Middle names and initials are not the issue. Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Passengers are able to clear security without including their middle name on their ticket because the Secure Flight passenger information matches their airline profile or the information on their ticket. If you are booking a reservation by phone and have an unusual name, spell it. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. Copyright 2022 Travel + Leisure Co. All Rights Reserved. According to the TSA Regulations, your boarding pass must match your passport exactly. If all of this overwhelms you (we get it, really), there are services available to help speed the process along. To change your name for Global Entry, youll need to visit one of the program's enrollment centers. Although middle names generally don't matter much (at least when traveling domestically), airlines will also let you delete or add an initial or middle name. Not all airlines require a middle name on boarding passes. There might also be a prompt for you to add your airline frequent flyer number, should you have one. Name changes. If youre planning to change your name, now could be a surprisingly good time to do so if you dont have any upcoming travel on the calendar, of course. TSA PreCheck Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Secure Flight Passenger Data (SFPD) . Do you have a surname that is double-barrelled, with a hyphen? If youre enrolled in a number of programs, signing up for an e-fax service may be helpful. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. However, the TSAs Secure Flight Program involves tighter guidelines on names on documents in order to cut back on the number of passengers being misidentified. JR is a big issue with me. 4. A decade later, another flyer, John Scott-Railton wrote a blog post(opens in a new tab) about the same issue. Travel + Leisure magazine may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Will Air China accept that small discrepancy and allow her to travel? After reading up on Secure Flight, I took a look at my government IDs. Be extra careful when booking an airline ticket on the phone. "The main problem is that names are complicated. By signing up to the Mashable newsletter you agree to receive electronic communications Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. This process includes checking a persons name, date of birth, and gender information. One had a long dropdown box with almost every imaginable name suffix; another just had a box into which you type the suffix as you like to use it. Sarah Horowitz of the TSAs Office of Strategic Communications & Public Affairs notes that at the security checkpoint, TSA strives to ensure you are who are you say you are. While more and more people are choosing to keep their surname after marriage, many still take their partners name after the ceremony. That's all you need to do. Looks like I already have a problem. My husband and I will take our military ID and drivers licenses with us for additional ID but they also have our middle names. For TSA PreCheck, you can call 855-347-8371 on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. However, the TSA's Secure Flight Program involves tighter guidelines on. 3. 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Be sure to confirm the name on your reservation well in advance of travel, and then check in for your flight as early as possible, preferably using the online check-in service on your airlines Web site. 16. If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. However, your first and last name must be exactly the same on your passport and plane ticket. Help!!! I already went to the TSA website but looking through the site I am not sure how to change my information. ET. How to play the viral TikTok quiz. Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced by the card issuer. Using a travel agent. Great point, John. The TSA has not mandated the pace of integration of Secure Flight. If your identity is confirmed, you will be allowed to enter the screening checkpoint. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, The Business Platinum Card from American Express, Short staffing and high demand could spell disaster for your summer travel plans, Now live: Earn over 4% APY interest on the cash back from your Apple Card. How to see if you're eligible. American Express may accept your new U.S. passport or drivers license. Go to ua.com. We've reached out to Delta and United and will update this story if we hear from them. This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies. The Secure Flight program ensures only that people who are not on the no-fly list will be issued boarding passes. I filled out the security flight information after booking and I think it asked for name as it appeared on passport(not sure though) But I did add the middle names there. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. You can also call your credit cards customer service number or use the issuer's website chat feature. Do I need to book domestic travel (for which I would use my drivers license) as Edward C., and international travel (for which I would use my passport) as Edward Charles? I was freaking a little while back because my airline ticket had my first name spelled wrong. Booking for others. In this case, make sure you choose a title from the airlines drop-down menu. Whoohoo! Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. I wouldn't worry about middle name at all. Are you sure this flight is operated by UA? After updating your personal documents, its time to address your loyalty program and rewards accounts. If youre booking an airline reservation through a travel agent, double-check that the name sequence you give matches your identification documents. (Enrollment required for select benefits.). The biggest problem is that computers are dumb, and garbage in equals garbage out and there are a LOT of computers out there with our names in them, not all of them correct. Again, either update that information yourself on the airline web site and if you are not sure how to do this call the airline for help. Facebook likely owes you money. Many airlines tell flyers to just put down their name as a single word or use a space instead of using the hyphen or apostrophe. How Secure Flight Works TRAVEL + LEISURE is a registered trademark of Travel + Leisure Co., registered in the United States and other countries. There should always be an official back-up record of your vaccination status. Travel plans can quickly be derailed if the name on your card doesn't match your passport and official documentation. At the top of the page is an option that says " My profile". Our airline ticket only has our first and last name, no middle initial or middle name. The one thing that was missing was her middle name. Just like with your banking institutions, youll need to contact each program to find out what is required for the name change. Just remember, SSA offices closed at the beginning of the pandemic, so you can currently only enter your local office with an appointment. If you use a frequent flyer account or online travel profile, ensure that your name is properly saved. Access your reservation on the airlines website and update the passenger information for that ticket. Middle names and initials are not the issue. It is incumbent on the individual traveler to comply with these changes; a mismatched booking may be the fault of your travel agent, spouse, friend or assistant, but it is your legal obligation to make sure your own travel records comply with the law. Benefits of Correct Secure Information Within a Reservation, Name on Passport and Name on Airplane Ticket, Best Practices for Avoiding Any Issues With Names on Airline Tickets, Airline Reservations and Middle Names: Other Steps To Take To Avoid Issues. Suffixes are not required on boarding passes. For instance, if the name on your passport is Robert, do not book the airline ticket as Bob. Be sure that every airline, booking site, frequent flier program or travel agent that you use has your correct full name, birthday and gender listed. England Vacation Packages w/Hotels, Sightseeing & All-Incl. Does the name on my airline reservation have to match the name on my application? Thanks, Christian! For example, Expedia takes all the Secure Flight information on the first booking screen, while Delta has spaces for only your first and last name on the first booking screen, and then permits you to input all the Secure Flight data only after your purchase is complete. Is the name in the Passenger Name Field required to match the Secure Flight Passenger Data . Here are some tips and tricks to help you find the answer to "Wordle" #668. Editors Note: This story was originally published in March 2010. People who've been there before share their reasons for staying alive. Keith is right. A government-issued ID card must be on file with the boarding pass. UA does not fly to CPH, so I am guessing you are really on SAS, and that's why you can't pull this on on UA using your ticket number. This is not because it is unnecessary. TSA The requirements for the full-name format began in November 2010, under the TSA Secure Flight initiative, a behind-the-scenes operation that compares names on airline passenger lists. The TSA officer may ask you to complete an identity verification process which includes collecting information such as your name, current address, and other personal information to confirm your identity. American Express has expanded The Centurion Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. Funny thing, to date, shes been the only problem weve ever had in 9 years of flying, including international. I am going to call United tomorrow to see what can be done. If not, add the voter registration name change to your list of things to do. This is where you complete your TSA Secure Flight Information. Shelli Stein is a travel writer, health educator, and story teller. Enrollment required. Junior vs II, for instance and the booking sites that I reviewed for this article display varying ways of collecting this information. After checking the licenses of a half-dozen friends, it looks to me like my states DMV strongly prefers a middle initial (due to space constraints, I suspect; a drivers license is pretty small). For Gerard O'Neill(opens in a new tab), a software engineer at Atlassian, this is an issue he deals with at his job and in his life. You just can't make changes to the date of birth and gender in conjunction with a name correction. Thus, always register any spelling mistakes with the airline because they have strict policies regarding names. How about Pidgin? Her areas of expertise are: all thingsSouthwest Airlines,hotel reviews, and what to do, see, and eat in destinations around the world. Most likely, youll need to bring your current drivers license, your certified marriage certificate and your new Social Security card. Pro tip: My #1 hack for saving money on all your hotel stays! That's exactly the case with the Amex Platinum card. When the TSA agent checks your boarding pass, they are also checking your Secure Flight passenger data. For the time being, it appears you may need to think ahead to which ID you will use for a particular trip and make your reservation using that legal name. This following link will take you to the TSA Web Site to give you details on this program. These Airlines May Offer You a Refund, What You Need to Know Before Flying with a Baby, Flight Attendant Helps Passenger Deliver Baby During Frontier Airlines Flight, The Easiest Way to Get a Flight Upgrade, According to Flight Attendants, How to Get Upgraded to First Class for Free, United Airlines Is Changing Its Cancellation Policy for Basic Economy What to Know, 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Going Through Airport Security, This KLM Sale Has Massive Discounts on Round-trip Flights to Europe but You'll Have to Book Soon, 6 Ways You Can Speed Up (or Skip) the Airport Security Line, Carnival Cruise Line Implements Digital Passport App to Streamline Embarkation Process. Other info. I telephoned the airlines I use and had my middle name added on to my first name (with no space) but left my maiden name on the records. Notes Horowitz, Passengers shouldnt be concerned if particular airlines dont ask them to provide the additional information right away; it should not impact their travel. I feel as long as we get through security and to our gate, why would we need to worry? The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. I guess sometimes it really is up to the airline. