Air China - No Middle Name
Feb 16, 2018, 1:19 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 2
Air China - No Middle Name
I have booked Air China international flights via Justfly without my middle name but my US passport shows my middle name
I see a lot of posts here say middle names don't matter as long as first/last names are correct.
However, when I call Air China, they say it is a problem and I should get it fixed.
Also, the Air China website specifically states that MIDDLE name should be included as on the passport.
I've been on the phone with Justfly & Air China last few days and the policy for adding middle name at Air China is not only extremely complicated but will cost me at least extra $600.
I'm thinking about taking a chance and not do anything about it.
Anyone have similar experience with Air China? Has anyone have problem with similar issues?
I'm worried that Air China won't let me check in since they seem very strict about this or deny boarding especially in Asian countries.
Also, if I were to just show up on the day, should I bring it up first at the checkin desk and ask to change my name on the boarding pass or not talk about it at all?
Flight is New York (JFK) - Beijing (PEK) - Korea (ICN) Roundtrip
Also, my name is very short and common (Jane Lee) in case that matters
I see a lot of posts here say middle names don't matter as long as first/last names are correct.
However, when I call Air China, they say it is a problem and I should get it fixed.
Also, the Air China website specifically states that MIDDLE name should be included as on the passport.
I've been on the phone with Justfly & Air China last few days and the policy for adding middle name at Air China is not only extremely complicated but will cost me at least extra $600.
I'm thinking about taking a chance and not do anything about it.
Anyone have similar experience with Air China? Has anyone have problem with similar issues?
I'm worried that Air China won't let me check in since they seem very strict about this or deny boarding especially in Asian countries.
Also, if I were to just show up on the day, should I bring it up first at the checkin desk and ask to change my name on the boarding pass or not talk about it at all?
Flight is New York (JFK) - Beijing (PEK) - Korea (ICN) Roundtrip
Also, my name is very short and common (Jane Lee) in case that matters
Feb 16, 2018, 3:05 am
#2
Join Date: May 2010
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Programs: ❶❷ ใจ ± ♪♪♪ 7ľł © ™
Posts: 761
I have booked Air China international flights via Justfly without my middle name but my US passport shows my middle name
I see a lot of posts here say middle names don't matter as long as first/last names are correct.
However, when I call Air China, they say it is a problem and I should get it fixed.
Also, the Air China website specifically states that MIDDLE name should be included as on the passport.
I've been on the phone with Justfly & Air China last few days and the policy for adding middle name at Air China is not only extremely complicated but will cost me at least extra $600.
I'm thinking about taking a chance and not do anything about it.
Anyone have similar experience with Air China? Has anyone have problem with similar issues?
I'm worried that Air China won't let me check in since they seem very strict about this or deny boarding especially in Asian countries.
Also, if I were to just show up on the day, should I bring it up first at the checkin desk and ask to change my name on the boarding pass or not talk about it at all?
Flight is New York (JFK) - Beijing (PEK) - Korea (ICN) Roundtrip
Also, my name is very short and common (Jane Lee) in case that matters
I see a lot of posts here say middle names don't matter as long as first/last names are correct.
However, when I call Air China, they say it is a problem and I should get it fixed.
Also, the Air China website specifically states that MIDDLE name should be included as on the passport.
I've been on the phone with Justfly & Air China last few days and the policy for adding middle name at Air China is not only extremely complicated but will cost me at least extra $600.
I'm thinking about taking a chance and not do anything about it.
Anyone have similar experience with Air China? Has anyone have problem with similar issues?
I'm worried that Air China won't let me check in since they seem very strict about this or deny boarding especially in Asian countries.
Also, if I were to just show up on the day, should I bring it up first at the checkin desk and ask to change my name on the boarding pass or not talk about it at all?
Flight is New York (JFK) - Beijing (PEK) - Korea (ICN) Roundtrip
Also, my name is very short and common (Jane Lee) in case that matters
Firstly I have never traveled with Air China but I have traveled with many Asian airlines and never used my middle name. A Google search also suggests it is not needed.
.
Feb 16, 2018, 5:00 am
#3
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 27
I was denied boarding at YVR in October for having my middle name in my passport but not on my ticket. Flight was China Eastern to Dhaka with a transit in Kunming. Ticket was purchased via an OTA, if I'd bought it directly from the airline I think they could have fixed it for a fee at the counter. China Eastern said the middle name was required by the Chinese government.
Feb 16, 2018, 3:56 pm
#4
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 229
I was denied boarding at YVR in October for having my middle name in my passport but not on my ticket. Flight was China Eastern to Dhaka with a transit in Kunming. Ticket was purchased via an OTA, if I'd bought it directly from the airline I think they could have fixed it for a fee at the counter. China Eastern said the middle name was required by the Chinese government.
Feb 17, 2018, 3:46 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London
Posts: 18,404
Welcome to Airchina!
In the part that says how can I enter my name if it is too long, the response is that you can abbreviate your middle name to its initial letter.
Which confirms that the middle name is not essential - and the advice is that you "can" do this, nothing to suggest that you must ensure this is done.
Otherwise, the information just specifies that the correct name needs to be used, not that every single part of it has to be included.
