My big mistake with our Japan flight booking

[HelloandThankU]

Hi. I booked flights to Japan with Japan Airlines through Booking.com for the first time. The booking was for my husband, our two teenage children, and me. At the time of booking, there was a space for first and last names but no option to include a middle name. My husband said it wasn’t necessary, so we left it out. The total cost of the tickets was £6,100. Unfortunately, these are non-refundable tickets.

After downloading the JAL mobile app, my flight details appeared, but my husband’s did not show up in his app. This concerned me, so we called Japan Airlines. We were told that the names on the tickets must exactly match the passports, including middle names, and that we could be denied boarding if they do not match.

I don’t have a middle name, but my husband and children do. I wasn’t aware that Japan Airlines was so strict about this. We contacted JAL, but they said they cannot amend the names because the tickets were purchased through a third party. We then contacted Booking.com, and they are currently in communication with JAL, but we have not received any update yet.
After researching online, I found that many people reported being unable to get name corrections with JAL when booking through a third party, although some said they still went to the airport and hoped for the best. I don’t want to take that risk in case my family are denied boarding on the return flight. We cannot afford to buy another set of tickets. I know this was a serious mistake, and I feel awful about it — I was really hoping to take my children to see my parents back home.

I’ve been on the phone a lot with JAL and Booking.com, and my child with autism heard me. I feel like I upset him, and I worry that I made him sad. Has anyone successfully added a middle name with Japan Airlines when the ticket was purchased through a third-party site?

Just to add for the future, for bookings like this it’s almost always cheaper to book separate tickets for the international and domestic legs. It means you have to collect your bags and check them in again so you need longer to change, but it can save you £££

I hope you manage to sort things out. I’m confident that things will be completely fine if you fly on those tickets, but I understand the fear, especially when flying with your children.

I managed to book a flight with gender as male instead of female once. I was worried but realised too late to fix it so decided to brazen it out. They laughed at me when I checked in but sorted it out at the gate. Usually when you get to talk to
an actual person they are able to help you.

for bookings like this it’s almost always cheaper to book separate tickets for the international and domestic legs.

It might be worth doing a compare and contrast but if the two sectors are with the same carrier they'll sometimes almost give the short haul sector away to encourage people onto the Long Haul one...

It's another one of those "it depends".

I never include middle names. Honestly I think you are being over cautious, try and get it changed if you can, but if not, just turn up to the airport and brazen it out!

@100Otters We usually book flights separately, but last year was my husband's first long-haul trip after his total hip replacement from an accident two years prior. Maneuvering luggage onto a crowded transfer bus for the domestic leg was tough—I had to help him a lot, though our kids were fantastic about pitching in with the bags.He is doing even better this year, but I still want to keep his long flight as comfortable as possible to minimise blood clot risks. That's why we booked straight from London to my hometown this time (with just a stop in Tokyo)—no need to collect luggage there, as it goes through to the final destination.

On the way back, the kids want to load up on shopping, and this itinerary gives us a higher baggage allowance—even on the domestic leg—unlike standalone domestic flights with much tighter weight limits.

I also heard that booking international and domestic flights together on a single ticket offers better support—if the domestic leg is delayed, they might rebook you on the next international flight or similar.

@HelloandThankU Yes, they will but it’s subject to the schedule and availability of seats.

So ignore the story of someone who has flown with the same, rather strict, airline and listen to the random stories of other airlines.

Does that really make sense in your head?

It is really quite worrying how many people think all airlines follow exactly the same rules.

Yes! Because this person's experience is irrelevant because they didn't try to fly. They just got spooked by an employee's spiel on the phone and obediently bought new tickets. As someone else says upthread:

"Whilst this is their policy which they meticulously and carefully cite if you call them, from what I have read online, it seems the reality is quite different and you will almost certainly be fine."

And another post above:

"I had this issue when I flew to India. I realised my middle name was missing on the tickets.
I called the airline and they were insisting I cancel the tickets and rebook!
This would have been extortionate so after doing lots of research online the general consensus was they don’t check your middle name.
I chanced it and went as normal and no one said anything, but the stress of it beforehand ruined the excitement for me."

And:

"I flew with JAL but they were a partner airline with the original booking through BA.
I phoned JAL to try and change my seats as I couldn't do it through BA and JAL said the same thing to me about the middle name. I checked back through the booking site and there was no option to put in a middle name.
I left it and it was fine, middle name isn't needed."

And dozens of people (including me) who say they have never used their middle names in any flight bookings regardless of where they're flying.

So, yes, it certainly makes sense in my head.

How is the story of the person travelling to India relevant?

The post is about JAL’s policies.
Stories about other airlines are not helpful.

There are hundreds of first-person experiences online of people travelling on JAL with no middle name on ticket - including me! And none of anyone actually being barred from boarding. You really have no idea what you are talking about.

OK crazy idea. You can do a deed poll for £0. Could your DH do that to drop his middle name? Then apply for a new passport.

OK an expensive exercise but cheaper than £6K.

Just a thought. You will presumably get the code for “manage my booking” for securing your seat choices. Can you alter the names at that point?

@OhDear111 We can't make changes on the JAL site since I booked through a third party.

@Notthehill I totally bought into that negative post I saw online—Japanese society runs on strict rules, and airline staff follow them to the letter. Japanese passengers often enforce them even more rigidly since they know the culture and language inside out, expecting perfect compliance from everyone. I should've known better, having grown up Japanese myself, but I dropped the ball by not adding my family's middle names. My bad.

