Air travel UK to USA with a hyphen in my surname - will it be a problem?
I'm flying from the UK to the USA for a holiday in a few months with Virgin. My surname has a hyphen in it, but it seems that Virgin's computers cannot handle this, so they have removed it and my surname appears as a single word. I've heard that staff at check-ins can be quite strict about details matching. Is there going to be a problem for me at any stage?
Best Answer
You should check your passport's machine readable zone. Most countries seem not to add characters like hyphens there, and may substitute it with a space (encoded as a <) instead.
You should make sure that the name the airline has matches the MRZ. But most likely it will not be a problem.
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Do hyphens matter to airline tickets?
You can type your name with the hyphen. In your booking and e-ticket the hyphen is replaced with a space as airline reservation systems can't show the hyphen. You don't need to worry as airport security and passport control staff are familiar with this.Does American airlines allow hyphenated last names?
For hyphenated last names, however, airline systems do not recognize hyphens, so they run it together.Can I still fly if my name is misspelled?
Getting your name right seems like one of the easiest aspects of booking a flight, but it happens to the best of us. Generally speaking, most airlines allow you to make ticket name corrections. So, if you made a typo when entering your name, there's no need to worry.Does a hyphen matter on a passport?
Answer: You may use the hyphen. The passport will be issued in the name you enter in the application since it matches your ID (driver's license).No Last Name in Passport | My Immigration Experience at US Airport | F1 Student Visa
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Answer 2
I have had an issue with a hyphen when checking in and validating my green card with United at their self-serve terminals at Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) when traveling to the United States. Some combination of the hyphenation on my green card, passport, and boarding pass, caused a validation error that didn't allow me, via the terminal, to confirm that I had a valid travel document to visit the United States. I now always have to visit a physical agent who is easily able to override the validation error and confirm that I have a valid travel document. I am not able to check in online or via the self-serve terminal. This is purely anecdotal, of course, but if you do need to check-in at the airport, you should give yourself the full amount of time that the airport and airline suggest, to ensure that you are able to get potential issues like this sorted out with a physical agent, if needed.
Answer 3
My name has a hyphen that I always include in my bookings. Airlines sometimes put it on the boarding pass and sometimes don't, and I've never had any problems.
Edit: worth noting that another answer now reports someone having problems with United, who I've never flown with.
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