Happy

Just received a confirmation email from AS - the tickets are reissued with middle names added.

CX website obviously has been updated to recognize 2 words in the First Name field - I did not use the "append" method, but just First Middle Name, and the PNR - the reservation shows up fine - a pleasant surprise.

Will play with it later to see if it now let's me update FF number and KTN then report back.

comcats

I've seen a slightly different situation, would any of these cause issues with CX check in? This is to do with HK / overseas identification having different names.

Identification
CHAN / SIU MING

Ticket
CHAN / JOHN SIU MING

or the reverse:

Identification
CHAN / JOHN SIU MING

Ticket
CHAN / SIU MING

Dr. HFH

Does CX give someone a problem if the ticket matches the passport, but both don't have middle name? If so, how does CX know that you have a middle name at all?

percysmith

goldengate

I am going through hell with Cathay and American on a redemption ticket where middle name wasn't on the issued ticket.... so Cathay says there is a mismatch and American says there was a directive this year that middle names are no longer needed. I am now on hold and have read this whole thread. Hoping someone reads this and tells me the magic words or process to get these two airlines to figure it out....

swingaling

Have you asked AA to contact the Oneworld Liaison Desk to see if they can get this resolved?

HarbourGent

In my experience of this, no.

goldengate

Yes.... they put me on hold a long time while talking to the liaison and said they would "be in touch" which I'm guessing they won't be.

I have spoken with 3 different AA agents and two supervisors. They call claim the middle name is no longer needed. Cathay when I called them said it is needed and I will be denied boarding if the name doesn't match my passport.

Gongzuokuang

I have had that issue before. I was told that the AA/AS systems don't support middle names, but that CX does. Or perhaps it was vice versa? Either way, they didn't exchange properly on the network connection. I was worried about it also. I called back and forth between AS and CX. AS said my middle name was there, but CX said they couldn't see it. This came up several times, now that I think about it. I think at one time I changed my first name to read FIRST MIDDLE together in the same field. That pacified some bureaucrat one time.

Most of the time my ticket showed no middle name, but my passport did. I figured it would be easier to sort out at the airport than it would be over the phone. I never had a problem. HOWEVER, I think there is great inconsistency in policy enforcement throughout CX. I thought I read somewhere here that someone had a bigger fight at the airport, although they prevailed in the end.

Ironically, the first time it was ever truly a problem was when I last did a paid ticket (instead of a redemption). CX made me scan an email my passport to them to have it properly reflected on my MPC account. If I didn't, they wouldn't issue the ticket.

Bureaucracy at it's finest.

goldengate

I called American back today and spoke with yet another supervisor who checked in with the "OWL DESK" which is the One World Liason desk. They confirmed that YES, a middle name is required to fly. Period.
Then she went to make the change and her supervisor said that no, middle names are not required anymore and that they would be getting tons of calls from stranded passengers since they haven't been using middle name all year, and they are not.

So here I am, wondering if I will have issues checking in. Gonna just have to let this one go.

seawolf

It's the other way around. AA allows for FIRST, MIDDLE, and LAST name. CX only accepts GIVEN and LAST. Anything you put into the MIDDLE name field with AA goes into a black hole on the CX PNR. In order to have the name on your travel document match the CX PNR when booking with AA, surname name goes into the LAST name field and everything else need to go into the FIRST name field.

Likemiles

In a few lines, Seawolf, you've put to rest most of the heartache exhibited in the many threads regarding the ultra-troublesome middle name. Well done! I'd just like to supplement your contribution by underscoring the fact that the first-name field does allow blank spaces. This may be counter-intuitive or unconventional, but once we get over that mental block, it's clear skies forever more.

jayoxd

How well enforced is this at HKG security? I'm thinking of getting out during my layover. I'd hate to have issues getting back into the airport for an onward flight to BKK.

I'm not too concerned about my ticket not having my middle name (passport has a middle name).

I do agree that it just doesn't go through on AA when making the award reservation since it's definitely on AA.

benjai

Having my anglicised Chinese name combined with my regular English first name (Chinese first so technically my regular English name is my middle name) is the bane of my life. So much so that I have omitted anglicising my son's Chinese name altogether on birth certificate/passport and given him a proper English middle name as well. Anglicising a Chinese name serves no purpose unless that is what you normally go by.

My flights get ticketed in the form Chan Tai, or Chan TaiManDavid and both are crazy. I recall someone ticketing my name in the form Chan David once and CX were having none of it and I had to pay a couple hundred bucks at checkin to fix it. Idiots.

percysmith

Suffice to say this is more an issue for people with Chinese in their names than Westerners.