QFF redemption on CX metal, is no middle name OK?

[Ken1]

Yes I will Battymum. I just have to decide whether to go to the CX check in counter the night before like you did or just arrive when check in opens 3 hours before and just present my passport and see if anything is said. If so I can tell them that I tried to do online check in and it said that my name doesn't match my travel document so I called Qantas and they said that it shouldn't be a problem only having the middle initial.

 

[I love to travel]

Kent stop worrying just rock up to check-in and don't raise the issue. So many of us here have never had a problem.

 

[ftm]

This is exactly the issue I referred to in my earlier post. Online check in will not work if the name doesn't exactly match the passport information you enter.

Qantas can reissue the ticket and they do have the authority to do that. It's no different to any other agent wanting to do a name correction. There is a process and you just need to follow it. The problem QF is trying to sidestep is that there would be a penalty associated, which they don't want to pay, and it's more complicated because it's a redemption booking.

All that said, airport check in is unlikely to be an issue, going on previous experiences. However QF should follow CXs rules and issue the tickets correctly in the first place and avoid this unnecessary stress !

 

[flyingbilly]

Last year my partner and I flew CX (MEL-HKG) on an QFF award booking and both of us didn't have our middle names and had no issues at all.

Enjoy your flight

 

[Battymum]

Go to the checkin the night before - it will put your mind at ease. It’s just across the road from the hotel.
It was such a relief to have those boarding passes in my hand.

This was my thinking - I was prepared to spend all night on the phone trying to sort it, rather than waiting till morning.

 

[Ken1]

Thanks everyone. I think the issue is more that my ticket has my middle initial rather than if it only had first and last name so that doesn't match my ID, but it is at least the correct initial for my middle name.

I went onto QF chat at 3.40pm and there were 40 in the queue. At 6.08pm I finally started to chat with someone but it was totally useless. With long gaps while he said "Thank you for waiting. I'll be with you in just a moment." etc. multiple times I finally finished at 7.42pm.

After I explained everything and gave all booking and ID details he replied at 7.36pm: "You will need to contact our Frequent Flyer Service Centre who will be able to assist you with that. We (Flight Reservations) have very limited access in terms of Frequent Flyer queries as we are only able and trained to fully handle flight queries. Their contact number is 13 11 31 and Select menu option 2, they are open between the hours of 7am and 7pm (AEST) Monday to Saturday. Alternatively, you can email them at [email protected]." I then replied "I phoned the Frequent Flyer Service Centre today and was told I had to talk to Reservations and the chat finished soon after that.

I could try the Frequent Flyer Service Centre tomorrow morning but I think it will be better to just arrive 3 hours before on Wednesday morning and give them our passports at check in and hope for the best, or try the night before, as I don't know that they'll do too much for me at this late stage.

I checked to see if there are any J redemption bookings for Wednesday but there are none but we could book on EK to depart tomorrow night at 7.20pm but that would mean losing the Rydges at SYD and having to book an extra night in AMS since we'd arrive a day early, and the EK taxes and charges are twice what we paid for CX so I don't want to go with that option when hopefully everything will work out.

 

[OATEK]

I have had the "name doesn't match" from online checkin with CX, and they said pick up boarding pass at airport. The online was worth doing as they know you are coming and it allows seat selection. It was not even mentioned at airport checkin. Just looked at the passports, took the bags and then issued the boarding pass, and those for or onward connections.

 

[Ken1]

Thanks Oatek. I didn't click any further when I started online check in after seeing the "name doesn't match" message. I already had the seats selected from when I booked the flights and they were showing when I started. It sounds like I should try online check in again until I get the pick up boarding pass at airport message.

 

[Ken1]

I decided to try contacting QF one more time so I know I've tried everything I can to get the name fixed on the ticket. I've just phoned the Frequent Flyer Service Centre just after they opened at 7am after being advised to do that on the QF chat yesterday. They have now removed the middle initial from my QFF profile but they couldn't help regarding this problem and connected me to Reservations, who answered straight away.

