Matching name on booking and QFF account - how strict?

[medhead]

I've recently booked flights for family including my sister in law. She goes by an anglicized (well non-italianised) version of her first name, which she uses for everything including drivers licence and QFF account. In fact the only place her full first name appears is on her birth certificate and consequently her passport. This caused a mild bit of heart burn when passport office advice that her preferred name could be on the passport proved to be incorrect after we booked.

Is she going to have any success convincing QFF to credit flights for Mrs X Smith to the account for Mrs Y Smith? Would in be easier to open a new account in the italian name, then do a family transfer and close the account? This approach stands to lose about 80SC, probably not a massive problem overall.


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[Mal]

I suspect the match is loosely done on <initial>/<surname> and potentially title (if given) for QF, other places may just match on surname.

A post flight claim should be possible in this situation though - I don't have any experience, but it is common for various names to exist for someone.

 

[medhead]

Thanks Mal. What I didn't know how to express with the X and Y is that the initial is the same. Maybe Xabcd and Xdfeg would have been better.

I'll try adding her FF number to the booking, I was holding off doing that step.


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[oz_mark]

I would have thought that in the situation, it may have been possible to get the name changed on the account.

 

[Mal]

Thanks Mal. What I didn't know how to express with the X and Y is that the initial is the same. Maybe Xabcd and Xdfeg would have been better.

I'll try adding her FF number to the booking, I was holding off doing that step.

Can't see any issues doing that. If credit to account never happens, lodge a request for it to be added... As I said, the concept of multiple names for people (esp. those with non-English heritage) is very common so there should be a procedure for that.

 

[Princess Fiona]

My son's passport and QFF account are slightly different spellings ( one letter extra) of his first name, never had any issues. Always book in passport name

 

[medhead]

Can't see any issues doing that. If credit to account never happens, lodge a request for it to be added... As I said, the concept of multiple names for people (esp. those with non-English heritage) is very common so there should be a procedure for that.

Indeed it's only the passport office that has an issue in this and even then their phone advice is they can handle the situation. As an aside, given the strict reliance on the birth certificate name, I'm still not sure how they accepted the marriage certificate with a difference first name as adequate evidence for a change in surname. Anyway, QFF points are the last remaining issue and ticket change was handled well by qantas (feedback submitted). So I can't complain too much.


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[medhead]

My son's passport and QFF account are slightly different spellings ( one letter extra) of his first name, never had any issues. Always book in passport name

Sound advice. We made the fundamental mistake of booking based on the phone advice being consistent over 2 phone calls to 2 different people but before actually applying for the passport. Live and learn.


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[medhead]

I would have thought that in the situation, it may have been possible to get the name changed on the account.

Except that would mean changing to the non-preferred birth certificate name.

Personally, I think the name is fine. But having grown up in the 70s and 80s I know she would have been teased mercilessly and I can understand why she uses a different name.


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[MrJetset]

My passport has an Anglicized version of my name (makes it easier to travel in some parts of the world), and this is what appears on my FF account.

All of my domestic bookings are made with my Arabic name and have never had any issues. I suspect it matches surname and first initial.

 

[beardoc]

I've been through this as I have a difficult first name that is often misspelled by corporate travel agents. As long as the QFF number is right, the surname is the same, and the first initial is the same, it doesn't matter how the rest of the first name is, or what the title is.

 

[Mgjdubs]

I've been through this as I have a difficult first name that is often misspelled by corporate travel agents. As long as the QFF number is right, the surname is the same, and the first initial is the same, it doesn't matter how the rest of the first name is, or what the title is.

True, mother's title is often confused when the travel agent makes it: sometimes Mrs and sometimes Ms. A family friend has had Doctor and Mr on separate occasions.

 

[here2go]

From experience, it's not too strict, although YMMV. Get the Passport # onto the booking right. My wife's surname won't work with Qantas as it is hyphenated, so it is just stitched together. Interestingly, DJ take hyphens, but this caused problems when booking through Qantas Business Travel for work, so she got Virgin to change her surname to be without hyphens too.

 

[DrA]

True, mother's title is often confused when the travel agent makes it: sometimes Mrs and sometimes Ms. A family friend has had Doctor and Mr on separate occasions.

Agreed, pretty sure they don't pay attention to title. I end up with travel bookings as Dr A, Ms A and Mrs A depending on who does the booking. Our corporate travel agent has Dr A in my profile, so everything for work is always booked as Dr. And when I do the bookings myself for personal travel it's Dr. But when I need to get a travel agent or someone else to deal with the bookings, they always seem to enter Ms/Mrs by default. It's never caused an issue with any of my travel. Get asked occasionally when boarding a flight if I'm a medical doctor or an academic by flight crew (presumably in case something happens on board?), but nothing more than that.

 

[N860CR]

I believe the system uses first until and surname.

This proved to be fairly beneficial for my former partner. They had the same first initial as their father (ie both Mr J Smith for example) and when booking flights using the fathers frequent flyer points (which we did a bit), it would actually allocate his status to his sons boarding pass

No idea if they've fixed the glitch (we're going back 6 years), but it got us a few lounge visits we weren't entirely entitled to!

 

[medhead]

I added the number just now and there was no obvious reject message. Amadeus sees the number ok. Will see what happens next week.


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[docjames]

I suspect the match is loosely done on <initial>/<surname> and potentially title (if given) for QF, other places may just match on surname.

A post flight claim should be possible in this situation though - I don't have any experience, but it is common for various names to exist for someone.

Title can be a problem - I had issues when my bookings were made as DR and the FF was listed as MR.

 

[TheInsider]

Title won't matter when adding in a QFF number to a QF booking, it matches the name. I'm not too sure as to what percentage of the name has to match though.
When booking flights under the title Dr. generally you won't be able to check-in via WEB/Kiosk/NGCI etc, you will need to see a staff member as the Dr. title doesn't include a gender which is needed.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Title won't matter when adding in a QFF number to a QF booking, it matches the name. I'm not too sure as to what percentage of the name has to match though.
When booking flights under the title Dr. generally you won't be able to check-in via WEB/Kiosk/NGCI etc, you will need to see a staff member as the Dr. title doesn't include a gender which is needed.

I haven't encountered any problems with OLCI/NGCI as Dr, maybe there is another gender identifier on my bookings?

 

[pauly7]

If it is any help literally right now I'm traveling in an itinerary booked by a company that spelt my name incorrectly (domestic trip) and my first QF segment just credited to my QFF account regardless.