How tight are airlines on names for flight bookings?

[OwlMother]

Dd (18) has booked a flight herself for the first time. She has just realised that she's used the name she goes by, rather than precisely what's on the passport- think Ellie and Eleanor.

It's obvious that it's a diminutive of her real name, but am I right in thinking that they're very precise about these things and she'll need to pay to change it? It's Ryanair and of course she's only realised after the 48 hour grace period for amendments.

Honestly, the only airline in the world I wouldn't gamble it with is Ryanair. That's probably not what you wanted to hear OP.

Pretty sure that's not enough, because passport needs to match. That's why they have advice for women travelling on honeymoon to explain they must use the name on passport regardless of what your legal name actually is.

Well you’ll have to trust me on this as well..

By “security” I suspect most people here are thinking of the L&G people….they certainly don’t scan passports at most places, hence some of the comments about “security”, as in the G4S version, not caring..certainly at some airports

Practicalities of this at most of the airports I’ve been through is that potentially the only passport scan done by anybody anywhere in the departure process may be done as late as the jetty head (you’ll obviously know where that is).

So unless you are revealing some covert system it looks to me as if the grown up, actual Home Office version of security can only be aware of any passport status problems either via the APIS or at the same time as the airline.

I think you will be fine regardless. Just make sure the check in name matches.

Very, I hope.

Why would she check in under a name that isn’t on her passport?

You are right - it was more complicated than that. She is Irish and so got another passport. Can’t remember all the details but she is now in a mess as she has documents that don’t match her passport. She is thinking she will wait until her passport expires and change things back again. I thought it was hilarious / a pain in the arse!

My mum got through passport control IN THE US with her partner's passport! She only realised after she'd got through that she was holding his passport, not his. This was after 2001! And then she had to try to get back through to give him the right passport and get her own. Nobody believes her and I am not surprised ;)

It's the airline who cares about the name matching the passport details. I've never been able to edit my name at check-in, it's the other details like passport details they ask for. However, that's BA, not Ryanair, so I don't know if you can edit details when you check in with them. If you can, I can't see there's any issue.

And airline staff can see your details when they check you in. Security staff just scan your boarding pass (or watch while you do it yourself).

That is incredibly unsafe I’m suprised she was able to return with that same passport. Was it also Ryanair?

Passports are scanned, and the information brought up on the screen is not just the information printed on the passport. It's called a status check. Trust me on that one

if that is actually the case, why all the fuss about having stamps in your British passport post-Brexit to show that you've not overstayed your welcome in the EU?

I've always assumed that when they scan your passport it tells them where it was last scanned (and potentially earlier trips) and the fact that the airline provides the information too, and you seem to be confirming that.

For example, if I am at LHR and they say where have you come in from, I always think "well you can see it's Berlin"). Is that the case or not? (the fact that you can generally use e-gates now notwithstanding).

As for a life lesson I check, double check, triple check and even quadruple check that the details are correct when I book a flight. I do not want any nasty surprises, whether it's the wrong name or I've put in dates that don't fit with my hotel dates (if booking hotel separately).

I think most airlines are very strict. I made this error for a colleague at work and the company had to pay £500 for another flight. I was mortified!

I've just flown this week, things seem to have changed insomuch as there's not the quick scan of documents any more. The airport staff are having a really good look at stuff. Made me take my glasses off to compare against my passport photo, thoroughly checking documents. I wouldn't risk it.

I'm sure they have to keep the information elsewhere.

Otherwise the passport scanners would have to go through your passport and add up 'well she spent 10 days in Spain, then she was in Ireland for 2 days, then she was in Germany for 4 days, then Denmark for a month' etc etc, and they just don't have time to do that.

FYI the "1 letter off is OK" on Ryanair's website only seems to apply to middle names and surnames.

My booking name never matches my check-in/passport name on BA (it's complicated to explain), so I always have to buffer time to queue up for the special service counter where they'll check me in with my passport name. Obviously it's free as it's BA.

That said Ryanair actually aren't strict about checking documents in my experience, maybe due to skimping on manpower ha. If they do discover a mistake, I guess it's a toss up on whether they squeeze an admin fee out of you.

So we tried to do the three letter amendment on the website and it kept throwing up errors. So much against my better judgement we queued for ages to get a real person on the live chat.

I've never been more pleased to be wrong. The agent made the changes we needed (Dd had also booked a James as Jamie ) and confirmed that a one letter error in either first or last name is acceptable. The changes were immediately visible online.

Such a relief, Dd will never make that mistake again. All part of growing up, I had been kicking myself for not sitting with her as she did the bookings but I suppose this way she'll learn the lesson better than if I'd just told her! Thanks all.

I managed to change mine for free with Easyjet, I'd booked in my married name but my passport was in my maiden name. They said they only tend to charge if its a complete name change i.e. A different person altogether. Not sure whether Ryanair would do the same but it's worth a phone call to ask. Nothing lost

I did the same. Exactly as your OP example 😳
Fortunately Virgin were also great about it and changed it. I get DH to triple check me now.

Glad its sorted!

Good. She got away lightly!

Glad you got it sorted! My son has a double- barrelled surname (mine and his father's) and he's flown under each of them! We've just got back from a holiday where only one part of his full surname was on the boarding pass.

Glad you've got it sorted OP as you've been given some shockingly bad advice on this thread. The name on the ticket has to match the passport. Putting something different on the API doesn't change the ticket name and the ticket is what is cross referenced with the passport. Security don't check documents, just that you have a boarding card to access airside. Check in can and do refuse travel if it doesn't match as if the passenger is refused entry to the other country they are fined and have to fly them back. There will be occasions where people have got away with it but I'd never recommend trying it.

Glad you got it sorted, this is always my nightmare and every time I book flights J get someone else to double check all the details.

DS, despite my coaching to check everything twice and check-in online early, has also learned the hard way - booking flights on the wrong day (new last minute ticket required) and going to the wrong airport (£80 taxi ride).

After his latest (mis)adventures I think he might start listening to mum.

Hi @OwlMother

Wonder if you’re able to let me know if she got away with the ‘one letter wrong’ issue, please?

someone else booked me a flight on Ryanair, and it’s one letter out, even after the ‘free 3 letter’ change. Think Jennifer (but they booked Jenny) and changed to Jennife. I can’t get through to the phone line. Just interested to see how she got on.
its mad, actually, because it’s been booked correctly one way , but not the other. It’s two separate flights, being Ryanair….

thanks so much.

She was absolutely fine, it wasn't questioned either way. She said they barely glanced at it.

The way we had to do the amendment meant that she was missing one of the double letters in her name (so in your example her name would have looked like Jenifer) so on a quick glance it didn't look super wrong. She also had the Ryanair webpage about the one letter error printed out with her, but I'm not sure if this would have helped.

Based on her experience I'm sure you'll be fine, but it is an added stress!

Try the live chat on the website, they did the three letter change for her, so might be able to add a letter for you. To complicate things she had booked via sky scanner so she couldn't do the change herself on the Ryanair site.

On flights to overseas destinations it is a legal requirement for the airline to check the name on the boarding pass against the name on the passport. If someone is carried who does not fit the criteria the airline risks a fine.