Name Order
Dec 12, 2018, 9:44 pm
#16
Ambassador: Air New Zealand
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Wellington NZ
Programs: NZ Elite, EK Gold, Qatar Gold, Amex Plat, Accor Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,426
Interestingly I recently booked a ticket on SQ using UA points (it's the SYD-CBR-SIN flight which seems to be wide open for other programs to book Business Class redemptions). The way the booking came through from United joined my first and middle name as if they were one name eg. JOHNTHOMAS JONES rather than JOHN THOMAS JONES. I'm not anticipating any problems as all three names appear in my passport
Never had any issues. Just looks funny on the Boarding Pass.
I eventually got my middle name removed from my Profile by visiting the SQ Office in Orchard Road. Couldn't get it done via the Call Centre.
Dec 13, 2018, 6:43 pm
#17
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,158
In my experience the airlines aren't fussed about the order of the names, just that the names on the ticket correspond to the names in the passport, irrespective of order. I was booked on MH and the agent had made the reservation Last Name/First Name rather than First Name/Last Name (or whatever way round it "should" be). I contacted MH who basically said what I've just commented. I have a partner who has both English and non-English names and two different passports. However the Australian passport incorporates the names on the other passport while adding further names. There's never been any problems with checking in. Nevertheless I wouldn't try it on a flight to the US
Dec 13, 2018, 11:20 pm
#18
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: HH Diamond, GHA Titanium
Posts: 1,961
This was what I was told by an airline: Ignore what's printed under the name field on the passport info page. Instead, the first of the two lines of machine readable code at the bottom of that page (the ones that contain lots of "<"s) determines the proper last and first names. It will start with "PASGP" if you are a Singapore passport holder.
Example 1: PASGPTAN<<CHRISTOPHER<LEE<TAT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Last name: TAN, first name: CHRISTOPHER LEE TAT
Example 2: PASGPTEH<<MIN<LEE<BRENDA<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Last name: TEH, first name: MIN LEE BRENDA
Example 1: PASGPTAN<<CHRISTOPHER<LEE<TAT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Last name: TAN, first name: CHRISTOPHER LEE TAT
Example 2: PASGPTEH<<MIN<LEE<BRENDA<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Last name: TEH, first name: MIN LEE BRENDA
MYSLEE<AH<BENG
MYSBRENDA<LEE<AH<LIAN
(Family names bolded/in purple).
So apparently for Malaysian passports there isn't even a consistent way for where the last name (i.e. family name) appears!
FWIW I always book my wife's plane tickets as Last Name = LEE, First Name = AH LIAN BRENDA and we've never had any problems checking in with a real person (machines/kiosks are 50-50 though).
Dec 14, 2018, 12:07 am
#19
Join Date: May 2016
Location: SIN
Programs: SQ TPPS, QR Gold
Posts: 380
Interesting. I was just having a look at my (and my wife's) Malaysian passports, and the machine code at the bottom is as follows (example)
MYSLEE<AH<BENG
MYSBRENDA<LEE<AH<LIAN
(Family names bolded/in purple).
So apparently for Malaysian passports there isn't even a consistent way for where the last name (i.e. family name) appears!
FWIW I always book my wife's plane tickets as Last Name = LEE, First Name = AH LIAN BRENDA and we've never had any problems checking in with a real person (machines/kiosks are 50-50 though).
MYSLEE<AH<BENG
MYSBRENDA<LEE<AH<LIAN
(Family names bolded/in purple).
So apparently for Malaysian passports there isn't even a consistent way for where the last name (i.e. family name) appears!
FWIW I always book my wife's plane tickets as Last Name = LEE, First Name = AH LIAN BRENDA and we've never had any problems checking in with a real person (machines/kiosks are 50-50 though).
But yes, the general consensus is that most, if not virtually all, check in agents and immigration officers do not care about the name order. Your FFP might or might not care, but some do, as I have learnt the hard way.