PresRDC

Hi All,

Say I have a ticket with just my first and last name, but my passport also includes my middle name. That's not a problem under the new rules for name matching, right?

Thanks!

Ari

No, not a problem.

GUWonder

It hasn't been a problem for me and those whose reservations I've looked at for flights to/from the US this month and last month where the tickets were issued using just 2 names despite the passport(s) usually having 2+ names printed in them.

N1120A

Passports are not the issue. The matching names thing comes from the garbage "Secure" Flight program the TSA is doing.

GUWonder

With regard to the OP's inquiry, it is indeed due to the garbage "Secure" Flight program.

For an indication of how this TSA "solution" in search of a "problem" (of the TSA's own design) has created more problems, check out the last post in the following:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...l#post13734663

aekthug

Here's the situation. I booked a flight and hotel package with my travel agent for the Turks and Caicos islands for March 11-18, 2011. I will be traveling with my wife and our 1 year old daughter. I have a US passport and the baby does as well. My wife has a Greek passport and is a legal resident of the US (green card holder). The name on her Greek passport is her maiden name and on her green card is her married name. The ticket was booked using her married name (the one on the green card, but NOT on the passport). We of course can provide a marriage certificate which proves her maiden name, and even the baby's birth certificate (which also gives her maiden name in addition to her married name).

Will there be a problem? Should we be worried? Is there something we should/can do?

I need this peace of mind.....

scoow

I'm moving this to the Practical Travel Safety Issues forum where I am sure you will get a prompt response.

scoow
co-moderator Women Travelers

Dovster

I would very strongly suggest contacting the Greek Embassy to get the name on her passport updated.

TSORon

Inside the US you shouldn't have any problems, at least not at airports. Outside of the US, well anything can happen. I agree with the last poster, it might be helpful to contact the Greek Embassy and see if they can give any insight.

Dovster

The big problem is that under the new rules, passengers to/from the US must have the exact same names on their passports as they do on their tickets.

A passport issued to "Robert J. Smith" can not be used in conjunction with a ticket issued to "Bob J. Smith".

Aviatrix

Not necessarily all that easy. I don't know what Greece is like in that respect... but if the marriage took place in the USA, and if Greece is like some other European countries that I know, then it is quite possible that the lady's legal name, under Greek law, is her maiden name and that she will have to go through a lengthy paperwork exercise to get the marriage recognised and to formally change her name to her husband's name.

aekthug

That's the case with greece as well. These days in Greece married women don't change their names. It would be a lengthy paper chase to go that route (if possible at all). We've traveled to Europe several times and even South America. I've always booked the tickets online and put her maiden name for her plane ticket. There has never been a real problem. This time I dealt with a local travel agent. When he asked me for the names of the travellers, I absent mindedly gave her married name (out of habit in our day to day dealings here in the US). Three weeks later it dawned on me the error I made. I did buy travel insurance. I don't know if that helps. Isn't there a way the airline (us airways) can correct this for me? It was a simple innocent mistake. Being that the flight is approximately 1 and 1/2 months away, I was thinking that perhaps her ticket could be cancelled and refunded and then repurchased with the corrected name. Is this a feasible option? I contacted my travel agent, but he will be out of his office until Monday.

Often1

If you've got refundable tickets, that's the easiest and cleanest way to fix the problem.

planes&trains

I agree with others about taking care of this before your travel. You are very likely to encounter a problem along the way -- especially if someone is having a bad day.

aekthug

Thanks everyone for your advice!


By the way, I forgot to mention that I did contact US airways through their 800 number and described the situation to them. Their representative told me that they could not change the name on the ticket (I did not inquire about canceling and repurchasing). They did state though that my wife should be ok if we bring along our marriage certificate which clearly states both her maiden name (on the passport) and her married name (on the green card and current ticket). The us airways rep said to get to the airport early in case of possible delays due to this. I still don't want to take any chances that's why I will attempt to cancel and repurchase.

By Monday I'll have my travel agent's take on the situation. Hopefully he has some pull with US airways and can get this fixed.

In a way I believe he has a degree of responsibility in explaining the regulations, but in the end, it was my own stupid mistake.

I'll update this forum on how everything turns out for us...

Hopefully everything works out in the end.

Thanks