A photo of children about to board a Fiji Airways aircraft has sparked heated debates online.
Public outrage erupted after a report on social media claimed the children would travel by themselves because their mother had been stopped at the check-in to sort out an issue with her baby’s name.
It was unclear whether the issue had been resolved and whether the mother and her baby had finally joined the children or whether an adult had been arranged to travel with them.
Most commenters were concerned about the children’s safety if they travelled alone.
It said an airline staff queried the baby’s middle name on their passport because it did not match that on the ticket and declined to give them a boarding pass.
The authenticity of the social media reports and the photo in question, which Kaniva has not been able to verify independently, includes commenters criticising the staff for being too fussy.
The mother and her children were apparently in Tonga after travelling from overseas.
It has been claimed that the mother insisted that the baby’s name was not an issue while travelling from overseas to Tonga.
Commenters who claimed they were eyewitnesses alleged the mother desperately appealed to the staff to allow her to talk to the airline boss to see if they could resolve the issue. The staff reportedly said she did not have a phone.
Commenters on Facebook chipped in and shared their experiences on similar situation.
“Travelling from New Zealand, as long as the first and last name on your ticket matches your passport, that is it. It’s not mandatory to have your middle name(s) on the ticket”, a commenter wrote.
A commenter who posted in favour of the airlines reminded that the staff who processed the baby was trained to do her job and must have done just that to ensure passengers followed the rules.
“Only in Tonga”, another commenter wrote saying they disagreed with the airline staff.
The family and the airline office could not be reached for comment.
Do you need your middle name on your plane ticket?
The New Zealand government was quoted in an article by the New Zealand Herald as saying, “The name in your passport must match your tickets and your officially registered name.”
It does not explicitly state whether just the first name and surname must match or all names, including middle names.
What do travel agents say?
Travel agencies such as Flight Centre are, arguably, the experts when it comes to booking airline tickets, simply due to the thousands they book every year for clients.
According to a Flight Centre spokesperson, the rules on middle names tend to be set and enforced by airlines and while most only need a first and last name, some do require it to match the passport exactly.
“A handful of airlines do require middle names on bookings in order for customers to travel, but the general rule for the majority of carriers is first and last name as per passport is sufficient,” they said.
What do airlines say?
Because airlines will check your ticket and passport when you check in and board the aircraft, it’s important to understand their specific terms and conditions around names, especially if they are not universal.
Air New Zealand does not require middle names on flight bookings but gives passengers the option to include them if they wish.
If you’re flying Jetstar, you also do not need to add your middle name to your booking, unless you’re travelling to one specific destination, a Jetstar spokesperson told the Herald.
“When travelling, the name on your Jetstar booking is required to match the name on your ID or passport. However, it is not a requirement to add your middle name, unless you are travelling to Honolulu (US).”
Qantas does not require a middle name to be included when making a booking. If other airlines are included in a single journey, it recommends checking their policy.
In the US, however, airlines may be stricter on this, as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is required to collect “secure flight data” on passengers. According to the TSA: “This includes the passenger’s full name as it appears on the non-expired government-issued photo ID, date of birth, gender.”
Better safe than sorry, says Consumer NZ
If you’ve booked with a travel agency and there is an issue with your name on the booking, the agency is obliged to correct the error without charging you, consumer watchdog Consumer NZ says.
This could extend to omitting a middle name when an airline requires one.
Since some airlines demand it and other airlines are not bothered by its inclusion in a booking, Consumer NZ recommends a “better safe than sorry” approach.
“While omitting your middle name might be fine with one airline, we think it’s safest to always ensure it appears on your ticket if it’s also on your passport.”
Given how simple it is to include your middle name when booking a ticket or with a travel agency, it seems like a simple but worthwhile precaution to take.
