First & Middle Names Merged?

[EmmasNana]

Looking at my A2S docs on the legs that are Delta/operated by AF, our first and middle names are merged as if they are one name. Is that normal? Example is ARTLEE or LINDAKAY. Art is first name, Lee is middle name. Linda is first name and Kay is middle name.

 

On the return flight which is on American, it looks normal in that Lee and Kay are separated from the first names. 

 

I am trying to figure out if this is going to be an issue. I did try to talk to A2S about it and they didn't seem to know what I was talking about. He said he could remove those middle names as we really only needed first and last.

 

Any ideas?

 

[Spudd]

It's 100% normal, I had clients fly on Air Canada with the same situation and it was no problem.

[EmmasNana]

1 minute ago, Spudd said:

It's 100% normal, I had clients fly on Air Canada with the same situation and it was no problem.

Thanks! I was sweating it. 

 

[the mice]

Has happened to me and I didn't have a problem.  Even had my middle name added to my first and then had the middle name again.  Checked my airline profile and could never figure out how that happened since it  didn't show that way when I booked the flight.

[the mice]

This just popped up in my email 

https://www.travelandleisure.com/middle-name-airline-ticket-7566603?hid=3055218feb5d0af5e77897898dd6f9477de9b156&did=10729942-20231020&utm_source=tal&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=just-in_newsletter&utm_content=102023&utm_term=PM&lctg=3055218feb5d0af5e77897898dd6f9477de9b156

[em-sk]

11 hours ago, EmmasNana said:

Looking at my A2S docs on the legs that are Delta/operated by AF, our first and middle names are merged as if they are one name. Is that normal? Example is ARTLEE or LINDAKAY. Art is first name, Lee is middle name. Linda is first name and Kay is middle name.

 

On the return flight which is on American, it looks normal in that Lee and Kay are separated from the first names. 

 

I am trying to figure out if this is going to be an issue. I did try to talk to A2S about it and they didn't seem to know what I was talking about. He said he could remove those middle names as we really only needed first and last.

 

Any ideas?

 

 

May be surprisingly but in Amadeus that is how it is expected to work.  Last name, followed by a slash, then first and middle name run together like that. LAST/LINDAKAY. 

 

Amadeus is the computer system used by Air France, Lufthansa as well as many of the airlines in Europe, Asia and Africa).  Air Canada and Southwest are the two North American airlines on Amadeus.  

 

Delta runs on the Deltamatic computer system and American runs on the Sabre computer system. 

 

Since your reservation involves airlines in all three, your reservation would exist in all three and the way the last name is shown will be slightly different in the three systems. That is the reason it looks different.  Nothing to worry about.

 

Edited October 22, 2023 by em-sk

[CDNPolar]

The amount of concern that this causes people, I just don't understand why the airlines cannot insert a space between first and middle.  

[Globaliser]

30 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

I just don't understand why the airlines cannot insert a space between first and middle.  

 

Because the systems' field formats don't allow spaces or non-alphabetical characters, and because any change to this standard would have to be effected across the entire industry worldwide, at vast cost but for negligible benefit.

 

If anyone's actually concerned about this, it's actually much easier to give the airline only your first name and family name.

[CDNPolar]

1 hour ago, Globaliser said:

 

 

If anyone's actually concerned about this, it's actually much easier to give the airline only your first name and family name.

 

Because of the need to match the name on the passport, I must give my middle name as it is on the passport.

[EmmasNana]

Thanks to all who responded! I feel much more comfortable that this is a non-issue. 🙂

[CruiserBruce]

Count me as another whose first and middle names are merged, as is DW's. Been that way for 10 or 15 years at least...think it dates back to post 9/11 increase in security and TSA affects of what shows on your flight record. Has not been a problem even once. I sense it is very common.

[6rugrats]

You do not need your middle name on your ticket.  Your title on your ticket (Ms./Mr./Miss, etc) is also meaningless.   Names are almost always run together.  It’s ok to keep all your questions on one thread.

[Globaliser]

6 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

Because of the need to match the name on the passport, I must give my middle name as it is on the passport.

 

You only need to give your passport first name and your passport family name. There are many airlines that don't even ask for anything more.

[Maclet]

I was interested to find this thread as this problem has occurred to me for the very first time in all my years of flying.  I booked with United through Flights by Celebrity and see my first and middle names are merged.

 

However, when I try to enter my Aeroplan number for flight points, United's system tells me the first names do not match.  My first name on my Aeroplan account is correct, on the United booking is merged.

 

When I called for assistance, the automated system asked some questions, one being "Is your first name "first-name-middle-name" to which of course I answered no.  Only then did it put me through to an agent who was adamant the first-name-middle-name merge is not an issue.  

 

I am not convinced and will call again today and speak with a different agent.  

 

[Globaliser]

2 hours ago, Maclet said:

Only then did it put me through to an agent who was adamant the first-name-middle-name merge is not an issue.  

 

I am not convinced and will call again today and speak with a different agent.

 

Is there anything in this thread that's unclear? If the merged word shows your first name and your middle name, you will have no issues for travel.

 

You may have issues for automatic flight credit to your frequent flyer scheme, but if that happens then (as you have seen) it may well be that it's because the booking first name does not match the account first name, which in turn is because the booking first name consists of your actual first name and actual middle name run together.

 

I can see how it can be more irritating when a cruise line does the air travel booking and you have no control over what information goes in to the airline booking.

[CDNPolar]

17 hours ago, 6rugrats said:

You do not need your middle name on your ticket.  Your title on your ticket (Ms./Mr./Miss, etc) is also meaningless.   Names are almost always run together.  It’s ok to keep all your questions on one thread.