When my non-Japanese-speaking husband called JAL three times to confirm if middle names were really required, two agents (one non-Japanese speaker and one who sounded Japanese) said it'd be fine without them. The third (Japanese) insisted boarding wasn't allowed. I called the Japanese line twice (yesterday and today), and both confirmed that if your passport and ticket names don't match exactly, you won't be allowed to board—they showed some sympathy toward me, but that was about it.

I challenged the operator yesterday on why two of them had told my husband it'd be fine with missing middle names, but I didn't get a clear answer; she just blamed it on the UK's rules. If we were stuck in Japan, they'd probably say it was Japan's rules instead. Even if two operators said it'd be fine, that doesn't guarantee my family would get through okay. It's no sure thing—we can't gamble on it.

My biggest worry is the return flight with my dual-nationality kids. They hold Japanese nationality and use Japanese first names. Even if we check in separately at my hometown airport, staff might flag them anyway. I'm not bashing JAL—I used to fly with them when I was single, and they provide excellent in-flight service—but I just wish they'd be more flexible about name changes when you've got proper ID.

@Superearly We're waiting to hear from Booking.com. If the worst happens (which we really hope it doesn't), we'll try the GDPR route suggested by @Ifyoulikealotofchoc.

You are insisting on blaming yourself but please think about the bigger picture. The only 'mistake' I can see is that you weren't able to mind read the intentions of a confusing and ambiguous website. Booking have made a serious error in not asking clearly for a middle name. A middle name is a forename but it can never be a first name, despite Booking's confusing addition of a plural 's' in parentheses (like other forms in the UK that muddle up these terms). Therefore Booking's input fields made no sense. Once they had asked only for first and last names, it was perfectly reasonable for you to assume that the match with passport simply meant that each name entered had to match the spelling on the passport. You don't have to take a blaming and shaming stance in order to calmly point this out to them. You could even express gratitude for the help so far, whilst pointing out their obligation to fix this. I'm glad you're thinking about the gdpr angle because companies also have a legal obligation to correct any personal info they hold about you.

Booking are a huge international corporation with a history of getting away with pissing on the small guy. If a new ticket needs to be purchased then Booking should stand this cost or argue the toss with JAL. In my view, it's unacceptable for them to design a website that poses a strong risk of them taking £1000s from you in return for an invalid ticket. Yes they're human too, and may have made an honest mistake in the way they have requested info, but they have a responsibility to fix this and make sure you do not suffer because of it.

If they don't roll over swiftly, I'd also consider taking your situation to a newspaper travel Q&A who would have more clout with Booking, and even mention that you may have no choice other than to take them to a small claims court.

The only 'mistake' I can see is that you weren't able to mind read the intentions of a confusing and ambiguous website. Booking have made a serious error in not asking clearly for a middle name.

I think the format of "First name(s)" is quite usual & it would be hard to argue it being confusing & ambiguous.

They have clearly asked for all names!

Eta

I do agree that Op is taking on too much blame though when her husband blithely told her that it would be ok rather than checking as space for one name only would be unusual.

I’d wait to hear from Booking and see if they are going to help you.

If not, I really think I’d change names by deedpoll to drop middle names (£50ish per person) and have new passports issued before I accepted losing £6k+

On our just-finished holiday in south-east Asia we went to check in at a self-check-in kiosk for a flight from Malaysia to Indonesia and it didn't work because one of us had omitted their (two) middle names, so there was no exact match with the passport. We went to a desk and the agent just clicked away for 30 seconds and all was fine. I assume she just added the middle names to the booking. They can do quite a lot, and this is not Ryanair. As long as you are clearly the person for whom the ticket was booked it ought to be OK.

@HelloandThankU We’ve booked through third parties (holiday companies) and got the booking code. Always for BA so we get the Avios. Is there no way of getting the booking code? How will you book your seats?

Agree about being careful not to be panicked by the exceptions who post on TripAdvisor etc forums. When getting ESTAs over a decade ago, partner managed to get mine wrong so I was barred from entry to the US. TripAdvisor was full of "you need to make a personal appointment at the embassy" etc. Actually, a quick call and leave it 24 hours and try again meant it was all sorted.

@HelloandThankU hi no words of advise re the name issue however I have found out the hard way dealing with a third party for flight purchases it’s extremely stressful you are just best booking direct with airline itself . Currently having an issue with Expedia and a klm flight don’t know why I forgot I never book third party and now I know !

@RamblethroughthebramblesBased on the screenshot, the Booking.com said, “Alright, we kindly request you to please ensure that your middle name is added along with your first name in future communications or bookings,” when I pointed out the field for entering the name. That was it. They said they are processing our case, so I should trust them for now.

@diddl I know someone whose first name is made of two names. (eg. Mary Anne without hyphen). I thought the first name was the first name, the middle name was the middle name, and the last name was the last name—it seemed straightforward to me. I would have been more cautious if it had said “given name” or “forename.

@samarrange It might depend on the airline and the staff member you get. If my uncle were the agent, he would never let someone board with a missing name. He’s extremely strict and follows company policy to the letter, especially if the official site clearly states the name policy. He’s the type of person I definitely wouldn’t want to meet at the airport.

@OhDear111We have the e-ticket numbers and booking references from Booking.com. However, the JAL website indicates that we cannot make edits since the booking was made through a third party. We already selected our seats during the ticket purchase process. It seems that JAL may have a different procedure compared to British Airways.

Gosh I’m really worried now as I haven’t put all my DD’s names on the booking . We’re flying British Airways