idiosyncrasy

I booked an award reservation through AA who asked me for first and last name. I never provide my middle name for any itineary, but in any case the AA reservations line never asked and I expected no issue.

I showed up to the airport (HKG) where the CX agents were adamant they could not check me in because the middle name was missing. The system let me add the Asia Miles number which had the middle name and everything. CX agent on the ground forced me to call AA reservations on roaming to reissue the ticket. Told me it was strict policy to have middle name and told me it was my fault for not checking in advance.

Some seriously great ground service from CX flying C. Gifted me SSSS on the boarding pass too.

nolounge

........and this is why we been strongly suggesting OP in these 2 threads to fix their names to 100% match.

Name spelling error on ticket ...
and
Reversing first name last name order on Cathay - via an agent ...

Some countries / airlines, you might be able to get away with it. But not with CX.

So? How was this CX's problem/fault?

idiosyncrasy

Make an effort to allow me to use their phone or offer to call AA reservations instead of forcing me to stand there, call on roaming, and wait.

Also, its a middle name. The first and last names are correct. For christ sake, they made it seem as if I was trying to sneak onboard instead of a passenger.

CX needs to tell AA to ask for middle names.

ermen

That is the weirdest thing, and very LCC behaviour.

I never put my middle name in my CX bookings ever and have had zero issues with CX checkin. But i have never tried this on US routes.

​​​​​​The only "issue" i have ever had was with 3K - but they just manually write my middle name onto my 3K BP and all is well.

Think you just had a bad agent tbh, or something to do with US rules perhaps.

synthkeys

Hmm, my first year flying CX in 2015, I didn't use my middle name on any CX ticket, although on my passport, (which I regret doing in my youth). I never had any issues.

About a year later, I was going to apply for e-channel and had "heard" that the e-channel officer wants your boarding pass to match your passport with middle name. When I booked the ticket, I added middle name, but it did not match my Asia Miles/MPC account name, event though the MPC number was on the ticket. I was going to use an upgrade award and there was a mismatch. So I had to change my MPC account name to include the middle name.

Turns out the e-channel officer didn't check my boarding pass. I used my MPC GO card as qualification for e-channel which did have my middle name at that point. So i was never questioned. But I'm not sure I needed to go through all that trouble of matching my account name or boarding pass to my passport to include my middle name.

At this point I have accepted that since CX now knows me with a middle name, I need to include it everywhere. I wish I had never put it on my passport 30 years ago.

AICML

So I booked an AA award ticket for my mom on CX. Somehow the middle name didn't come over when it ticketed on CX and we didn't notice. When she went to check in online last week for her flight to the US and couldn't check in online because her passport had her middle name and her CX ticket did not. However, she was able to delete her middle name off her passport online and then was able to check in online. She had no problem getting through security in both SGN and HKG with a missing middle name on the ticket.

I just booked an Asia miles ticket and I didn't have my middle name on my Asia miles account. They wouldn't issue the ticket without the middle name since I have one on my passport. It was definitely a pain to get the Asia miles name changed in time for me to book the award ticket before the hold expired. Took several calls where agents never followed up and multiple DMs to their Twitter account. I didn't want to risk it as they were adamant I couldn't fly unless the passport and ticket matched exactly, although my mom didn't have an issue.

:D!

Never had any issues with not having my middle name on CX flights whether redemptions (from AM or other FFP) or paid (directly or travel agent) and crediting to AM or other programs.

My AM account even has the English transliteration of my Chinese name which is found on no official documents... not bothered to fix since it hasn't been a problem and I only use AM to redeem from my dad's HK credit card points and he takes years to get enough.

Seems like it is only a problem if they want it to be a problem. But, I don't go to the US nowadays and have never once flown AA or had an AA account.

DragonSoul

Lived in Hong Kong since the mid 1980s, and having a middle name is a bane in everyday life here. It's not a concept that's readily "understood" and the middle name assumed to be part of your first name.

So Harry David Smith becomes Smith Harry-David. But then they're not sure whether it's been written the Chinese way (surname first) or the Western way (surname last). Thus someone called Harry David Smith might be called Mr Harry, Mr David, or Mr Smith.

Generally you have to put your name as it appears on your ID card, but no one that I've ever met in Hong Kong knows me by that (full) name.

Seriously I wish I had officially dropped my middle name before moving here. But now... just.can't.be.bothered.



Edit: Just changed and my AM card doesn't have my middle name on it. The AM online application form only asks for forename, not middle.

Gongzuokuang

I had this same nonsense from Cathay a few times.

In my case the middle name shows up everywhere... except apparently when trying to do OLCI.

I recently flew F from ORD to HKG on a partner award ticket. OLCI failed. I called MPC, and the agent scared me by saying there was some mismatch and maybe I would not be allowed to fly! I've flown so many CX segments using this same online profile, but now there is a mismatch?

I look at my MPC profile... middle name is there. Look at the partner profile... middle name is there. Call the partner... they confirm middle name is there and was transmitted to CX.

Try OLCI again, no joy.

Somehow, some button finally appeared to let me print the boarding pass "with errors", along with some no-fly warning. It printed with no middle name.

Flew no problem. When checking bags at ORD, they have no problem checking me in again.

Similar "mis-match" errors on the return flight. This time I was flying on an Asia Miles redemption! I booked it online, using my account. How can there be a mismatch?

I guess this just gets attributed to the notoriously poor Cathay IT staff.

Beltway2A

I had a similar issue with this recently. AA didn't initially add the middle name to the reservation, and when they went back to do so, it never ticketed. I kept calling, and the agents kept insisting that I just had to wait. Eventually, an agent tried calling the CX liason desk, and told me I was .... outta luck.

I'm glad AA reservations was able to pull through for you and you were able to fly.

PresRDC

On all my recent AA award redemptions on CX, I have been asked to provide a middle name.

IncyWincy

Going by the book, name on ticket should match name on passport. It is not CX's responsibility to coach or remind anyone or to remedy other people's problems. Agents might have been lax or accommodating especially in the past but everyone knows that these are different times and travel that involves USA often involves "tight and heightened" security for which CX is not to blame.

Is it too difficult for passengers, especially frequent flyers, to ensure that their names on tickets match those on passports? and take responsibility when they have not so ensured?

I have heard of people passing immigration unwittingly using the wrong passport (eg sister and in one case, spouse!) and not noticed by the immigration officer. Does it mean that that person can in future argue with impunity that he/she can continue to do so since it was allowed in the past?

Likewise excessive luggage? Likewise liquids / knives / drugs in hand carry that are not compliant with rules?

IncyWincy

Curious and therefore would like to ask - if circumstances reversed and it is CX award issued for AA metal and one were checking in at for example ORD AA counter, would AA staff let passenger use their phone?

Thank you.

andersonCooper

Four days ago when I booked via EXP desk, AA's agent insisted I provided my middle name, twice. He said it's a required field. I guess it's YMMV.

IncyWincy

Exactly.

I wonder why OP assumed that it was CX that did not inform AA that all names on passport must be entered on ticket? Did he know?