If a travel agent made a minor mistake on a name for a flight, would that person still be allowed to board?

Question

How about if the person spelled Allan instead of Alan?

Answer 1

The regulations say that the name on the ticket has to match the name on your passport EXACTLY. But I would guess that the agent would cut you some slack considering it is still the same name.

If you want to be sure, and this is what I would recommend, go back to the travel agent with your passport, and ask him/her to change the ticket. I assure you that will be less hassle than being denied boarding at the airport and possibly forfeiting the cost of a ticket!

EDIT:
A note to pa28_180flyer - thanks for pointing that out. In the US, FAA Security Directive 96-5 was the regulation in effect when I was a B767 captain for a major airline, but that may have been tightened up since 9/11. On top of that, many countries have their own entry requirements. Airline check-in personnel are obliged to ensure that passengers have all the proper documentation for entering the country that the flight is arriving in before they are allowed to get on the plane - and that includes tickets, passports, and visas.

The question really depends on where you are flying to and from, and what country you are flying in. I assumed, perhaps wrongly, that the asker was flying internationally, between two ICAO member states. If you are flying within points in the same country, and no part of your travel involves a stop outside of that same country, then of course you don't need a passport, and any government issued ID acceptable to the airline and the security personnel will do. I stand by my advice to be sure the plane ticket matches the identification. Common sense should prevail.

The airline that I retired from a few years ago still prints this information on every one of their tickets - domestic and international: "Photo identification is required for all passengers. Boarding may be denied and ticket confiscated if passenger's identification does not match the name on the ticket."

Not much room for misinterpretation there!

And I don't understand why you would choose not to have a passport - you must be making very local trips. Starting next January 1, the US will join most of the world's leading nations by requiring their citizens to produce a valid passport before allowing them back in the country. So, assuming you are a US citizen, don't leave home without it.

So back to the original question, go back to the travel agent, show them your ID, and ask them to re-print your ticket with the correct spelling. If they charge for that, find a new travel agent!

Answer 2

Absolutely get the ticket changed NOW to avoid the hassle. My brother in law did not check closely to find that he had such a "small difference". They took him aside at the departure airport, questioned him, "thoroughly" searched him, and nearly made him miss his flight. His wife was frantic.

I urge you also to get some good travel insurance. There is an amazing variety of things that can go wrong to ruin a trip in an instant. You can explore the subject and buy on-line too if that suits you. Here is a really neat site that is easy to use and provides a variety of options. Pick a policy that provides coverage for health-related issues (like an illness during travel - or before) and for traveling-related issues (like lost baggage etc.) Go to http://www.wavehelp.com/travel-medical/index.htm and pick what suits you best.

Best wishes.

Answer 3

The rules do say that the passport name and the name on the ticket must match. What happens in reality is that the original ticket is cancelled and a new one is "sold" at the same price as the old. None of this is refelcted on your statement, that's just how agents "work-around" the problem

Answer 4

astarpilot2000

Level 2



"The regulations say that the name on the ticket has to match the name on your passport EXACTLY. But I would guess that the agent would cut you some slack considering it is still the same name.

I
I dont even have a passport and I travel often, what then???
You have a reference to that regulation? Oh, I missed the guess part. You are just guessing trying to sound like you really know what you are talking about.

Answer 5

if the person has a passport, picture license etc should not be a problem. Stop at the ticket counter first before you bother going to the gate.

Answer 6

Personally, I'd stop at the ticket counter before passing through security...but I don't use travel angents so it's never happened to me.

Answer 7

That would be a subjective call dependent on the conditions at the time.