After checking with a Supervisor the rep I spoke to said that QF can't change the name since it is another airline, although if it had been a QF flight they could have done that. I explained that CX advised me that QF have to do it but she was adamant that QF can't change the name. All they can do is cancel the ticket and refund my points or I take a chance at the airport.

We'll be checking into the Rydges hotel this afternoon so I now have to decide whether to go to the CX check in desks late this afternoon or tonight and ask about it or just wait until tomorrow morning and hand over our passports and not say anything unless I'm asked.

 

[Hvr]

I will be checking it with CX in about four hours and can give you an up to the minute definitive outcome of a booking with no middle initial. I don't expect any issues.

 

[Ken1]

Thanks Hvr. My booking shows as Kenneth J with my surname so it has my middle initial but not the full middle name. That's what is giving the ID mismatch.

 

[Hvr]

Am currently enjoying a nice meal in The Wing G lounge. The only comment when I joined the queue was that the F desk would be faster. And it was.

 

[Ken1]

We checked into the Rydges this afternoon and went straight to the terminal but CX had no more flights until late tonight so there was no one at the check in desks. We went to the QF Sales desk and they told us that there is a CX office on the 3rd floor so we went there and spoke to someone who said there would be no problem checking in with the middle initial on the booking.

We've just had Dinner in the terminal and went to the J CX check in to see if we can get boarding passes now and she said she can't print out a boarding pass for a flight tomorrow morning but she swiped our passports and she said she has cleared the booking so we can do online check in, which I've just done so I'll sleep a lot better now.

Thanks everyone for your helpful replies. I know I shouldn't have worried so much but when you're told different things by QF and CX it's hard not to. Now to enjoy our upcomng trip!

 

[Battymum]

That’s good to know - I have been thinking of you.
Although we definitely got boarding passes printed the night before.

 

[Ken1]

That’s good to know - I have been thinking of you.
Although we definitely got boarding passes printed the night before.

Thanks Battymum. No problems this morning checking in. We’re in the QF lounge now and will board in 45 minutes.

 

[OATEK]

Thanks Battymum. No problems this morning checking in. We’re in the QF lounge now and will board in 45 minutes.

Its always worrying the first time you hit something like this, but I was confident because I had the same problem with the same Firstname/Initial as you a while back so knew it would work out. Enjoy your trip and let us know about it when you get the chance.

 

[Ken1]

We arrived at AMS this morning and the two flights went well.

I've just realised that I have another flight I booked with QFF points with my middle initial included. It's LCY-ZRH in J on BA in August and hopefully there will be no issues with this flight either but I'm not going to stress about like I did with the CX flight.

Our return flights ZRH-LHR-SYD in late August are with BA and these were booked with CX Asia Miles and that ticket just shows my first and last names, which is all that is showing on my CX Asia Miles profile. When you book a BA flight on the BA website there is no option to add a middle name - it just asks for "First name on passport" and "Last name on passport".

 

[Angeflyer]

We arrived at AMS this morning and the two flights went well.

I've just realised that I have another flight I booked with QFF points with my middle initial included. It's LCY-ZRH in J on BA in August and hopefully there will be no issues with this flight either but I'm not going to stress about like I did with the CX flight.

Our return flights ZRH-LHR-SYD in late August are with BA and these were booked with CX Asia Miles and that ticket just shows my first and last names, which is all that is showing on my CX Asia Miles profile. When you book a BA flight on the BA website there is no option to add a middle name - it just asks for "First name on passport" and "Last name on passport".

Very glad to hear your flights went well. We are in the same situation as you but haven't flown yet. We have also been through very similar frustrating experience to you when liaising with QF and CX to try add middle name and we have several legs booked too with no middle name or just initials which QFF added in but we have left booking as is as no-one could change it. Will try not worry about it too much either (although when you talk to CX they make it sound a bit ominous about names matching exactly hence totally understand hard not to feel a little bit stressed).
Note to self - next time when booking on QFF, need to add middle name as part of first name field even though they don't ask for it.

 

[Isochronous]

Never had a problem with omitting middle names from bookings.