Hyphenated Name?
Feb 1, 2018, 3:03 am
#16
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 2,660
The only thing I would add to this is that with a hyphenated surname I have had trouble with AA rejecting my BAEC details. Booking at AA.com seems to be OK with some playing around but booking through a travel agent, it was rejected time and time again and I lost the miles. Even when I tried to reclaim BA just didn't reply.
Feb 1, 2018, 3:14 am
#17
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: The North
Posts: 1,848
This reminds me of an excellent blog post by Patrick McKenzie from 2010, on "Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names", in which he enumerates a number commonly held incorrect assumptions regarding names.
It's well worth a read, especially if you work in technology or with IT systems, and/or in an international environment where you get many different cultural 'standards' (or lack of) regarding names…
It's well worth a read, especially if you work in technology or with IT systems, and/or in an international environment where you get many different cultural 'standards' (or lack of) regarding names…
Feb 1, 2018, 4:25 am
#18
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Balham - Gateway to The South
Programs: BA Bronze
Posts: 2,020
This reminds me of an excellent blog post by Patrick McKenzie from 2010, on "Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names", in which he enumerates a number commonly held incorrect assumptions regarding names.
It's well worth a read, especially if you work in technology or with IT systems, and/or in an international environment where you get many different cultural 'standards' (or lack of) regarding names…
It's well worth a read, especially if you work in technology or with IT systems, and/or in an international environment where you get many different cultural 'standards' (or lack of) regarding names…
My daughter has a hyphenated given name, she used to worry but now just omits the hyphen, job done!
Feb 1, 2018, 5:25 am
#19
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Singapore
Programs: HHonors Diamond; A3 *Nothing ; BA Exec. Club Gold
Posts: 1,690
This topic bring me to a situation I faced last December with my partner while checking in at Singapore for our flight to Sydney.
The agent basically said the name on the ticket was not correct and that since 2 years ago they have been told to ensure this is not happening and we (he) could be denied.
The agent basically said the name on the ticket was not correct and that since 2 years ago they have been told to ensure this is not happening and we (he) could be denied.
My partner being asian has the normal 3 name structure.
first name, middle name, family name. (John, Li, Smith)
His BAEC account shows his first name and last name (John Smith) and for the last 3 years he has had many fights with zero issues. This coming up to our recent BA.
The passport shows the name in a weird order.
Family Name, Middle Name, First Name. (Smith, Li, John) but does not state what the family name or first name is.
It is because if this that the check in agent was picking it up as the middle name was seen as the first name which was not on the ticket. She had to call a manager and it took ages to resolve with this turning in quite ugly as she would not relent those 2 characters of his middle name that were missing. The resolution was that we should get his exec club name amended and ensure it won’t happen again as the exec club name is what appears on the ticket when booked if logged in.
Is this correct? It felt strange as the agent basically said that John was not his first name but Li was..
Have I been calling him by his wrong name for 3 years? Has he been lying to be about his name?
Globalist
first name, middle name, family name. (John, Li, Smith)
His BAEC account shows his first name and last name (John Smith) and for the last 3 years he has had many fights with zero issues. This coming up to our recent BA.
The passport shows the name in a weird order.
Family Name, Middle Name, First Name. (Smith, Li, John) but does not state what the family name or first name is.
It is because if this that the check in agent was picking it up as the middle name was seen as the first name which was not on the ticket. She had to call a manager and it took ages to resolve with this turning in quite ugly as she would not relent those 2 characters of his middle name that were missing. The resolution was that we should get his exec club name amended and ensure it won’t happen again as the exec club name is what appears on the ticket when booked if logged in.
Is this correct? It felt strange as the agent basically said that John was not his first name but Li was..
Have I been calling him by his wrong name for 3 years? Has he been lying to be about his name?
Globalist
Feb 1, 2018, 6:32 am
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
In a Chinese (or perhaps more accurately Hong Kong Chinese) context, I'm used to seeing names in different formats depending on context. Someone might have the Chinese name Chan Wing Yip, and also have an English given name of Alan. He might be Chan Wing Yip in some contexts, Alan Chan in others and Alan Wing Yip Chan in further situations. But in Hong Kong, it would be common to find the name rendered in official documents (eg a passport) as surname Chan, given names Wing Yip Alan.
I could see how it could then be objected that a ticket in the name of Alan Chan does not match the passport surname / passport first name combination (although Wing Chan would).
My mother has a further variation on this by sometimes using her married surname on its own, and sometimes using a surname comprising her married surname followed by her maiden surname. So she has two official names: one is in the form surname Lam, given names Jane Yee Wah, and the other is surname Lam Yeung, given names Yee Wah Jane.
Fortunately, she has one passport in each name and travels carrying both.
Feb 1, 2018, 6:35 am
#21
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,850
Spare a thought for the many people in Kent and East Anglia who have the historic Flemish name of De'Ath.