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. To change your name for Global Entry, you'll need to visit one of the program's enrollment centers. When making a reservation, passengers should follow the prompts provided by the airline reservation system. Validation logic for a name may be something like: Must be greater than 1 and less than 200 characters, can only contain alphabets from A-Z. According to O'Neill, "For the most part, if you treat special characters like you treat the letters A through Z, things will work fine most of the time," i.e. If the airline does not allow hyphens in a passenger name, a space should be used instead of the hyphen.. Yes, I know. Help you learn from her mistakes. An avid surfer and rower, Ed has written about and photographed rowing competitions around the world, including the last five Olympic Games. Once youve updated your name on your credit cards, your new name will eventually be updated on your credit report. Good luck getting the agent in a noisy US Airways call center to get that right every time. Since the program got underway in August 2009, some travelers have reported discrepancies with regard to suffixes and hyphenated names Jr. vs. Learn more. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Passengers should strive to book travel reservations using the name that appears on their government-issued ID, but small differences such as a hyphen should not impact a passengers travel. If you check out okay, your boarding pass will be issued and youll go through airport security as usual. A friend of O'Neill's has a tough time booking tickets because her name is too short. Avoid manually typing it in. This even includes some ultra-low-cost carriers like Spirit. You don't need to worry about your middle name on the boarding pass because it won't be on the boarding pass. Hello, I have my middle name on my passport, but on my governments ID dont have middle name only first and last name. Now there are even more places your Platinum Card can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks. Changing your name with the SSA will also notify the IRS and help make sure your name and Social Security number match. With my passport in one hand and my drivers license in the other, I realized, oops! Community Board Middle name for TSA Pre Check BlueRibbon Aug 13, 2021 BlueRibbon Mouseketeer Joined Jul 8, 2018 Aug 13, 2021 #1 I just signed up for TSA Precheck and have a few upcoming flights. They are the best source of information for you! TPG values it at $1,600. Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features, Bowie, Maryland (suburb of Washington, DC). If you encounter this problem, I would recommend emphasizing that the change is only due to complying with law, and perhaps send a note to the TSA if a fee is still applied. To return to blaming the computers, some software systems have character count limits (a single initial for a middle name), or do not allow hyphenated names, or dont have a field for IV or the like. Including your middle name increases the chance of an error. Period. Thanks so much for this data point, John, and thanks for reading. Thanks for sharing your experience using Capital One Travel, Liza. You should be able to find your SAS leg on your UA itinerary. Crocs vs. 'Stocks: Which is the superior travel shoe? 9. This is because you likely wont have enough time to obtain new IDs and credit cards that reflect your married name, which is important since the Transportation Security Administration does not accept marriage certificates as a form of identification, before your trip. Once youve accessed your reservation, add your full name along with any other requested information to complete this section. For TSA PreCheck, you can call 855-347-8371 on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. TSA agents will continue to compare boarding passes to your ID to ensure a match as well as to confirm that you have a valid form of ID. Do I Need My Middle Name on My Airline Ticket? The TSA officer may ask you to complete an identity verification process which includes collecting information such as your name, current address, and other personal information to confirm your identity. Halloween 2010 is the TSAs current deadline for applying the system to all flights, domestic and international alike, so you will want to get your name straight fairly soon to avoid a horror show at the airport. Each airline will request this information as their capability to request it is integrated into their individual systems.. Yes. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. You will not be allowed to enter the security checkpoint if your identity cannot be confirmed, you choose to not provide proper identification or you decline to cooperate with the identity verification process. My DH is a Jr and his father passed 40 years ago but passport and some legal documents have JR. Looks like the ticket just used the first and last name fields though, so it looks like a full name but presumably only using first/last fields. Makes no difference what people call you. Win A Trip To Finland: ALL Expenses Paid! Standard ticketing time limit rules apply. You don't need any other ID but your passports. However, your first and last name must be exactly the same on both your passport and airplane ticket. Oh, I wasnt criticizing at all. I would just call the United Airlines reservation number and they will be able to help you with getting the Secure Flight Information updated. Dealing with suffixes, hyphenations and more. An official website of the United States government. Andrea Romano is a writer and editor in New York City. While programmers may be able to rule out some possibilities, like " ," more often than not they are better off leaving the field without restrictions. It is an airline's way of approaching this important consumer protection rule in what is certainly an anti-consumer protection manner. And, of course, these arent normal times. This is a simple step that can prevent any issues when you fly. ET. "The issue arises when programmers attempt to enforce rules on what a name should look like. Secure Flight data needs to match