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?

We’ve vowed not to use booking.com again after awful customer service relating to a hotel.

My friend got a new passport to fix a name order error as it was cheaper than changing his BA flight.

@mindutopia We are flying in July because of the long school holidays. I also recently had an operation, so I’m not able to travel at other times of the year.
Unfortunately, booking directly through the airline’s website was not affordable for us — it was over £6000 per person to my hometown, which would have come to around £24,000 in total. That is simply beyond our family’s budget.

I think you should be fine OP. It sounds like this would be counted as an admin error if they queried it which I highly doubt they will.

The price of those tickets it will be cheaper to lose the passports with the middle names in and order replacements omitting the names so they match the tickets!

First and last is fine. I had this when I flew to the US and was so worried. It was fine

My friend is from South America and has many names on her passport (it's 7 names total split over first, middle and last). She travels all over the world, me with her sometimes, and no issues entering just very first and very last. Not sure most airline booking screens would even have the characters to accept her full name. This must be an incredibly common issue in airports all over the world, I am sure your family will all board OK but I totally understand the worry.

How much would it be to change your names by deed poll and get new passports to match the tickets ?

This is ridiculous that in this day and age a simple mistake can’t be amended

Last year I booked through seascanner for P+O, it was cheaper through seascanner and I put my OH's dob in wrong

Seascanner changed it using the chat facility, they were really good.

This is why I do not understand the benefits of booking through a third party was it significantly cheaper to fly through booking.com? Why not just book directly.
When it comes to such high value flights I just wouldn't be taking the risk.
Keep up with booking.com. I hope you get it resolved.

Both of my children will need to apply for student loans next year for university, and the only photo ID they have is their passports. For that reason, I don’t feel comfortable applying for new passports without their middle names, as this would not match their birth certificates. I want to make sure everything is correct and consistent for their future.

I had this when I flew out of Japan last year - I hadn't put my middle name on the ticket and it wasn't flagged on the way in. When I checked into leave they told me it might be a minor issue. However, they took a photo copy of my passport, and all I had to do was sign a bit of paper at the check in desk saying I was who I said I was and that was it.

Take screenshots of any messages with booking.com and JAL and be really militant about the fact that middle names are needed but there was no middle name space when you booked. If you are unsuccessful at getting a refund or the tickets changed I think that you would stand a good chance at a chargeback if they have sold you something you cannot use, especially if you paid on credit card.

Flown more than once on JAL with only first name and surname.

i always check in at desk at airport not online - in case thr makes a difference!

hopefully booking.com come through for you.

join JMB (thieir airmiles club) and add all your details correctly.
then link your booking to your JMB account through manage bookings on their website.

The airline is saying they dont change third party data uploads but could if the OP had booked direct.

Its a case of not our profit = not our problem

I very much doubt this will an issue at all. I’ve missed off my middle name before and it was fine. I would not lose money/cancel your tickets.

British passports don’t always have a middle name field? They just have a given name bit. I put my first and middle there

It happened to me once when I booked with a third party (not booking.com). I accidentally swapped my first and last name when booking. After lenthy discussions with that third party, they charged me a fee for a name change and updated the name on my behalf. I would push. It's an administrative error, people should not lose tickets because of it.

For all those saying its not an issue, how do you think the husband can check in without the flight showing on the app for him and the kids?

OP can, because her flight is there, but the others arent as I understand it

They all check in at the airport if the OP can't resolve with booking.com.

Given by costs, you could get a passport for this trip and a new one with their middle names back on it when you get back. Or actually change their names by deed poll so there’s a link between the birth certificate and passport. Or get them another form of photo ID in the meantime.

Given how important this trip is to you and your family I honestly would rather deal with admin and paperwork than not making the flights.

It clearly states on JAL website that " the name on your passport must match the name on your ticket. If they don’t match, you can be denied boarding for security reasons". If we took the risk and still went to Japan, the worst-case scenario would be that my husband and children could be denied boarding on the return flight in late July and have to buy new one-way tickets to London at peak-season prices. That would likely be extremely expensive, and I just don’t have the courage to take that risk.

We were able to fly to Poland without a middle name on the ticket last year and had no issues, so I honestly didn’t realise that a missing middle name could be such a problem.

Some people who flew with JAL or ANA (All Nippon Airways) have said they were denied boarding because their middle name was missing and had to buy new tickets at the last minute. At the same time, many others say they were able to board without any problem.

My husband has been trying to cheer me up by saying that, if Booking.com comes back with bad news, we should just move on and cancel the tickets, hoping we might get around £100 each back. But I still feel very guilty that so much of his hard-earned money has been spent on this situation. I know I shouldn’t blame my own country — this was my mistake — but sometimes I do wish Japanese system were a little more flexible.

I was supposed to meet my lovely English friend today, but I cancelled because I’ve been feeling too low. Still, I’m really grateful that there are people here who are willing to listen and support me. Thank you.

I mean check in at all, I dont mean online check in. The flight isnt showing, does that mean its not registered at all, hasnt been accpeted/booked, whatever the terminology is.

So you rock up the airport and only OPs flight is registered?

@WelcometomyUnderworld Can you renew a passport that often ?

@Squirrelchops1 I've never known middle names to be needed
Tickets have to match exactly what's on the passport. You can't fly for example if your passport is in the name of Susan Jane Squirrelchops but the flight has been booked for Susan Squirrelchops or Sue Squirrelchops.