 

I beg to differ with this statement.  I have been stopped twice in the past because the name did not match, and when I showed various forms of ID I was let through.  These were in European airports.

 

This may not be necessary in North America, but if it does not have some impact somewhere in the world, why does my travel agent, the agent when I book cruises, and others, ask if the name I am giving is exact to my passport, which includes my middle name.  This is then the name that goes on the cruise booking, and the flight booking.

[CDNPolar]

15 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

You only need to give your passport first name and your passport family name. There are many airlines that don't even ask for anything more.

 

No, some don't have a field for the middle name, they ask you to run it together with your first name.

 

Case in point, when I was booking a flight with EVA and there was no place for my middle name, I called and they instructed me to put first and middle names together in the first name field.

[Globaliser]

16 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

Case in point, when I was booking a flight with EVA and there was no place for my middle name, I called and they instructed me to put first and middle names together in the first name field.

 

They didn't ask for your middle name because they neither needed nor wanted it. So why did you even bother calling? It just muddied the waters.

 

There are many airlines that don't ask for your middle name and therefore don't ask you to input your middle name at all. To help dispel any confusion in this thread, here's what the airline I know best says about it:

 

"We don't need our customers to add their middle names when making a booking with us, providing their First Name and Last Name are correct and match their passport. But if you provided yours and when you look at your booking/e-ticket receipt it's now 'joined together' with your first name, don't worry - airline computer reservation systems aren't able to process spaces between names, so they'll always appear joined.

 

Similarly, this happens with double-barrelled Last Names, when you've got two First Names or Last Names, hyphenated First Names, and Last Names with apostrophes in them (i.e. O'Connor) - our systems can't show the characters or the space that separates the names. Again, please don't be worried about this, as airport security and passport control staff are used to seeing this and won't query that your boarding pass/e-ticket receipt differs very slightly from how your name appears in your passport. For example, it's easy for them to identify that "sarahjane" is the same as "Sarah Jane" in a passport."

 

Things are slightly more complicated if you have only one given/first name and no family name, or if you have a family name only with no given/first name. The airline does give specific instructions about these situations, and then says: "Please don't worry about taking any of the steps above - airport Security and Border Control teams around the world will be used to seeing such things, and when they look at your passport and your boarding pass it will be clear to them why this has been done."

 

This is part of the reason why Advance Passenger Information requests by airlines tend to be run in separate processes.

[CDNPolar]

2 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

They didn't ask for your middle name because they neither needed nor wanted it. So why did you even bother calling? It just muddied the waters.

 

There are many airlines that don't ask for your middle name and therefore don't ask you to input your middle name at all. To help dispel any confusion in this thread, here's what the airline I know best says about it:

 

"We don't need our customers to add their middle names when making a booking with us, providing their First Name and Last Name are correct and match their passport. But if you provided yours and when you look at your booking/e-ticket receipt it's now 'joined together' with your first name, don't worry - airline computer reservation systems aren't able to process spaces between names, so they'll always appear joined.

 

Similarly, this happens with double-barrelled Last Names, when you've got two First Names or Last Names, hyphenated First Names, and Last Names with apostrophes in them (i.e. O'Connor) - our systems can't show the characters or the space that separates the names. Again, please don't be worried about this, as airport security and passport control staff are used to seeing this and won't query that your boarding pass/e-ticket receipt differs very slightly from how your name appears in your passport. For example, it's easy for them to identify that "sarahjane" is the same as "Sarah Jane" in a passport."

 

Things are slightly more complicated if you have only one given/first name and no family name, or if you have a family name only with no given/first name. The airline does give specific instructions about these situations, and then says: "Please don't worry about taking any of the steps above - airport Security and Border Control teams around the world will be used to seeing such things, and when they look at your passport and your boarding pass it will be clear to them why this has been done."

 

This is part of the reason why Advance Passenger Information requests by airlines tend to be run in separate processes.

 

I am sorry if what I personally have experienced challenges what you think you know. I have been stopped because my middle name is not on the ticket and does not match my passport.

 

I will continue to put my middle name on my tickets, and you do and give out the advice that you feel you have to.  I will follow my own path.

[Globaliser]

17 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

I have been stopped because my middle name is not on the ticket and does not match my passport.

 

Of course, you're free to believe and do what you prefer. But the great thing about threads like this is that CCers can read one person's anecdotes and compare them to the advice given by airlines and by those who work in the industry, and work out for themselves where the truth lies.

[fbgd]

You better watch out, OP....at this rate if you start any more threads a new subforum will need to be created just for your trip!

[waterbug123]

On 10/22/2023 at 7:28 AM, CDNPolar said:

 

Because of the need to match the name on the passport, I must give my middle name as it is on the passport.

 

13 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

I beg to differ with this statement.  I have been stopped twice in the past because the name did not match, and when I showed various forms of ID I was let through.  These were in European airports.

 

You were stopped and questioned but you were allowed to continue on with your trip. Ergo, including your middle name on the ticket was not actually a MUST.

[gerelmx]

British Airways merged my 1 & 2 first names Gerardo Antonio to GerardoAntonio, I Cancelled the ticket and booked with American

Edited October 27, 2023 by gerelmx

[6rugrats]

5 hours ago, gerelmx said:

British Airways merged my 1 & 2 first names Gerardo Antonio to GerardoAntonio, I Cancelled the ticket and booked with American

Why?

[gerelmx]

51 minutes ago, 6rugrats said:

Why?

AA don't merge names, I felled less nervous,  I learned a lot reading this thread.