extra letter on name on reservation

[marxfan]

Soon after booking my mom's ticket for domestic US travel I noticed there was a M for her middle initial and she doesn't have a middle name. I called united and reservation person transferred me to the website dept. I told him the situation so he said he put in a documentation in her reservation that there is no middle initial. he ensured me should could travel with United, Hawaiian, and TSA. I asked a friend at TSA if she would be ok and she said minor errors like that are fine, but if the TSA agent is very anal they will make you go back to change it. she also said name couldn't be change b/c the airline can't verify who you are over the phone. I was wonder if her name could/would be changed when she checks in or if I just take her down to ticketing desk at airport like now and have them update it?

I won't be with her for part of the travel so I am just worried she'll be given a hard time. Anyone had experience with United and a misspelled name and you were able to travel no problem.



Thanks in advance

 

[jimntx]

As the TSA friend admitted that some of her co-workers can be a touch anal (ticket counter agents can be the same way on a bad day), if you have time and it is convenient, I suggest you take your mother to the airport and get the ticket changed before you leave on the trip. You do not want last minute surprises because they are not going to hold the plane while you try to be reasonable with a TSA agent who got up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. Be sure and take the best name documentation you have with you. (If all else fails and someone asks you what the M is for, just say Mary. If you're Catholic you know how common that is as a middle name.

At least you're not traveling International. It takes an Act of Congress and 3 dispensations from the Queen to change international travel documents once they are printed.

 

[marxfan]

Good News! I talked to a co worker who travels a lot and he was telling me it shouldn't be a problem. His name is Nelson, but sometime his former employer would put Nelly and he sometimes does it. Sometimes the airline, including United would change it other times, they wouldn't and TSA didn't give him issues. He said united should be able to change it even if you have to pay $150. I called them just to double check if they had to note, and the reservationist just changed it for me in a minute no problem. PHEW!

 

[jimntx]

Great! But, note that your co-worker said "it shouldn't be a problem." As I always say...after 5000 years of fighting among those Semitic cousins, there "shouldn't" be war in the Middle East, but there is.