Nickname on domestic flight ticket?

[augurs]

I bought some tickets on Bangkok Air for a domestic flight out of BKK and accidentally used my friend's nickname (Nick for Nicholas). I emailed Bangkok Air and they want 1000B to change it and send in all sorts of stuff as proof plus verifying my credit card again so it'd be a pain to do so.

Will it be a problem? I know some airlines it's not a big deal while others it is. I gave his birthdate when booking and the email said they would compare the birthdays in the documents they wanted me to supply.

[beano2274]

name should be the same on the document that your friend will use to Identify himself such as passport or DL, so if Nicholas and not Nick in their eyes it is a different person.

[snake24]

Actually i wonder what would happen if a thai person did the same thing while booking a domestic flight out of say sydney or NYC and their real name has many syllables like pimsomerrong and they just entered pim as the name. Would the check in counter person verify that was really him?

[iamanisland]

Tricky one you have here....

Ok the serrious stuff first. IATA regulation for all member airlines stipulate that the name person on the ticket should match the travell document that will identify that person. There are exspetion like hyfinated surnames etc and exceptions in regard to miss spelling where a letter may be wrong but the bottom line is the it is at the discretion of the airline and it is there responsibility tio check all documents before issue of boarding card. Btw for info this topic is for tickets to passports. Not boarding cards. Airlines can choose what they want on your boarding card. Shortened initials abreviated etc........

But unfortunatly although airlune responsibility you can always be stopped by immigration at there will even if it is a domestic flight. You may convince them you are one of the same or you may not.. thats the gamble. But as I stated before its the airlines responsibility. But net result is you wont fly if you cant convince then you are the same person.

So your choices are try as you are and you maybe fine, or pay the 1000thb and change your name.

It would be fine if Nick was spelt Nich!!

Good luck but rember if you chance it and its a return ticket then you will have ti go through with this 2 x.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[impulse]

I still remember a rant that Joan Rivers did on a telephone call to Larry King Live, soon after 9/11. She went on and on about the morbid stupidity of the Mexican officials who kept her from getting on a plane to the USA.

Larry's listening, asking the right questions and then it turns out her gopher had booked the flight under one of her names from a previous marriage and it did not match her passport. She saw nothing wrong with that since "everyone knows who I am".

She was still going strong with the rant, venting more and more bile when Larry, the consummate professional he is, politely thanked her for calling in, wished her a happy holiday and ended the call.

Moral of the story: ID matches the name on the ticket or you're taking your chances. 1000 baht to make the change in advance is peanuts compared to missing the flight and rebooking as a last minute walk-up.

Edited August 30, 2013 by impulse

[iamanisland]

Nice and totaly agree.

Just add lucky that the airline permit name changes even if it is at a charge. Most do not anymore when you read the small print that we always seem to ignore and discard untill we have a problem.

Even years ago in the days of paper carbon copy airtickets thete use to be a charge for re issue. Think the sum was around £15 back then so 1000 thb not bad I guess at least you have the option.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[augurs]

Yeah, I'm paying the 1000 baht fee.

Just have to wait for my friend to scan his documents and send them to me so I can send them to Bangkok Air then go through their odd security measures to pay via CC.

[johnlandy]

name should be the same on the document that your friend will use to Identify himself such as passport or DL, so if Nicholas and not Nick in their eyes it is a different person.

Nicholas and not Nick in their eyes it is a different person and so it should be. Family and friends might know a persons 'nick' but how can you expect the other 7 billion people on the planet to know.

[Ajaan]

No sympathy here. The OP tried to do something really stupid which they would never try to get away with buying a ticket/flying in his own country, why the hell would he think it would work in Thailand? Admit your stupid mistake, pay the change fee, case closed. Save your whiny posts for actual real issues.

[augurs]

Actually, it's not an issue in USA since Nick is a well-known nickname for Nicholas You'd get scolded by the TSA but eventually be let onto the flight if it's a domestic one.

And chill, I'm paying the fee to change the name.

[Cuban]

Spelling of the name on the ticket must match that on the form of ID used at check-in. (Generally Western Alphabet)

On this occasion your education has cost you 1,000 Baht and some inconvenience, learn from it.

You can try to argue the toss - I doubt you will win.

Your Thai traveller might have better luck.

[bra]

I see that you have paid to have the name changed and that is the only course of action that will get him on the flights. Names and ID must match - its the law in most countries and airlines can be fined if they don't comply, and if its an international flight immigration may prevent you from leaving/entering.

And yes for international flights you would have to use the Passport name for a Thai (no matter how long) for the ticket otherwise no go.

[trainman34014]

OP; go bang your head on the wall as it was a real dumb thing to do. Maybe the extra money you have paid will sharpen your mind in the future !

[Totster]

No sympathy here. The OP tried to do something really stupid which they would never try to get away with buying a ticket/flying in his own country, why the hell would he think it would work in Thailand? Admit your stupid mistake, pay the change fee, case closed. Save your whiny posts for actual real issues.

Oh dear, someone got out of the wrong side of the bed....

