Middle name missing on flight reservation, API needs middle name
We are flying with Monarch, but I booked the ticket through a package holiday company and forgot to give my husband's middle name at the time of the booking (they did not ask for it). We will travel to Tunisia and will have to provide API (Advance Passanger Information) at the check-in desk and as the API requires the full name (first, middle and last name) I am worried that they will notice that my husband's middle name is missing from the flight reservation.
Is there a rule that flight tickets have to contain middle names as well? I checked Monarch's website and although the middle name is emphasised for the API, it is not specified for ticket bookings; moreover, if you book your ticket online, they only ask for first name and surname.
Do you think this could create a problem? Can he be denied from boarding? (I don't want to call the airline, as I've heard airlines love charging for extras such as a name change so I am not sure if I would be provided with accurate information.)
Best Answer
In short, don't worry about it. As long as the first name and last name in the passport match, you should be good to go.
Middle names are generally ignored in flight reservations: many legacy systems can't even handle them, so they get shoehorned into the first name and often truncated in the process. You're not going to find an 'official' source for this, but here's one largish travel agent on the topic:
My ticket does not show my middle name – does it matter?
The majority of airlines simply require that the first name and surname shown on your ticket match the first name and surname shown on your passport. Middle names are not normally required.
Even the US, which is generally very picky, doesn't care about middle names on tickets, only in SFPD (their version of API). American Airlines:
Q: Is the middle name or initial required for Secure Flight documentation?
A: For SFPD data the passenger’s full name as it appears on a person's valid government-issued photo identification that will use when traveling. ...
NOTE: The middle name or middle initial is not required in the name field of the reservation for ticketing or upgrading purposes. GDS functionalities differ and may not support the middle name or middle initial.
Pictures about "Middle name missing on flight reservation, API needs middle name"
What if middle name is missing on airline ticket?
Even though your boarding pass may not match your government-issued ID (i.e. your middle name is not on it), if your passenger information is correct, there will not be a problem. Bottom Line: Even if you forget to put your middle name in when booking your ticket, chances are there will be no issues when flying.Do you need to put middle name on flight tickets?
Not all airlines require a middle name on boarding passes. Some ask for a middle initial or don't prompt you at all. However, the TSA's Secure Flight Program involves tighter guidelines on names on documents in order to cut back on the number of passengers being misidentified.Can I fly with the wrong middle name?
Although middle names generally don't matter much (at least when traveling domestically), airlines will also let you delete or add an initial or middle name. You just can't make changes to the date of birth and gender in conjunction with a name correction. The point is that you must still be the one traveling.Missing middle name causes passenger to miss trip
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Images: Angela Roma, Monstera, Karolina Grabowska, Tara Winstead