confirmed! Aug 15,09 post#20 Air travel ticket name must match photo ID name exactly?

[Tinkerbells mom]

Just called Jet blue to add our middle initials (on our license) They told me not to worry about my child because she does not need ID and wont have to match it to her boarding pass.

 

[Caribbeanprincess]

Oh lord, I can't believe this. If I hadn't heard this on the Today show I would have never found out about it. I totally panicked and had to call JetBlue to add my mother's and my middle name and second last name. They told me not to worry about the children because they don't need any sort of ID to travel. I still have to change my sister and her husband's names, but I need to make sure first as to how they appear on their IDs.

 

[PinkTink63]

I have a hyphenated name on my drivers license, but always make my reservation with my married name. I have never had a problem.

 

[Uncleromulus]

And you really shouldn't. But under these new rules, who knows? There will now be TSA folks just itching to make your life miserable over something as minor as that.

 

[KJ Luvs Pluto]

I just made reservations for July air travel - still no place to put a middle initial or middle name. Since this isn't being implemented until August, hopefully we won't have a problem. But for people flying after August (and many people book their travel more than a few months out), they will have to call the airlines to add this information if their ID contains middle names/initials. What a pain for us and the airline personnnel who have to handle these calls, and it isn't their fault that the websites are not updated. Now that I'm writing this though, maybe I will call and have the initials added since they are on both of our I.D.'s just in case the TSA person decides to implement the requirement early. One never knows about "Helga"

 

[Anal Annie]

I just made reservations for July air travel - still no place to put a middle initial or middle name. Since this isn't being implemented until August, hopefully we won't have a problem. But for people flying after August (and many people book their travel more than a few months out), they will have to call the airlines to add this information if their ID contains middle names/initials. What a pain for us and the airline personnnel who have to handle these calls, and it isn't their fault that the websites are not updated. Now that I'm writing this though, maybe I will call and have the initials added since they are on both of our I.D.'s just in case the TSA person decides to implement the requirement early. One never knows about "Helga"

The name matching rule went into effect May 15 (yesterday). We fly next weekend and again in August so I'm planning on taking our passports too "just in case" but they still won't match our boarding passes if Air Tran doesn't add a field for middle names. Not just initials. Middle names.

This is crazy that the airlines apparently don't HAVE to comply...

 

[DisGal520]

today is May 16. Anyone fly on the 15th and encounter a problem??

SWA did not have a field for me to enter my middle name or initial when I printed my boarding pass this morning.

 

[cigar95]

The name matching rule went into effect May 15 (yesterday). We fly next weekend and again in August so I'm planning on taking our passports too "just in case" but they still won't match our boarding passes if Air Tran doesn't add a field for middle names. Not just initials. Middle names.

This is crazy that the airlines apparently don't HAVE to comply...

The only thing that went into effect yesterday is that the airlines are required to *collect* full names when a reservation is made. For now, it has nothing to do with ID being checked at the airport.

And the only thing that happens in August is that the airlines will be required to collect another piece of information. That date also has nothing to do with ID being checked at the airport.

It seems that this whole scare probably started because a reporter somewhere misinterpreted a TSA press release, and now this thing has taken off like wild fire. Even some of the folks on flyertalk have gotten spooked, although there are plenty of calmer heads there to clarify.

 

[TDC Nala]

So is it confirmed that you must call the airline and change the name?

I have a total of 19 flights booked for the rest of the year on 4 different airlines and none of them were given my full middle name. Some have the initial and some just have first and last, no middle. Must I start calling airlines?

I didn't think that was the case but apparently the majority on this thread think you need to start calling. One of my flghts is in a week.

 

[cigar95]

So is it confirmed that you must call the airline and change the name?

I have a total of 19 flights booked for the rest of the year on 4 different airlines and none of them were given my full middle name. Some have the initial and some just have first and last, no middle. Must I start calling airlines?

I didn't think that was the case but apparently the majority on this thread think you need to start calling. One of my flghts is in a week.

Please - save yourself a lot of time. There is no need to worry about this for the forseeable future. Read more here.

http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/secureflight/faqs.shtm#traveler_faqs

The relevant paragraph is here:

Secure Flight requires that domestic aircraft operators request and collect full name as of May 15, 2009, and date of birth and gender as of August 15, 2009 for their domestic flights. For international flights, full name, date of birth, and gender must be requested and collected as of October 31, 2009. TSA has built some flexibility into the processes regarding passenger name accuracy. For the near future, small differences between the passenger’s ID and the passenger’s reservation information, such as the use of a middle initial instead of a full middle name or no middle name/initial at all, should not cause a problem for the passenger. Over time, passengers should strive to obtain consistency between the name on their ID and their travel information.

