Just spent half an hour on the phone to Delta Airlines in the States because on trying to check in for our flight to America tomorrow morning, I realised my partner’s middle name was missing a letter from the end. I thought I’d mis-typed in and was about to get royally screwed for changing it, but it turns out the computer has shortened it. Her first name has 8 letters and her middle name 7 – hardly long is it? Are they still using 16-bit computers? It’s all over the travel documents where they offer me fancy things like online check-in, e-boarding passes, and on-board wifi… yet your computer can’t cope with 8 letters in a row?

Need whisky.

Phew, hopefully you managed to get it done. There was a thread recently and even on European flights airlines are refusing travellers with mispelt names

Well not exactly, no. They had her it correctly in their system so they haven’t changed it but assure me it’s fine.

Works the other way round, too. The mrs’ mum once had a random letter added to her surname on a booking. Apparently surnames needed a minimum of 3 letters in them, so the computer/an operator just made an extra one up…

I got a letter from the passport office asking for documentary proof of my name change, yes i put my surname in the first name box…
Also having an ex with a surname the same as mine apart from having one letter missing, got credit cards issued wrong and plenty of offers to fix tickets…

Flew internally with Delta this summer, same issue with partners long name, didn’t match passport. We contacted them before we left UK, they assured us there would be no problem, all was fine.
All will be well!

Once got a store card to blag a fiver off a pair of jeans. The assistant really struggled with my surname (it’s not particularly difficult) and I’d to repeat it several times. When the card arrived it was addressed to a “MR QCLL.” I mean, regardless of how close or not that is to my name, how is it close to any name?

Need whisky.

Oh so you’re a pilot now.