Wrong Name on Ticket

[aeroDellboy]

A friend is travelling today from London to Italy. She has a real name and a professional name. Passport is in professional name, ticket is in real name. She has marriage certificate to prove identity which has real name on.

Error has just been found, travel agent is closed. Is she likely to travel?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. I have suggested going to desk at gate first.

[boredcounter]

Is that not all arse about face? She has obviously proved her identity to the issuing nation, therefore the Passport is of course in the true name of the holder?

[aeroDellboy]

Passport is in the name she is known as.

Ticket was bought in married name which is different. Therefore ticket and passport don't match.

Question is will she be allowed to fly?

[Michael SWS]

Is it a British passport? I thought British passports had to be in the holder's real name, not the name you are "known as". Any professional or stage name can be added as an optional endorsement.

Most airlines will not allow a passenger to fly if the ticket is in a different name to the passport. And with very good reason.

This sounds to me as if your friend is simply trying to use someone else's ticket. Does she have any independent evidence of her professional name?

[hellsbrink]

How long does it take to walk to Italy?

[aeroDellboy]

It isn't fraud, it is a cockup. She has her marriage certificate with her showing married name which ticket is in, and previous name which passport is in. She doesn't normally use married name, but person booking ticket made a mistake.

Mistake was found today, they are probably now on the way to the airport.

It is a British passport.

[aeroDellboy]

:) LOL Hellsbrink

[hellsbrink]

Michael SWS

A quick scan of the UK passport website shows you can apply for a passport under a name other than the one you were born with provided you supply documentation relevent to the reason for the change of name (marriage certificate, civil partnership certificate, deed of change of name, you get the picture).

BUT obviously you cannot just apply for a passport in a professional name unles you have actually legally changed your name to that name. So, unless this person legally changed her name after marriage, the passport is fraudulent as she is still using her married name for legal purposes.


The plot thickens.

[Michael SWS]

It isn't fraud, it is a cockup. She has her marriage certificate with her showing married name which ticket is in, and previous name which passport is in. She doesn't normally use married name, but person booking ticket made a mistake.So her "professional" name is her maiden name? She simply forgot to get a new passport when she got married?

From the UK Passport Service website:There is so much to think about when you get married or enter a civil partnership that amending your passport can easily get forgotten. Some countries may refuse you entry with an unamended passport, even if you carry your marriage or civil partnership certificate. You can check this with your travel agent or at the country’s consulate, but it is usually best to change your passport in advance.

[Michael SWS]

A quick scan of the UK passport website shows you can apply for a passport under a name other than the one you were born with provided you supply documentation relevent to the reason for the change of name (marriage certificate, civil partnership certificate, deed of change of name, you get the picture).Absolutely true. I changed my own name by deed poll many years ago and got a new passport in that way.

But a passport must be issued in a legal name, not an assumed or professional name. If in this case the passenger is simply continuing to use her maiden name as her professional name then the passport was legally obtained but may no longer be valid.

I still suspect that she simply forgot to apply for a new passport after marriage and that the "professional name" claim is a bit of a smokescreen. But that might not be an issue as long as she can show evidence of previous name and a marriage certificate. Unless she's flying with R***air, of course, in which case she is doomed.

[flyingfemme]

If "professional name" is actually maiden name and a marriage certificate is present then there should be no problem. I did it for years, until my passport ran out. Then I did it for more years, carrying old passport and new (in different names) because my US visa was in the old passport. Never had a problem.

[aeroDellboy]

Thanks for your replies. Maiden name is the name she is known as, I don't know which is considered as 'legal' name. Maiden or married name.

She didn't 'forget' to change name on passport, that is the name she normally uses. Tickets were issued to Mr & Mrs X, when it should have been Mr X and Ms Y, person collecting tickets should have checked but didn't.

Fingers crossed.

[Dropline]

Provided she takes the marriage certificate as well as her passport she shouldn't have a problem. At the very worst she might have to pay an admin fee for the name to be changed on the ticket, but I really don't think for one minute it will come to this!

[deltayankee]

One thing to remember on the Italian side of the trip: Italian women do not adopt their husbands name and continue to use their birth name all their life. They will not be surprised by the passport but the ticket might need some explanation.

However, once I had a ticket issued with my name written incorrectly. There was no time to change it but the guy at the agency said that nobody would notice. He was right. It was checked four times on the trip and nobody ever questioned the discrepancy.

Good luck!

[GroundedSLF]

Whatever you do dont draw attention to it - strictly speaking the ticket should match the passport, but as has been said previously, if it is a case of "forgotton to amend the passport to the married name" then you may get away with it - depending on how long ago the marriage occured.

The reason that airlines insist on names matching is "security", but the reason they dont allow "free" name changes is to stop people (travel agents) buying very cheap tickets for popular dates in the name of Mr Smith and then re-selling them for a vast profit closer to departure in the name of Mrs Jones.

BTW I was once "bumped" by IB (family party of 7 - 3 flew IB and 4 bumped) and rebooked on LH via FRA - travelled on my sisters ticket all the way with nobody spotting the error...

[aeroDellboy]

Haven't heard anything so am assuming that friend managed to travel without problems.