left out middle name on ticket, El AL...help!

amother

Thu, Aug 16 2012, 9:30 am

My husband booked our flights to Israel and left out his middle name by mistake. His passport has his middle name...this is very distressing. Has anyone had experiences with this? Will he be denied boarding for El AL?

zaq

Thu, Aug 16 2012, 10:03 am

No, why would you think so? People seldom use their middle names when making reservations unless they use both names all the time. Passports must show the person's full name; plane tickets don't have to.

Sherri

Thu, Aug 16 2012, 10:08 am

AFAIK the name on the boarding pass must match the name on the passport. Usually the travel agents double-check for this as they book the ticket. I assume you hadn't used a travel agent. I advise you to call one you know and ask them if it's a problem.

jross214

Thu, Aug 16 2012, 10:28 am

I had the same thing with my family's tickets.

I called El Al on Tuesday, and they said as long as the first name, last name and date of birth are the same and they can verify it with the TSA computer system, then it's fine.

You can call them and double check if it will put you at ease.

zaq

Thu, Aug 16 2012, 10:33 am

I have never used my middle name when making plane reservations and never had a problem. OTOH it doesn't hurt to call the airline and make sure.

amother

Thu, Aug 16 2012, 10:57 am

OP here,
I ask because I never use my middle name when flying domestically but I am flying international and El Al to boot. I am so worried since El Al is famous for their security and giving people a hard time. I know I know they do it for a reason but I hope they don't deny us flying. Anyone else leave out middle names when it is located on passport specifically for El Al?

jross214

Thu, Aug 16 2012, 11:38 am

amother wrote:

OP, as I mentioned above. I have the exact same issue currently. I left out all the middle names on El Al tickets, but they are on our passports.

I just called El Al, two days ago, Tuesday and they said as long as the first name, last name, and date of birth match on the passport and ticket and it can be verified with the TSA system, it's not a problem.

If you are unsure, definitely call them yourself (800) 223-6700 and they can probably confirm the same information for you.

tizunabi

Thu, Aug 16 2012, 11:48 am

amother wrote:

ElAl is famous for their security, but not their idiocy (like some other airport security we hear a lot about in the US).
We never put middle names on our tickets and we fly elal frequently, I dont think they are even going to realize your ticket is different.

lst

Thu, Aug 16 2012, 12:51 pm

Quote:

We never put middle names on our tickets and we fly elal frequently, I dont think they are even going to realize your ticket is different.

They'll probably realize, and be smart enough to know he's the same person as his passport. ElAl security people are well trained and actually use their brains-as opposed to TSA....

tizunabi

Thu, Aug 16 2012, 4:31 pm

lst wrote:

Quote:

We never put middle names on our tickets and we fly elal frequently, I dont think they are even going to realize your ticket is different.

They'll probably realize, and be smart enough to know he's the same person as his passport. ElAl security people are well trained and actually use their brains-as opposed to TSA....

Yeah fine, you're right Smile

Zus

Thu, Aug 16 2012, 4:37 pm

It's absolutely no problem. Many (most? all) tickets these days are on initials and not full names anyway. Middle names aren't important.
I never ever ever ever book tickets with my middle name.

Chalomatok

Thu, Aug 16 2012, 6:36 pm

What about flying on a ticket that was made with only a middle name (which is what the person usually goes by, hence the mistake when booking the ticket)?
Any experience with that? Not with El-Al, different airline, different country... she's very nervous about the flight, and it costs a ridiculous amount to change the name on the ticket.

amother

Wed, Jun 25 2014, 6:42 pm

New poster, does everyone still concur that no problem? Any one have any experience to the contrary? Yes, I called El Al and they said it's fine but I'm still worried since the travel agency (really the travel assistance branch of my credit card points system) said I wouldn't be able to board without the middle names :-(.