Mistake with the surname on the ticket: what threatens and what to do

Almost $ 9 thousand demanded the Australian airline Virgin Australia from the newlyweds for the fact that the woman changed her maiden name ...

Indeed, in accordance with the rules of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), when a ticket is reserved, no more than three letters can be changed in the passenger's last name. In other cases, you will have to cancel the reservation and re-book the place.

What to do if the passenger data has changed or errors have been found in them, and how much can it cost?

Honeymoon in Europe Brendan and Julia booked last year. Departure was scheduled for May 14, 2017. In February, the couple signed and, in connection with this, turned to Virgin Australia customer service to change the name of the woman on the ticket. But the airline’s employees said that this can’t be done, so the couple will have to cancel their order and re-book the tour, while paying for the cancellation of the reservation. As a result of negotiations, the spouses found a place on the flight of another airline - Etihad Airways from the UAE. However, this airline had different fees, and the amount of the surcharge still amounted to about a thousand dollars.

Although the rule is one, but the approach of different carriers to it is different.

Even if you wrote, for example, Yulia instead of Yuliya or Sergey instead of Sergei, be sure to call the airline or the agent from whom you bought the ticket and check if such a typo is allowed. Please note that the rate of refund for a ticket depends on the method of payment and the airline and can be from 3 to 60 days.

As for errors in the document number, year of birth or form of appeal: MRS or MISS were indicated instead of MR. On international flights, this is most often not taken into account, which can not be said about domestic Russian flights - most airlines require complete coincidence of passport and air ticket data.

Requirements and error handling of some popular airlines.

Austrian airlines

Here, for example, the Austrian airline Austrian Airlines and other airlines of the Lufthansa Group make up to three errors in the name or surname on the ticket if they do not significantly change the spelling / sound. In such cases, nothing needs to be changed.
You can also not worry if the name and surname are mixed up in places on the ticket when flying through Europe. If the error is more significant, or if the surname and name are confused for a ticket to the USA / Canada, then the adjustment is made at the place of purchase of the ticket. There is no penalty in such cases, but a fee for reissuing a ticket may be charged. For example, for Russia - 35 euros, for Belarus - 20 euros, for Ukraine - $ 50.

Klm

KLM Airlines makes the same “three mistakes”. But in its rules you can find the following clarification: "MISSPELLED NAMES, IRRESPECTIVE OF THE NUMBER OF CHARACTERS AS LONG AS THE CHANGE IS LOGICAL" (Incorrect spelling is allowed regardless of the number of characters so long as the change is logical). For example, if the letters are interchangeable: Andrii - Andriy, Olga - Olha, etc.

For flights to the USA, KLM requires a 100% match for the spelling of the first and last name in the passport and on the ticket.

If the name and surname are confused, you need to call the call center and notify employees at check-in at the airport.

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines, which has repeatedly received the title of the best airline in Europe, does not fine passengers for errors made during ticketing.

The air carrier is guided by the rule of three errors that are made if they do not distort the sound of the surname or name. Also, the passenger will be able to fly away if he confused the name and surname on the ticket.

Royal jordanian

Royal Jordanian Jordanian airlines make up to three errors in the first / last name on the ticket. Confused last name and first name are not allowed. In this case, the passenger must return the ticket at the place of purchase according to the fare rules and buy a new one.

El al

The Israeli airline El Al, famous for perhaps the most stringent safety rules in the world, is quite liberal about mistakes made in the name or surname. There should be no more than three, while they should not change the sound.

The airline also notes that passengers quite often confuse the name and surname in places. With such tickets they will be able to fly away, however, when registering for a flight on the site, you need to make changes. If a passenger has noticed an error in the ticket, he needs to contact the airline’s office to enter passport data that uniquely identifies the passenger in the order.

Wizz air

Wizz Air free of charge corrects typos in the first / last name, if their number does not exceed three. To do this, you must contact the call center of the low-cost airline no later than three hours before departure.

If the mistakes made significantly change the name / surname, then a fee is charged for changing the passenger’s name, as for correcting typos.

If the passenger changed his surname after purchasing a ticket (changing his family status), you must contact Wizz Air customer service by filling out the Complaints section or call the call center.

If the passenger confused the name and surname in some places, the issue is resolved through the call center, free of charge.

Belavia

Belavia has strict rules similar to UIA regarding errors in the name or surname on the ticket - they are not allowed. The exception is cases when a passenger travels with an internal passport, and the data in the ticket is entered in Latin letters. For example, instead of I, Y is incorrectly indicated, instead of H - G, instead of KS - X.

On the ticket, the surname must be indicated first, followed by the name. In case of incorrect ticket issuance, the airline representative has the right not to accept the passenger for transportation.

An incorrectly issued ticket shall be refunded with a penalty, in accordance with the fare rules. If a mistake was nevertheless made, the passenger can contact the airline’s representative office, each case is considered individually.

UIA

The largest airline in Ukraine, UIA has fairly strict rules regarding errors in first and last names. If a mistake is made that does not change the sound of the name / surname, but only consists in the features of transliteration, the ticket can be reissued through the airline’s ticket office or call center with a service fee of $ 50.

If a passenger confused the name and surname with places on the UIA ticket, this can be critical when departing from Asian airports, for example, Beijing or Bangkok (it is recommended to reissue a ticket), and is not essential for “non-strict” destinations, for example, to Europe. In any case, the issue needs to be resolved before departure.

Air Astana

Air Astana does not allow distortion in FI. However, if there are no more than three errors, it makes a correction to the ticket for free. To do this, you must contact the agency where the ticket was purchased, or the Air Astana representative office. The same should be done if the name and surname are confused.

All changes must be made prior to flight departure in order to avoid delays in the registration process. As practice and passenger reviews show, even airlines that declare strict rules regarding the spelling of a first name / surname can make passengers with such errors on the flight.

Take note! Much depends on the employee at the front desk whether he will allow Vasilii Ivanov to fly on a ticket in the name of Vasiliy Ivanov.