The 15 May and 15 August dates that have been circulating around in recent days have nothing to do with enforcement of ID checks at the airport - they're strictly about data collection for flight reservations. Notice that there is no date associated with a requirement that names match at check-in. If the requirement that has caused so much uproar were enforced any time soon, 70% of the passengers would have problems and the system would grind to a halt.

Remember how far in advance the digital TV deadline was announced and publicized. And even then, when it came, it was pushed back.

If and when the SecureFlight requirements are applied to passenger screening, you can be sure it will be widely publicized by the FAA and the airlines, it will be done well in advance, it will probably pushed back at least once because of all the poor, helpless passengers who might be inconvenienced, and we will hear about it from more reputable sources. And it will be featured prominently on relevant web sites like the TSA and FlyerTalk.

In the meantime, phone calls to airlines to change the name on your reservation will just be a waste of time I'm sure you would rather spend doing something else.

 

[miss missy]

ex Jane A Smith

maybe for now we can use the first box to put in say Jane A and the second for Smith? wonder if that'll work ok?

 

[TDC Nala]

In the meantime, phone calls to airlines to change the name on your reservation will just be a waste of time I'm sure you would rather spend doing something else.

With 19 flights and 4 airlines I'd darn well rather be doing something else.

 

[macraven]

ex Jane A Smith

maybe for now we can use the first box to put in say Jane A and the second for Smith? wonder if that'll work ok?

that is what i always do.
in the first box that states first name, i type in first and middle name.


i was on the security list and always had to go early to the airport to be cleared before i could check in.
they, tsa, told me to use first and middle name (in the online reservation form) whenever i booked on line.

since i started doing that, i have not had any problems.

 

[Caribbeanprincess]

I asked JetBlue yesterday when I called if this had been taken into effect already and they said it had and I needed to change the names to match the IDs, so I changed the names of the adults to match the IDs.

I think the only way to confirm if this has been taken into effect is to have a testimonial from someone who has flown since yesterday. I do however recommend that, if you have the time, you call and match the names just to be sure.

 

[TDC Nala]

No way am I callling four airlines to change the names on 19 flights unless I am certain I absolutely have to.

 

[Caribbeanprincess]

I know, I wouldn't either. That's why I said 'if you have the time'. We only have roundtrip tickets for 4 adults that had to be changed and the changes were minor.

 

[cigar95]

No way am I callling four airlines to change the names on 19 flights unless I am certain I absolutely have to.

Given that TSA has said absolutely nothing about any imminent name-matching requirement (nor has any other official source that I have seen), you can pretty safely save your time.

This is, however, pretty quickly reaching urban legend status. It would be amusing if it wasn't causing so many people so much unnecessary worry and so much time wasted on the telephone.

 

[dioxide45]

Please - save yourself a lot of time. There is no need to worry about this for the forseeable future. Read more here.

http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/secureflight/faqs.shtm#traveler_faqs

The relevant paragraph is here:

Secure Flight requires that domestic aircraft operators request and collect full name as of May 15, 2009, and date of birth and gender as of August 15, 2009 for their domestic flights. For international flights, full name, date of birth, and gender must be requested and collected as of October 31, 2009. TSA has built some flexibility into the processes regarding passenger name accuracy. For the near future, small differences between the passenger’s ID and the passenger’s reservation information, such as the use of a middle initial instead of a full middle name or no middle name/initial at all, should not cause a problem for the passenger. Over time, passengers should strive to obtain consistency between the name on their ID and their travel information.

This is interesting. Last week when I looked at the TSA website the section in bold only read:

"For the near future, small differences between the passenger’s ID and the passenger’s reservation information, such as the use of a middle initial instead of a full middle name, should not cause a problem for the passenger."

Note that the "or no middle name/initial at all" is new to the TSA FAQ. They must have needed to clarify more, because in it's old form, it was still not clear. This change was a conscious decision by the TSA, so I think it is safe to say that those of us who booked before May 15th don't need to worry about our names matching.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Interesting the words "SHOULD not cause a problem for the passenger".
Seems they could have said "WILL not cause a problem for the passenger".

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Well, I flew Friday and didn't have any problems. My boarding pass was under a dimuitive of my first name and my married name. My driver's License has my married name, full first name, full middle name and maiden name on it.

I notice these things after living in MA for a few years. When I got my DL I could NOT get my maiden name on my DL. I went to to two offices and spoke with supervisors. No one would let me have my maiden name on my DL. As that is part of my legal name, I took to carrying my passport around with me so that I could provide documentation of my full, legal name.

Very glad when I got back home to Louisiana and no one blinked an eye at however many names I needed on my DL.