Annoying ticket name question with KLM

I once made the mistake on my wife's ticket of Cindy instead of Cynthia as her passport states. Air France made a fuss at check in when it was discovered and after ten stressful minutes they fixed it.

Yes, this is how they do it. My confirmation email for tickets that were purchased at klm.com last year says:

Passengers
Ms First Middle Last (adult) Please note that your name is spelled "FIRST MIDDLE MS LAST" on your ticket

We used them with no problems at all. I got the middle names on them by putting "First Middle" in the space for first name, but we were flying from the U.S. and I'm used to domestic airlines that do give you a space for middle name as well as TSA people who sometimes randomly decide to care about such things. You won't need the middle name flying within Europe.

As long as the name on your ticket matches the name in your passport (including any middle name), all is well.

Routinely, my middle initial is appended to my first name, so that I go from "Paul" to "Paula" on the ticket. I haven't been held up by this, but it is annoying. Surely it is possible to write a ticketing system which takes middle initials and addresses (Mr. Dr. ) into account.

Even if your passport has a middle name or a couple of middle names, you do not need a middle or initial on your airline ticket. It does not have to match perfectly. But don't use nick names. Have used tickets as described by the OP and it was fine. Wife has had ticket under both Marcia and Marsha. A couple of times it was Mar.