Airline ticket ? passport not matching

[Matt2matt2002]

Can anyone advise me on flying without my middle name on my passport being on the airline ticket?

I have booked a return ticket with Turkish Airlines from Edinburgh to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan via Istanbul.
I leave on Mat 26th
When I booked on line the site asked for first name and last name.
So I entered Matthew & Newton
When I was checking through things today I looked at the site again and in very small print it does say that the name on the ticket should match the passport name.
When I called the Airline the lady said I should have entered 2 names ( Matthew William) in the section for first name.
I said this wasn't clear and could she change the ticket. She didn't have the authority to change the ticket and asked me to fill in a complaint form on line.
I have done that and have a reference number but have to wait 7 working days for a reply.
I suspect it will be that they cannot change the ticket name and I will not be able to fly with my passport as it reads.

I do have the option to change the name on my passport ( drop the middle name ) but don't want to do this unless necessary. And I'm not sure how easy it would be and any future personal consequences.

Any folk have experience of travelling without their middle name on their ticket?
Could I take additional identification with my photo on?
Anyone any ideas on how best to proceed?

Many thanks

Matthew (William) Newton

[Danneaux]

Any folk have experience of travelling without their middle name on their ticket?

Yes, no problem as the first and last names matched those on the passport. The middle name was considered "additional information" when it was considered at all.

Could I take additional identification with my photo on?

Here (States), I am usually required to carry two pieces of "government-issued photo ID" and I was only asked for the second one at my local airport!

Anyone any ideas on how best to proceed?

Looking at various online Fora -- Fodor's is one -- it appears *most* people have no hassle so long as first and last names match those on the passport. Of course, there are exceptions, and those poor souls report a life of immediate torment and hassle, usually at the hands of minor functionaries. A number of people with experiences similar to yours reported they were able to make the change to their tickets at the airlines ticket desk at the airport but prior to departure for a minimal or even no fee. Others thought that risked waiting too long and chose instead to handle it with airlines customer-service reps over the phone in advance. Those who did sometimes were charged a ticket-reissue fee, which was reported to be larger than those who handled things at the desk.

It seems the convention is to place first and middle names in the Firstname field when making reservations if there is no separate box for Middlename or initial. Some airlines (Swissair), print tickets with the middle initial appended to the firstname in lowercase. Yours would be Matheww.

If I were facing the same issue, I would not change the passport. I would carry a second government-issued photo ID in case it is needed. Here's how others handled the issue wrt Turkish Air: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293974-i368-k7370495-Turkish_Air_Ticket_no_middle_name_a_problem-Istanbul.html

Apart form the airlines ticket problem...
One thing I would suggest (especially if you carry your driver's license anyway) is to apply for an International Driver's license before you leave -- even if you never intend to drive while on-tour. An International D/L can be amazingly handy as yet another form of acceptable ID and the possibility of a car rental can solve myriad unforeseen circumstances should the bike break or you need shelter. Mine cost about USD$23 and provided some peace of mine when I needed to drive a friend who had consumed too much alcohol at his birthday. My US driver's license was stolen with other things in Prague, but the International D/L was still at my hotel room and it would have shown I at least possessed a proper domestic D/L at time of issue, and it had duplicate entries for my home D/L number, address, and issuing state that would have allowed confirmation had I been stopped by a police officer. I was glad I had it.

Best of luck on this unforeseen dilemma, Matt; I hope it resolves favorably for you soonest.

Dan.

[David Simpson]

On a related topic (I hope I'm not hijacking this thread), it is a good idea to make a photocopy or scan of your bank cards, credit cards, passport, driver's license, etc. Some suggestions:

• Make a copy of both sides of the cards. Often important info, such as the phone number of the bank, is on the back of the card.
• Make a colour copy, if possible.
• You can often copy all of your cards into one sheet of paper, if you lay them all out on the scanner/copier together. Then you can have a single sheet of paper with the card fronts on one side and the card backs on the other side.
• Keep a copy with you, separate from your cards. You will only need it in an emergency, so it doesn't need to be easily accessible.
• Leave a copy with family or friends at home, as a backup.

Having a copy of this information is useful not just for traveling, but also as a backup in case your cards get stolen or lost at any time.

- Dave

[in4]

I also save all the above on a memory stick and also email it to myself via a webmail address.

[Matt2matt2002]

Many thanks folks.
All advice greatfully received and taken on board.
Hijack away.
Good tips indeed.

I'll keep you updated on progress, or other wise!

[geocycle]

As others have said I'm sure you'll be fine. The only time I've had problems was when I was called up on a flight by an attendant to help a woman in labour.  I'd forgotten I had an academic title on my passport but was definitely not that kind of dr!

Oh and Turkish airlines are good.  If you are lucky you'll get Turkish food which is my favourite in the world.  Look out for ladies thighs.... Which perhaps disappointingly is a rather splendid okra dish!

[mickeg]

I also have all credit card phone numbers saved in my cell phone.  That made it easier to call them all when I lost my wallet.

[Danneaux]

Oh and Turkish airlines are good.  If you are lucky you'll get Turkish food which is my favourite in the world.  Look out for ladies thighs.... Which perhaps disappointingly is a rather splendid okra dish!

  My experience exactly, Geo'! Best airline food I've had, and better than AirFrance, which I also liked, but not as much. Both beat the 'Merkin fare all hollow.

Best,

Dan. (...who reminds Matt to set the lock screen on his phone to help keep the contents a bit more secure against casual access attempts)

[John Saxby]

+1 on Turkish Airlines, Matt!  Best to minimize any discrepancies between ticket and p/port if you can, so's not to allow petty officials the chance to hassle you. So,

1)   if/if you can change the name on your ticket to agree with your p/port (including your middle name), that's the best option.

2)   if not, stay with what you've got. As Dan says, getting the first and last names right, with the added support/proof of your photo, is usually OK.

3)   do check, however, that the name on your credit card fits with the name on your ticket, in case you have to change your ticket during your journey.  Any issue there should surface when you try to change the name on your current ticket.

All the advice on photocopies of your ID, etc., is well taken.  I've made a habit of doing that over the years, and made sure that I left a copy at home, as well as taking one or more with me.  I had to rely on the info only once, when I lost my wallet accidentally a few years ago.  Having the info readily at hand simplified everything.

Good luck!