The problem here is that airlines can't do hyphens, apostrophes and certain characters such as ð, which is in the name of approx 5% of Icelandic citizens. Plus the majority of the planet that doesn't use the Latin script at all. Unfortunately the DHS computers (and their Canadian equivalents) can handle these letters, so mismatches are inevitable. But it does clearly illustrate why it is an urban myth that your ticket needs to match your passport name - in many cases that is simply impossible.
Best advice? Keep it short, drop middle names and matronymics, just one first name and one family name will do. So long as it clearly identifies you and isn't a million miles off your passport name, that should suffice.
The problem here is that airlines can't do hyphens, apostrophes and certain characters such as ð, which is in the name of approx 5% of Icelandic citizens. Plus the majority of the planet that doesn't use the Latin script at all. Unfortunately the DHS computers (and their Canadian equivalents) can handle these letters, so mismatches are inevitable. But it does clearly illustrate why it is an urban myth that your ticket needs to match your passport name - in many cases that is simply impossible.
Best advice? Keep it short, drop middle names and matronymics, just one first name and one family name will do. So long as it clearly identifies you and isn't a million miles off your passport name, that should suffice.
Feb 1, 2018, 7:23 am
#22
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Singapore
Programs: HHonors Diamond; A3 *Nothing ; BA Exec. Club Gold
Posts: 1,690
Because the middle name (Li) is mentioned after the family name but before the first name it could be construed that this is the actual first name. I was also thinking as the issue is only two characters and there is an allowance for errors for more then 2 that it would never be an issue...
You have been very helpful to me the last few days, thanks!
Globalist
Feb 1, 2018, 7:28 am
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 13,573
Spare a thought for the many people in Kent and East Anglia who have the historic Flemish name of De'Ath.
The problem here is that airlines can't do hyphens, apostrophes and certain characters such as ð, which is in the name of approx 5% of Icelandic citizens. Plus the majority of the planet that doesn't use the Latin script at all. Unfortunately the DHS computers (and their Canadian equivalents) can handle these letters, so mismatches are inevitable. But it does clearly illustrate why it is an urban myth that your ticket needs to match your passport name - in many cases that is simply impossible.
Best advice? Keep it short, drop middle names and matronymics, just one first name and one family name will do. So long as it clearly identifies you and isn't a million miles off your passport name, that should suffice.
The problem here is that airlines can't do hyphens, apostrophes and certain characters such as ð, which is in the name of approx 5% of Icelandic citizens. Plus the majority of the planet that doesn't use the Latin script at all. Unfortunately the DHS computers (and their Canadian equivalents) can handle these letters, so mismatches are inevitable. But it does clearly illustrate why it is an urban myth that your ticket needs to match your passport name - in many cases that is simply impossible.
Best advice? Keep it short, drop middle names and matronymics, just one first name and one family name will do. So long as it clearly identifies you and isn't a million miles off your passport name, that should suffice.
Feb 1, 2018, 7:34 am
#24
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Rio de Janeiro
Programs: BA Oneworld
Posts: 582
My family comprises three surnames:
Me: Mr. Wxxxxx
Wife: Mrs. Da Costa
Son: Mstr. Costa Wxxxxx
Daughter: Miss. Costa Wxxxxx
The names are logged in the BAEC with the correct spacing in the surname but our BPs do not indicate the spacing:
WXXXXX
DACOSTA
COSTAWXXXXX
COSTAWXXXXX
Which does not reflect exactly what is written in the passport but we have never had any problems.
Me: Mr. Wxxxxx
Wife: Mrs. Da Costa
Son: Mstr. Costa Wxxxxx
Daughter: Miss. Costa Wxxxxx
The names are logged in the BAEC with the correct spacing in the surname but our BPs do not indicate the spacing:
WXXXXX
DACOSTA
COSTAWXXXXX
COSTAWXXXXX
Which does not reflect exactly what is written in the passport but we have never had any problems.
Last edited by BrianWBrazil; Feb 1, 2018 at 7:45 am
Feb 1, 2018, 7:49 am
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
I think I've now clocked up over half a century of trouble-free flying, often to the US, on tickets that have never included my middle name!
Feb 1, 2018, 8:06 am
#26
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,850
The TSA and DHS internal guidance also allow for travel without middle names.
Feb 1, 2018, 12:59 pm
#28
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 13,573
Ditto. I've got a heap of middle names (for which I can only blame my hippy 1960s parents, it was probably a good idea at the time, but they certainly don't remember it!). If Russia doesn't need them, if Belarus doesn't need them, heck if Ryanair doesn't need them, then it's OK to drop the middle name.
The TSA and DHS internal guidance also allow for travel without middle names.
The TSA and DHS internal guidance also allow for travel without middle names.
Feb 1, 2018, 3:55 pm
#30
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 630