His Legal Name Is One Letter–Airline Rejects It and Says 'Just Call Yourself AA'
8 days ago
- #travel technology
- #airline policies
- #passenger rights
- A passenger with the legal first name 'A' faces issues booking flights as airline systems reject one-letter names, suggesting 'AA' as a workaround.
- Air India and Cathay Pacific have user interface limitations that reject real passenger names, causing mismatches with passports and potential security issues.
- Name mismatches can lead to problems with points transfers, frequent flyer benefits, and security checks like TSA's Secure Flight.
- Suggested solutions include following name correction procedures, booking awards for nominees, and not transferring points until the name issue is resolved.
- A drafted email to Cathay Pacific requests alignment of the membership profile with the legal travel document to avoid further issues.
- Changing a name on an airline ticket is common but can be problematic, especially with multi-airline travel.
- The article humorously suggests changing the name or using an underscore to bypass the two-character requirement.
- The passenger's elite status with American Airlines raises questions about how the name issue wasn't encountered earlier.