shadabing

Original 'Man, made a big oops. Help me experts!') changed to Name Change Permitted on Booked Award?, now retitled for member ease

Couple friends are honeymooning in June. Since their parents have aa points I talked them into gifting them for my friends honeymoon to BkK. Actually the parents will get the tickets for them. Here's the stupid part. I put both their last names under the groom's name in the courtesy hold. But she ain't changing her name.

They went ahead and booked with my record locator. Oops. AA and Cathay Pacific. Will not fix her name. They keep saying she has plenty of time to change her passport even though I keep explaining she will not be changing her name once married.

It sucks because I got them biz on Cathay for the days they wanted. So far I see on expert flyer not much avail at all. Do I get the points returned to AA for the $300, and, fingers crossed, try to rebook.

Oh, I was so stupid to begin with 'cause I thought it was just a cortesy hold and all info could be added at booking. Wrong. Man!

I wad hoping for Cathay for the lay flat in biz.

Any smarties with advice??? In advance... Thanks!!

Dallas49er

Did you try just once?

If not, try again until you find someone who can make it happen.

Good luck.

JDiver

Call again and explain you assumed she would change her name, but she isn't, it's a honeymoon gift, etc. etc. or the like. Try again as necessary. (I'm doubly glad I didn't gift my friends honeymoon F tix to BKK on JL in his surname - hard to spell, and she retained her name.)

shadabing

Yes I tried 3 times. Agent said they laison with Cathay. They said she just had to bring marriage certificate but I don't think she entirely gets it. Marriage cert won't say mr and mrs blah blah. It'll have each of their last names. I know airport security... Passport matches ticket or you don't board. I really thinks she needs ticket in her name. Who wants to take a chance on honeymoon.

Guess I'll try Cathay directly? Could that work?

Wondering if you peeps know of availability might open in January? I know that can be an impossible question.

Thanks for helping. This is a tougher question and you guys might be like, "dude, figure it out."

Deltahater

Congrats on getting them on J to BKK. I sincerely hope though that their honeymoon does not occur in Patpong, but rather maybe in Ko Samui or Ko Phi Phi?

Anyhow, you have two choices. The marriage certificate has her maiden name on it, which might be enough, but I understand she may not want to roll the dice on that.
At least here in TX, people are allowed to have a Drivers License AND an ID. So, she could go and get an ID with the Husband's name on it without changing anything else. Then, the ID and ticket match for TSA and the rest should be easy sailing at the gate.

The other option is to convince her why she should change her name.


Keep calling CX and AA and escalate it. I would also email them to document it. Good Luck

shadabing

it is KOH samui. First Bangkok. I'll try your advice to talk to airlines again. I'll try Cathay too. I feel so dumb... Silly name goof and so much work to fix.

travis bickle

She can get a passport issued with her husband's surname on the basis of her marriage cert.

She does NOT have to "change her name" with SS, DL, professional associations, businesses, schools, etc.

So, her DL will say SMITH, and her passport will say JONES, so what?

When she renews her passport, she can request it be reissued under her maiden name.

Steve M

You say the honeymoon is in June, but do not say when the wedding is. Let's for the sake of discussion assume that the honeymoon will start immediately after the wedding as is tradition (let's say within 1-3 days). If this is the case, then CX is focusing on the wrong issue. Despite the wedding being 6 months away, there's no way the bride could get a new government ID issued in her soon-to-be-married name now because she's not married yet. Even if she were changing her name, there's not "plenty of time to change her passport." In fact, there will be essentially no time between the wedding and the honeymoon travel, no matter how far in advance it's planned.

That being the case, almost in no case will a bride that takes her husband's last name upon marriage have a gov't ID that reflects this on her honeymoon. I'd imagine what's normally done is that honeymoon travel is booked under maiden names.

You don't say in what state the marriage will take place. In most states, the marriage license doesn't state whether anyone is changing their last name as a result of the marriage - it simply lists the last name of each party before the marriage. Find out what the case for the state in your situation. If it's like most states, then there really shouldn't be a problem:

Just bring a copy of the marriage license. Explain to anyone that asks that you just got married x days ago, so obviously there's no time to change the passport or other government ID, and a relative booked both tickets in the husband's last name without thinking it through. It should be clear to anyone looking at the situation that there is not a change of person involved (unless they would claim that the husband was planning 6 months in advance to travel with someone other than his new wife on that date and that person happened to have the wife's first name and the husband's last name), and just an issue that involves a recent marriage.

Notice that nowhere in the above paragraph did I mention that the wife will in fact NOT be changing her name. It's not necessary to bring it up, and will only complicate things. If the marriage license is like it is in most states, the issue of changing the name will not even be listed on the license, so if it helps airline personnel work through the issue if they assume that the name will change, so be it.

Unfortunately, it may not be possible to clear this up beforehand unless award availability opens up and you can re-issue the ticket. And there's always the chance that there will be a problem at the airport. At this point, if you can't get AA/CX to budge, and you don't end up re-issuing the ticket, if it were me, I'd just go for it, bringing a copy of the marriage license (perhaps get a certified copy, or a photocopy along with a notarized statement by the person that officiates the marriage). No guarantees, but what else can you do, other than change destinations for one with current award availability?

Steve M

Also, regarding CX being very particular and strict about the "no name change" policy, I've run into this before with AA award reservations. In my case, I did not know the full name of one of the parties traveling and there was a CX segment. AA told me that they had to put a name in at the time the reservation was made, and CX would not allow this to be changed even between reservation and ticketing, let alone after ticketing. So, I had to get all of the particulars even before putting a seat on hold.

janehoya

FWIW Aeroplan and United MP are also extremely strict about such matters. I held a reservation for my father then realized the name was incorrect. They had to completely cancel the award hold and start again. I fear that the bride is out of luck.

trueblu

I don't know about "most states", but in most (read that as all) cases that I'm personally aware of, the husband and wife sign the marriage certificates in their new names, that was certainly the case for my wife and I (we were married in MN) and that is why you need to take your marriage certificate to the honeymoon if the tickets are booked in the new surname. My wife kept her passport with her maiden name until she got a new one, which meant that she needed to bring her marriage certificate with her for the first couple of years of marriage.

I do find it odd that the airlines aren't playing ball -- it's a fairly innocent mistake that can't be that uncommon, but would agree it's best not to chance it.

tb

Steve M

Having a "no name change, period!" policy certainly solves the problem of coming up with a list of criteria as when a change is or is not permitted, and who within the airline is allowed to pass judgment.

iquitos

the last step requires three forms of id.

KVS

AA won't be able to make any name changes, even if it wanted to, as the system will automatically cancel all non-AA segments.

JDiver

Don't necessarily blame the airlines - this time, one can say with some degree of certainly it's about security and international regulations involving same.