I'm travelling with my kid next month with CA. Neither of our second names are included in the booking. I certainly won't be calling my travel agent or Air China and asking for our middle initials to be added to our tickets (we have flown with CA on 12 international flights in the past 6 years and never had a problem. Am not anticipating one this time, although I may well start using our initials on future bookings although it will make retrieving flight details on the Chinese web pages more problematic)
In the part that says how can I enter my name if it is too long, the response is that you can abbreviate your middle name to its initial letter.
Which confirms that the middle name is not essential - and the advice is that you "can" do this, nothing to suggest that you must ensure this is done.
Otherwise, the information just specifies that the correct name needs to be used, not that every single part of it has to be included.
I'm travelling with my kid next month with CA. Neither of our second names are included in the booking. I certainly won't be calling my travel agent or Air China and asking for our middle initials to be added to our tickets (we have flown with CA on 12 international flights in the past 6 years and never had a problem. Am not anticipating one this time, although I may well start using our initials on future bookings although it will make retrieving flight details on the Chinese web pages more problematic)
Mar 21, 2019, 7:59 am
#10
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 1
Dec 5, 2019, 12:31 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 1
I'm worried about this as well...
So we're going to Vietnam in 2 weeks on China Airlines and my ticket does NOT have my middle name, which has never ben an issue. But after reading something about China Air being strict, I looked into having it adjusted. The customer service person tells me that "they can only add a middle name if its 4 letters, you're has 5 and our policy is that we cannot do that."
I'm like, "...what exactly does the quantity of LETTERS have to do with anything?"
"That's our policy." she says.
"But what is the difference between 4 or 5 letters?" I ask.
"That's our policy - you'd have to refund and buy a new ticket." she tells me. "But there are no more eats on your plane..."
"So what do you suggest?" I ask.
"You have to refund the ticket."...on and on this went.
Anyway, point being - I GUESS I chance not and bring my birth certificate and Global Entry card as extra ID? Anyone here have any thoughts?
I'm like, "...what exactly does the quantity of LETTERS have to do with anything?"
"That's our policy." she says.
"But what is the difference between 4 or 5 letters?" I ask.
"That's our policy - you'd have to refund and buy a new ticket." she tells me. "But there are no more eats on your plane..."
"So what do you suggest?" I ask.
"You have to refund the ticket."...on and on this went.
Anyway, point being - I GUESS I chance not and bring my birth certificate and Global Entry card as extra ID? Anyone here have any thoughts?
Dec 7, 2019, 4:14 am
#13
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 4,477
So we're going to Vietnam in 2 weeks on China Airlines and my ticket does NOT have my middle name, which has never ben an issue. But after reading something about China Air being strict, I looked into having it adjusted. The customer service person tells me that "they can only add a middle name if its 4 letters, you're has 5 and our policy is that we cannot do that."
I'm like, "...what exactly does the quantity of LETTERS have to do with anything?"
"That's our policy." she says.
"But what is the difference between 4 or 5 letters?" I ask.
"That's our policy - you'd have to refund and buy a new ticket." she tells me. "But there are no more eats on your plane..."
"So what do you suggest?" I ask.
"You have to refund the ticket."...on and on this went.
Anyway, point being - I GUESS I chance not and bring my birth certificate and Global Entry card as extra ID? Anyone here have any thoughts?
I'm like, "...what exactly does the quantity of LETTERS have to do with anything?"
"That's our policy." she says.
"But what is the difference between 4 or 5 letters?" I ask.
"That's our policy - you'd have to refund and buy a new ticket." she tells me. "But there are no more eats on your plane..."
"So what do you suggest?" I ask.
"You have to refund the ticket."...on and on this went.
Anyway, point being - I GUESS I chance not and bring my birth certificate and Global Entry card as extra ID? Anyone here have any thoughts?
Dec 7, 2019, 4:32 am
#14
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.8MM
Posts: 6,349
(Not CA related, but I remember not being able to pay for a washing machine at Suning once, because my passport with middle name didn't match my credit card without middle name.)
Dec 7, 2019, 5:31 am
#15
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 765
the solution to all this worry about missing middle names is to not call the airline and ask about adding your middle name. They’re always going to throw the book at you with a multi-hundred-dollar name change fee, because that’s the policy.
but the reality is that 99% of airline staff where it actually matters - at checkin and the gate - do not care in the slightest about your middle name. they care about reasonably quickly checking that you’re the same person as the document identifies and the same person that the ticket is booked for. throwing the book at you here makes their life harder for no reason. (Of course there’s the 1% that get a kick out of doing that...)
I variously leave off my middle name or include it, never had a problem either way. Once due to some Chinese airline’s terrible website I accidentally booked a ticket with my middle name as my last name and my last name missing. No problems that time either (but I’ll concede that I was very lucky with that one!)
but the reality is that 99% of airline staff where it actually matters - at checkin and the gate - do not care in the slightest about your middle name. they care about reasonably quickly checking that you’re the same person as the document identifies and the same person that the ticket is booked for. throwing the book at you here makes their life harder for no reason. (Of course there’s the 1% that get a kick out of doing that...)
I variously leave off my middle name or include it, never had a problem either way. Once due to some Chinese airline’s terrible website I accidentally booked a ticket with my middle name as my last name and my last name missing. No problems that time either (but I’ll concede that I was very lucky with that one!)