Thai passengers charged extra because names too long to fit on boarding passes

[webfact]

GIVEN SHORT SHRIFT 

Thai passengers charged extra because names too long to fit on boarding passes

A Thai family were forced to pay a 3,000 Baht (£69) charge at check-in on Thai Airways because of the length of their names

By Rosie Gizauskas

The SUN

 

A family were forced to pay extra on Thai Airways after their names wouldn't fit onto their boarding passes

 

A FAMILY on Thai Airways was charged extra because their names were too long to fit on their boarding passes.

 

The unnamed family was charged 3,000 Baht (£69) at a check-in counter.

 

The family had been unable to fit their full names onto an online form when booking on the Thai Airways website.

 

The father had shortened the names to make the bookings on the website - which meant they no longer matched up with the names on his family's passports.

 

Full story: https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/6235596/thai-airways-passenger-charged-extra-long-name-boarding-pass/

 

-- THE SUN 2018-05-09

[ezzra]

Some Thai family names have like 20 plus letters in them, and if they

see fit to keep these names for all sorts of reason, than be ready to the

computer age and pay for that pleasure of having such a unique and

ridiculously long surnames...

[YetAnother]

27 minutes ago, webfact said:

The family had been unable to fit their full names onto an online form when booking on the Thai Airways website.

that is just bad programming, the length should be determined by whatever the hard-copy boarding pass can accommodate, and if that pass cannot accommodate long names, then the form design was flawed, in that case, change both

[Get Real]

21 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Some Thai family names have like 20 plus letters in them, and if they

see fit to keep these names for all sorts of reason, than be ready to the

computer age and pay for that pleasure of having such a unique and

ridiculously long surnames...

Yeah, right! Or just maybe you would believe that the computer age is creating bigger possibilities.
So, if somebody told you to pay extra because your name is to short, or containing the forbidden between 10-14 letters. That would be perfectly okey for you.
I can also understand that you must have a perfect name according to your own ego, as you allow yourself to call other persons names ridiculous.
They should just pay for it, and you should just pass. 

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

One of my girlfriends’ had a name with of 24 Roman letters. Nickname “Punch” which is one I have never heard again though I have met Miss Ice Cream.

[pearciderman]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

of having such a unique

 

I am pretty sure that there are not 68.86 million different surnames in Thailand - are you sure you know what unique means?

[stanleycoin]

Well done Thai Airways.

Dear oh Dear. what were they thinking. 

[Baerboxer]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

Some Thai family names have like 20 plus letters in them, and if they

see fit to keep these names for all sorts of reason, than be ready to the

computer age and pay for that pleasure of having such a unique and

ridiculously long surnames...

 

Seriously? You think everyone has to modify their names to suit some prat of an IT clown who designs an on-line system?

 

One of the big issues at the moment is the amount of forms, on-line and hard copy that have been designed by narrow minded dimwits who think one size, there size of course, fits all. 

 

And your answer is enforced compliance or financial punishment. I salute you!

[Darcula]

Anyone with a name longer than 10 characters should need to book 2 seats.

[Baerboxer]

54 minutes ago, ChiangMaiLightning2143 said:

One of my girlfriends’ had a name with of 24 Roman letters. Nickname “Punch” which is one I have never heard again though I have met Miss Ice Cream.

 

I know a family with two daughters - one called Ice and one called Cream! 

[otherstuff1957]

Did anyone else notice the irony of the fact that it is Thai Airways that is discriminating against Thai people!

[Cadbury]

Innovation Thai style. Thailand 1.75 used to steal money from the unsuspecting. Well done Thai Airways; you have excelled yourselves. You will soon be up there with King Power and AoT 

Nothing surprises me in Thailand any more.

[nkg]

They were charged for changing the name on their tickets, a standard practice at many airlines.

 

How come this has never happened before? There are lots of Thais out there with huge names.

[Artisi]

14 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

I know a family with two daughters - one called Ice and one called Cream! 

How about twin boys, Nikon and Canon. 

[nkg]

1 minute ago, Artisi said:

How about twin boys, Nikon and Canon. 

 

I am  friends with a married couple called Poo and Wee. Really. She now insists on being called "Boo".

 

 

[captspectre]

I was going to comment on this but because it was thai airways getting on a thai family< i just sat back and laughed! if it would have been a western airline the thai's would be all up on irons but thai on thai? have at it! AND most of these names are a joke anyway. they may have a twenty letter last name but they are all called by a nick name of some sort, 

 

[Emster23]

I understand that they wanted to go to Wales and visit the town of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

[Get Real]

20 minutes ago, otherstuff1957 said:

Did anyone else notice the irony of the fact that it is Thai Airways that is discriminating against Thai people!

No, oh dear god! I must have went right by me???

[shady86]

They could have just printed the boarding pass with max allowed characters and write the rest with a pen, with signature which are Thais good at!

[sykray]

33 minutes ago, otherstuff1957 said:

Did anyone else notice the irony of the fact that it is Thai Airways that is discriminating against Thai people!

I was about to make the same point.

 

My full name is too long for boarding passes, too, but I have never been overcharged for it.  I have been challenged on one occasion about it not matching my passport.  However, reference to their computer screen and booking page has made it clear that I have booked in my full name and it is their system and boarding pass printer that has curtailed my family name.

[animalmagic]

The names and nationalities are irrelevant.  There are many other countries, Sri Lanka springs readily to mind, with very long names that would not fit in computerised documents; these are created by people with limited knowledge of the world around them in some cases.

The family was charged extra because the name on the computer booking did not match the name on the passport; TG had every right not accept them as passengers but used common sense to change the name and levy a fee.

It's just a prime example of the standard of reporting by the Sun, ignore the facts and create an attention grabbing headline.

[Peasandmash]

i had a similar problem with my name on a visa card... too funny

[JonnyF]

1 hour ago, pearciderman said:

 

I am pretty sure that there are not 68.86 million different surnames in Thailand - are you sure you know what unique means?

You are aware that some people in the same family share the same surname?

[KiwiKiwi]

1 hour ago, stanleycoin said:

Well done Thai Airways.

Dear oh Dear. what were they thinking. 

 

Nothing. As usual. wide open spaces where brains ought to be located.

[Bluespunk]

“The airline has now reimbursed the man for the extra charges and says it will be fixing its website so the problem doesn’t happen again.”

 

Well done that airline. 

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, stanleycoin said:

Well done Thai Airways.

Dear oh Dear. what were they thinking. 

 

'Thinking'.    No further comment needed.

 

 

 

[VocalNeal]

1 hour ago, Baerboxer said:

to suit some prat of an IT clown who designs an on-line system?

555. Many years ago had same argument/discussion with an IT idiot when all spare parts in the warehouse had to be in an accessible to all datsbase. They wanted all the parts to have a similar name format. I told them that when a guy looks in the manufacturer's parts list he wants to search for what the manufacturer calls it not to stand at some terminal trying to guess what the IT dept. called it. 

Sometimes IT guys can't see the wood for the trees. As above just make the field longer.

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, Baerboxer said:

 

I know a family with two daughters - one called Ice and one called Cream! 

Did they have a son called MyJeans?

 

[Graemej100]

Luck they're not Shri Lankin.

[bluesofa]

53 minutes ago, Emster23 said:

I understand that they wanted to go to Wales and visit the town of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

I think the reason there's no airport is because the airport sign would be twice as long as the runway.