price mistake and cancel the tickets?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Sorry if this is in the wrong forum but it is American Airlines and looking for any experienced help.
Thanks
Mat(t)hew
I ended up stopping at the airport and the American Airlines desk was slow and politely inquired about changing my name. The agent gave me the song and dance about may have to cancel and re-ticket at the current price... scared me a bit. she went to speak with her supervisor and came out and said she could change it and waive any change fees. so I got lucky and am ticketed with my name spelled correctly.
Thank you for your help!
Feb 10, 2018, 7:31 pm
#142
Join Date: Oct 2014
Programs: AA CK; Marriott Plat
Posts: 84
JAL award name change? (to merge)
Anyone have experiences with name changes on an AAdvantage partner award on JAL?
Have an annoying situation. My wife called to book a JAL award for my her and me. She had just changed her name from her maiden name to a double barreled surname, but this had not yet been changed in her AAdvantage profile. Therefore she told the agent what her name will be to make sure the reservation is done correctly. The agent said will just finish the reservation first to nab the last two available award seats, and will ping the JAL liaison to update the name afterwards.
Weeks roll by and reservation doesn't ticket. She called in to check on it and was told JAL declines to do the name change so they can't ticket. If they cancel the reservation on hold, very unlikely the award seats are available.
Any ideas? Will HUCA and try to reason once more, because it seems totally AA's fault here as the right name was given.
Have an annoying situation. My wife called to book a JAL award for my her and me. She had just changed her name from her maiden name to a double barreled surname, but this had not yet been changed in her AAdvantage profile. Therefore she told the agent what her name will be to make sure the reservation is done correctly. The agent said will just finish the reservation first to nab the last two available award seats, and will ping the JAL liaison to update the name afterwards.
Weeks roll by and reservation doesn't ticket. She called in to check on it and was told JAL declines to do the name change so they can't ticket. If they cancel the reservation on hold, very unlikely the award seats are available.
Any ideas? Will HUCA and try to reason once more, because it seems totally AA's fault here as the right name was given.
Feb 10, 2018, 8:05 pm
#143
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
One thing most airlines will not do - change names on tickets (unless it is an airline error by the operating carrier, or in the case of the known AA-CX name transfer glitch).
In this case, you are helped it was an AA agent who didn’t follow through, but IMO the fault was shared because the AAdvantage profile wasn’t changed first. It’s up to JL to choose to make the changes or not, and AA has little leverage on them regardless of blame assignation.
In this case, you are helped it was an AA agent who didn’t follow through, but IMO the fault was shared because the AAdvantage profile wasn’t changed first. It’s up to JL to choose to make the changes or not, and AA has little leverage on them regardless of blame assignation.
Feb 10, 2018, 8:18 pm
#145
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
I’d rather fly under the old name passport if all would be copacetic, but with a new passport and name(s) one can’t do that because of the TSA's Secure Flight program. As of 2010, you must travel under your name as it appears on the identification you use to get on a flight, which in this case means passport.
Feb 10, 2018, 8:23 pm
#146
Join Date: Oct 2014
Programs: AA CK; Marriott Plat
Posts: 84
She already has the new passport so old passport is invalidated (hole punches). The time this was booked a few weeks ago, the passport was being issued.
Annoying thing here is the misinformation by the original booking agent. My wife told the agent that she needed to do the name change to the profile, but the agent insisted on booking the flights first as there was only 2 seats available, saying the liaison will do the name change with no issue.
Annoying thing here is the misinformation by the original booking agent. My wife told the agent that she needed to do the name change to the profile, but the agent insisted on booking the flights first as there was only 2 seats available, saying the liaison will do the name change with no issue.
Feb 10, 2018, 8:34 pm
#148
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Looking in the JL forum, the preponderance of posts indicating there will be no problem is within the content of middle names, e.g.
Call JL?
Feb 10, 2018, 10:40 pm
#149
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP/2mm, SPG Gold
Posts: 424
I can't count the number of people I know who have two last names (hyphenated or otherwise) in their passport, regularly travel using only the first last name in their ticket (including in flights to and from the US), and never had an issue with check in, passport control, and boarding flights
Feb 10, 2018, 11:10 pm
#150
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
I can't count the number of people I know who have two last names (hyphenated or otherwise) in their passport, regularly travel using only the first last name in their ticket (including in flights to and from the US), and never had an issue with check in, passport control, and boarding flights
Regardless, it’s how JL handles this that will count, not our experiences. The OP should get assurance from JL they will allow travel, and Japan will allow entry, with the last name differences cited. So far, they’re declining to reissue the ticket.