If you had bothered to read the whole thread you would see that the OP has already said he is going to pay the bt1000, so maybe it's you that should keep your whiny posts to yourself !

totster

[lucifer666]

Did this myself. I booked my ticket under the name Steve and not Stephen as my passport says. The passport inspector took a little longer than usual but he let me through anyway.

[richard_smith237]

No sympathy here. The OP tried to do something really stupid which they would never try to get away with buying a ticket/flying in his own country, why the hell would he think it would work in Thailand? Admit your stupid mistake, pay the change fee, case closed. Save your whiny posts for actual real issues.

And your post isn't whiny? If you have no real feed back don't post... why should we be subject to your opinion when you wish not to be subject to someone else's questions ?

This is a topic I've not yet read on Thai Visa.com before.... I can see how the Op got into this mess, he asks a valid question, someone may have encountered a smiler issue.

[NoshowJones]

No sympathy here. The OP tried to do something really stupid which they would never try to get away with buying a ticket/flying in his own country, why the hell would he think it would work in Thailand? Admit your stupid mistake, pay the change fee, case closed. Save your whiny posts for actual real issues.

As far as the OP is concerned, his is a real issue, so maybe you should not be so rude to posters seeking advice.

[marell]

name should be the same on the document that your friend will use to Identify himself such as passport or DL, so if Nicholas and not Nick in their eyes it is a different person.

This has been my experience as well. Once had my bank debate the validity of a check that did not include my middle name. After some discussion they fortunately agreed to just hand write it in. But the safe route is to make sure your name is an exact match on all documentation.

[nosatisfaction]

name should be the same on the document that your friend will use to Identify himself such as passport or DL, so if Nicholas and not Nick in their eyes it is a different person.

Nicholas and not Nick in their eyes it is a different person and so it should be. Family and friends might know a persons 'nick' but how can you expect the other 7 billion people on the planet to know.

Why not, everybody knows me as " pee Bualoy"

555555555555555555

[Bpuumike]

Actually i wonder what would happen if a thai person did the same thing while booking a domestic flight out of say sydney or NYC and their real name has many syllables like pimsomerrong and they just entered pim as the name. Would the check in counter person verify that was really him?

Refer to beano's reply above.

For international, ticket should be same name as passport and you are normally told that when booking.

[ben2203]

When I have flown with Air Asia, they've pretty much just glanced at my documents and let me pass, you can even check in via an e check in service which just basically prints off a boarding pass. Though, I guess it's kind of sketchy to do so, you'd probably have little problems and could just explain the situation to them while boarding, I have never flown with Bangkok Air though so I am not sure how strict they are.

[ppmacready]

I see that you have paid to have the name changed and that is the only course of action that will get him on the flights. Names and ID must match - its the law in most countries and airlines can be fined if they don't comply, and if its an international flight immigration may prevent you from leaving/entering.

And yes for international flights you would have to use the Passport name for a Thai (no matter how long) for the ticket otherwise no go.

By accident my 9 year old daughters nick name of Jasmine was used to fly from Bangkok to Manila.

Genuinely we didn't realise this until they pulled us up on it at the check in.

Obviously the surname was correct.

Thankfully Tiger Airways and immigration let us on the flight.

[thatguy]

This problem goes way back. I had the same problem in 2000. I forget if it was Aero Mexico or Mexicana, but after 5-10 minutes of nonsense, they let me fly under a nickname. Even stranger, once a rental car company wouldn't let me pay with a credit card issued in my nickname.

I suppose if they took cash, I would have to prove that I was the Secretary of the Treasury.

Buy your way out of the hassle.

[Docno]

In 2011, Bangkok Airways would charge 500bt to correct a name spelling (just checked an old e-ticket). Make sure they're not charging you 1000bt for re-assigning the ticket to another party.

[Ulic]

I have booked thousands of tickets over the years for athletes of teams I have coached travelling around the world. I always e-mail the

parents and athletes and ask for there names as it appears in there passports. I has become much more difficult to change names on

tickets since 9/11. That and the fact the airlines want to make a little extra. $100 dollar name correction fee in Canada. No name

changes allowed. The 1000 baht here is not your real issue but the extra paperwork. Lesson leaned.

Edited August 31, 2013 by Ulic

[augurs]

 

In 2011, Bangkok Airways would charge 500bt to correct a name spelling (just checked an old e-ticket). Make sure they're not charging you 1000bt for re-assigning the ticket to another party.

 

It's 2013, so fees probably have went up along with everything else plus I booked the most restrictive fares. They decided to waive the fee for some reason after I sent in the payment details which was pretty nice of them

And even when you ask for names, mistakes still can happen. I went on a group tour a couple of years ago, flying internationally from USA and they mangled my last name pretty badly. I didn't even notice it until trying to check in at a kiosk for the return flight! Nobody commented on it and when I tried to get it corrected, they went "eh, you made it here with your name like that, we can't change it at this point anyway it'll be fine". And it was fine. It was recognizable as an attempt at my last name at least and my first name was correct.