DoggyDaddy

We are taking an Alaskan Cruise-Tour in July. We fly from EWR to FAI via MSP, take a land tour and then a cruise, ending in Vancouver, BC. After a few days in Vancouver and Victoria, we depart YVR back to EWR (Nonstop). We have a few questions about the "exact name match" which is driving Mrs. DD up a wall. I have a FF account stating Doggy A Daddy, which matches my Drivers license. However, my Passport states Doggy Auggie Daddy, per regulations when I applied for it. I don't think we will have any problems getting to FAI, as it is part of the good old USA, and we shouldn't have any problems getting to Canada at Vancouver (I think), as we are not flying, but will I have any problems leaving YVR since my passport and FF ticket name do not match? I do not want to change my FF ID as I will not have my passport with me every time I fly, and do not know if the airline (CO) would change the name on my ticket, or if they would, would they charge for it?

Miss DD does not have the problem as her passport only has her middle initial.

Should I be worrying about this?


DD

manneca

I just got back from TLV on CO. My ticket is in the name of manneca H. Lastname. My passport is in the name of manneca middlename maidenname lastname. My driver's license is in the name of manneca maidenname lastname. My FF is in the name of manneca H. lastname. I had no problems getting anywhere. YMMV.

Superguy

I bought a ticket from UA last week and the only difference I saw is they dropped my middle initial. They also asked our gender, but didn't ask for b-days for my son or me. They didn't ask for either of our middle names.
Technically, my ticket won't match my ID as both my DL and passport have my full middle name. Not an issue for my son as he's only 4 and doesn't have ID.

Instead of having the typical UA style of LAST/FIRSTMIM (long first name, and the M on the end is for MR), I have LAST/FIRSTMR. Arguably less of a match under the new rules.

So yeah, I'm with you in seeing what idiocy I'll be subjected to in a few weeks. My ticket for next week was bought before this stupidity started, so I don't know that I'll have an issue.

daniellam

From my understanding, there are two seperate data fields in the Passenger Name Record (PNR).

1) Name Field
2) SSR DOCS Field

These two fields do not necessarily have to match and work independently of each other.

The "Name Field" is used for the purposes of printing your name on your ticket/boarding pass.

The "SSR DOCS" field is for storing your "full name" as per your documentation/date of birth/gender. The airline is required to collect this information which is then sent to the Department of Homeland Security 72 hours before departure of your flight where your information is matched against a database. If you are "cleared", then a notation is appended to your PNR.

When checking in, if you are not "cleared", then the airline will not be able to issue you with a boarding pass in the first place!

For ticket purchased less than 72 hours before the flight, my assumption is that the airline can still collect your full name/dob/gender using the SSR DOCS field and "push" it to the DHS for security clearance before issuing the boarding pass.

Note: By the airline collecting your full name/DOB/gender in the SSR DOCS field and sending the information to the DHS, this would ensure that the problem of "having a same/similar name as a criminal/terrorist" and being denied boarding is reduced/eliminated (where previously, the name field may be used).

LessO2

Trips on or after AUGUST 15th, 2009 is when you need to start worrying.

GUWonder

On August 15, 2009 or after the issue may arise more but then again as long as the name on the ticket isn't flagged by the federal government blacklists, the InSecure Flight flagging won't happen on or thereafter and the most probable of inconvenient scenarios is that of haraSSSSment-like treatment and still flying as long as the passenger has no history of their name being blacklisted and not being added to the blacklist going forward either.

As far as my current intentions remain applicable, I am not changing a thing before or after the InSecure Flight mandate goes into full force and even after that I will not mind if more typos happen.

red456

My own prediction: there are going to be so many blips in this procedure that the whole thing will just fall apart. Typos as mentioned by the poster above are just the beginning - I spell my name for some people and they still can't type it correctly.

goalie

^ you win a hockey puck and a tootsie-pop.

SDF_Traveler

So what is going to happen with this system the first time there is a big IT problem or communications problem?

Remember the bad NIC that sent all of the CBP systems down at LAX?

FWIW, I have been at airports, usually smaller stations, where their communications systems had gone down with HQ and flight check-in and boarding was handled via telephone. Those not checked in via OLCI were issued paper, hand-written, boarding passes.

Look at the recent Google fiasco, where Google was down Thursday morning for many users.

You want to go where?

Please clarify exactly what happens on August 15, 2009.

GUWonder

Airlines required by DHS to ask for passenger's full name -- supposedly as it appears on the passenger's non-expired government issued photo ID -- date of birth, gender, and TSA issued Redress Number (if applicable) supposedly so that those whose names have been flagged by checks against US government blacklists (i.e. no fly and watch lists) and who do not want blacklist treatment don't get such blacklist treatment.

It comes down to government requirements made of airlines as part of "Secure Flight" -- really InSecure Flight -- implementation.

woody125

I fly SU a lot and almost always credit my flights back to Delta. When I fly SU my Bonus account is set up as Firstname Lastname as is my Delta account right now. If I change my Delta account to Firstname Middlename Lastname to honor this rule then my boarding passes from SU will not match the name on my account with Delta making retro credits impossible I think. Good luck getting SU to change my (and my wife's and 4 kids') account names. So, in this case, it seems to me I will lose the ability to easily credit SU flight to my SkyMiles account.

I don't know whether to roll my eyes at TSA/DHS or at SU's unfriendly customer service help in this regard.

GoingAway

It should be interesting .... about 5 years ago, I noticed my SS card had a typo in the last name (an extra letter at the end). I gave up a day spending it at the SS office waiting my turn. They wouldn't make the change there, just took the paperwork proving the error and said they'd take care of it and send me a new card.

These intelligent government workers managed to change my birthday while correcting my last name. I know I have to get it fixed before I get a new drivers license under Real ID, but wonder how extensive these id checks really go that TSA is tapping into.

On another, hopefully simpler note, I have to figure out whether the airlines are going to adjust the various FF accounts to match the official names as most of mine use the casual form not the legal form of my name. This is all such bs!

susiesan

I have award tickets issued by NW to fly to Europe in October. I noticed our names on the tickets do not include our middle names or initials. I called NW and they said they are being given leeway about name matching because of the merger with DL. I was told it won't be a problem and the tickets don't have to be reissued. of course, the CSR I spoke to had to put me on hold to go check it out as she had never heard about this name matching thing.

I also have award tickets issued by AA for flights to Asia next february. I'll give AA a call and see what they say.

Flaflyer

TSA InSecure Fright press release.