flight booked in wrong name

londonteacher

Hello forum,

i normally like to solve my own problems but i am absolutely stumped with this one. I would be the first to admit to making a mistake but i feel that i have been totally hammered over this one and i am not getting anywhere with the airline.

i booked a flight for me and a friend and used a shortened version of his christian name. in this case Dan instead of Daniel.

the flight was booked through a travel agent.

we arrived at check in and they insisted that i purchase another ticket at £1000 GBP.

as the flight was leaving and we were meeting people at the other end i paid for the extra ticket.

both the travel agent and the airline are now saying tough luck and thats it my problem.:(

i would be happy to pay a fee or proportion but think that one thousand pound is a bit unfair especially as the flight wasn't full and i was not depriving the airline of seat.

help me moneysavingexpertforum, you are my only hope

richardw

Was it Jet2?

littlereddevil

I'm surprised they even noticed!

jpsartre

That sucks and I have to say it's the first time I've heard of anyone being denied boarding because they used a commonly accepted shortened version of their first name. That said, most airlines (and agents) make it clear when you book that names must match what's on the passport so I doubt you'll get anything refunded.

londonteacher

richardw wrote: »

Was it Jet2?

no it was south african airways

littlereddevil wrote: »

I'm surprised they even noticed!

we were almost through check in.

jpsartre wrote: »

That sucks and I have to say it's the first time I've heard of anyone being denied boarding because they used a commonly accepted shortened version of their first name. That said, most airlines (and agents) make it clear when you book that names must match what's on the passport so I doubt you'll get anything refunded.

i realise that and i accept my mistake. i would have happily paid whatever fee to change the name on the ticket but they insisted that i buy a new ticket.

Blue264

Which airline was it please?

That makes a difference because some will change one letter free of charge, some will change up to three letters, and some low costs will allow a name change for a fee.

I honestly don't want to wind up other members who say differently, but I've heard of dozens of people who've been refused boarding over my years of booking flights full time. There are also plenty of people who've flown using shortened versions of their name for years without any issue, but airline security is tightening up, so I believe we will see this happen more often.

Depending on the airline, it could be worth taking this up with them because it's an obvious shortening, unlike one woman I knew whose sister booked her flight as Ronnie instead of Veronica.

It's worth a try and good luck. Please post how you go on with them.

Blue264

londonteacher wrote: »

no it was south african airways

Have they submitted your ticket for a full refund?

The passengers' full first name and surname as issued on the travel document must be used when the booking is created. If the name is misspelled, a new ticket must be issued and the incorrect ticket should be submitted for a full refund via BSP Link, less an admin fee of GBP50.00 and indicating the new ticket number.


South African Airways cannot accept tickets issued with names incorrectly spelt under any circumstances (even if by one letter only or if a shortened version of a name is used e.g Tim instead of Timothy) and passengers will be denied boarding.

http://flysaatrade.com/uk/a-z/changes-to-bookings

londonteacher

Blue264 wrote: »

Which airline was it please?

That makes a difference because some will change one letter free of charge, some will change up to three letters, and some low costs will allow a name change for a fee.

I honestly don't want to wind up other members who say differently, but I've heard of dozens of people who've been refused boarding over my years of booking flights full time. There are also plenty of people who've flown using shortened versions of their name for years without any issue, but airline security is tightening up, so I believe we will see this happen more often.

Depending on the airline, it could be worth taking this up with them because it's an obvious shortening, unlike one woman I knew whose sister booked her flight as Ronnie instead of Veronica.

It's worth a try and good luck. Please post how you go on with them.

it was south african airways. i haven't got anywhere with them. they said the name was locked on their system and could not be changed. They did say that they would not have received the money from the agent for the first booked ticket as the seat was never used? the agent (globehunters) is saying it was my problem.

Caz3121

This is their guidance http://flysaatrade.com/uk/a-z/changes-to-bookings
they do state

Due to the South African Government Advanced Passenger Processing (APP) service, the passengers name on their ticket must correspond to the name on their passport.

The passengers' full first name and surname as issued on the travel document must be used when the booking is created. If the name is misspelled, a new ticket must be issued and the incorrect ticket should be submitted for a full refund via BSP Link, less an admin fee of GBP50.00 and indicating the new ticket number.

South African Airways cannot accept tickets issued with names incorrectly spelt under any circumstances (even if by one letter only or if a shortened version of a name is used e.g Tim instead of Timothy) and passengers will be denied boarding.

So requiring you to purchase a new ticket is as per their policy but it does look like you should be able to get a refund on the incorrect ticket less admin fee (plus any admin fee your agent may charge) I assume the original ticket was less that the fare available on the day (tends to be the highest as many cheaper fares have advanced purchase restrictions) but I guess getting something back is better than nothing

londonteacher

Blue264 wrote: »

Have they submitted your ticket for a full refund?

no they havent. i have not seen that link.

thank you.

londonteacher

it says refunds must be through BSP Link? i wonder what that is?

does the agent have to process the refund.