whats on your passport and what information the airlines have on file about you. Same with my husband. Credit ranges are a variation of FICO Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application. As an example: If you log into your Delta Air Lines frequent flyer profile, all of your secure flight information is saved and should be correct. No worries. If you purchased the old flight before Secure Flight procedures were in place, you will need to make an official change to your reservation to be in compliance with the new standards. All Rights Reserved. Much appreciated. Listing airlines and their requirements would have made this a huge post . But becoming a Dungeons & Dragons firbolg cleric still requires a human touch. Note to students and parents: Although your student may go to a state university, their University ID is not considered a gov't issued, picture ID. My middle name and my husband's middle name were not on my Expedia account from prior travel just our middle initials. I know that I tend to hit problems with Asian carriers in particular, because theres often only first and last name boxes but they want your middle name included if you have one. As part of this ongoing effort, the TSA has implemented the Secure Flight Program, which requires airlines to ask Customers for their full name (as it appears on their government-issued ID), date of birth, and gender at the time of reservation. I went through this when my renewed passport came and my maiden name had been deleted and my middle name added. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Even if youre known by your middle name, be sure to book the ticket in the first name as it appears on your passport, not the name youre known by. The high annual fee is only worth it if youre taking full advantage of the cards benefits. Some may allow the correction of a misspelling. Will it make any issues if I travel with it ? Because any issues will arise at the time you request a boarding pass, by checking in online 24 hours before travel, you can avoid any check-in counter delays resulting from the new program and if you are going to be denied a boarding pass for security reasons, you will find out enough in advance that you can do something about it. It will also have your SAS confirmation number. Yes. My passport has my full name, first, middle and last. A naive programmer might think, "A name is anything with the letters A to Z," O'Neill explains. Sorry, I was just making a joke . Do I just email them? Due to COVID-19, appointments may be necessary at some centers and must be scheduled in advance online through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Trusted Traveler Programs website. Planning Your Travels? Related: The ultimate guide to credit card application restrictions. Thanks Keith! As of August 2009, passengers. Thanks 6rugrats, our flight to IAD is on United and you are correct our flight to CPH is SAS so that is probably the reason I couldn't pull our reservervation on United. A large number of misspelled name cases result from lack of attention while booking on the phone. The TSA asks for your date of birth and gender to help reduce the number of passengers misidentified as a match to the watch list. Secure Flight launched in August, is currently in a phase-in stage, and is intended to be fully in place by November 2010 for all flights leaving from and/or arriving in the U.S. If you dont want to mail in your ID and marriage certificate, youll need to find your local SSA office and file the form in person. If it's a very minor misspelling, you'll be ok. Along with the auto-filled forms, the company will provide instructions for completion and how to submit each application. Our middle initial is on there so that would be fine. Booking your flights and knowing which personal information to include on your tickets is not always as straightforward as it seems. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Enrollment required. 2023 Smarter Travel Media LLC. She lives life with humor, gratitude, and humility and always sees the coffee cup as half full! Girlfriend has GE, never an issue. So Secure Flight really has nothing to do with what appears on your boarding pass, although we can hope that conforming to Secure Flight booking requirements should make for greater consistency between boarding pass and ID names. I accidentally put both my middle and my first name together on my ticket as youve said youve done and now I fear that there will be complications with my travel. She sees travel as an adventure, trying to somehow get inside and experience a different way of life, a different cultural heritage. Travel + Leisure is published by Meredith Corporation under license from Travel + Leisure Co. Share on Facebook (opens in a new window), Share on Flipboard (opens in a new window), This airline gave a free lifetime pass to a baby born mid-flight, "Falsehoods programmers believe about names", How AI tools like ChatGPT can combat ADHD paralysis, New Amazon Music feature matches hit songs with feelings, Long COVID and suicide: How patients are helping each other in their darkest hour, 21 reasons to keep living when you feel suicidal, 'You're always on': Warnings from the front lines of the teen mental health crisis, 'Wordle' today: Here's the answer, hints for April 18. For any steps that have to be submitted via mail, HitchSwitch will even include the address to which the application needs to be sent. I always sign just my first and last on things and it's never been an issue. New passports typically take four to six weeks to process, though there are ways to expedite the process, if necessary. Maybe call the airline and check with them. Maybe she canshow you somethingyouve never seen. The name submitted on your airline reservation must be an exact match to the name you provided on your application. While Secure Flight and travel document checking are both critical security functions, they serve different purposes at different points in the security process.. It is to the passenger's advantage to provide the required data elements, as doing so may prevent delays or additional passenger security screening at the airport, particularly for those individuals who have similar names to those on the watch list.