Passport/Airline Ticket Mess

That's a tough one. My wife's passport is in her maiden name, so we have to be aware when booking travel. But she does keep a copy of her marriage license with her when travelling, just in case. But you've got a whole different issue.
It could end up not being a problem, but that's a chance I wouldn't want to take. Today I stumbled upon a site/person who deals with travel problems. His column is syndicated at CNN's website. You may want to send him your dilemma: http://www.elliott.org/about/

For security purposes and now especially post 9/11 - the airlines must have your ticket name reflect your passport name.

They can require you purchase a new ticket. However, I would contact them again. Sometimes it is the luck of the draw regarding whom you speak with. Tell them you need to have your ticket reissued with the passport name. (This is assuming you purchased directly through them - if not you need to contact the service you purchased from). You will most likely need to pay the change fee - typically $100 to $200.

The key thing is here is that the ticket agent (when you go to check in) can refuse boarding - and more so - TSA security can refuse passage - and then again in Europe.

Ask to speak to a supervisor at AA. If they can't help, call the airline you're traveling on--the partner airline.

Betsy, Maybe the airlines would be more helpful if you ask to add your legal first name rather than change (remove) your nickname.

Try going directly to the check-in counter of American. Time this around a scheduled international flight so the counter is manned but wait until the check-in line is pretty much gone. Take your passport, driver license, hell, I'd even take my birth certificate and an eletric bill (if it comes in your nick-name). Explain your problem and ask about being reticketed using your legal name. Face time is frequently useful. Preface your request with a polite "you may not be able to help with this and maybe WE'LL need to talk to a supervisor but I've been a doof...." Ticket agents have been some of my best resources when things go haywire. Good luck and keep the page posted with your results.

Betsy, you either bought your ticket right from the service provider (the airline) or an intermediary (a travel agency: consolidators and tour operators in this case act to you as travel agent). Whichever source you went thru go back to them and ask about a name change. If you went thru a travel agent chances are the reservation is made BUT the ticket hasn't been issued yet. Technically in that case they wouldn't even have to charge a re-issuing fee as it's totally in their own control. They're probably going to ask you to pay a handling charge. If the ticket is aready issued, printed, then the rules of that airline in whose name the ticket is issued apply. E.g. ticket numbers starting with 220 are tickets issued on a Lufthansa document and thus in the name of Lufthansa - be it a code share or not. In your case it seems to be AA. Call them, ask for the applicable name change/re-issue fee for the fare (every fare has got a fare code which you can read on the ticket or your handout...

... if it's an e-ticket. Ask for a competent telephone agent, if necessary insist on a supervisor. The "excuse" "partner airline" was just said because somebody was too incompetent to look up the rules of that fare - or too lazy. If necessary call their first class hotline. But there is a name change regulation in place for your ticket/fare and you've got a right to be told about it.

This is a very difficult case. Firstly it does not matter if your ticket is a codeshare or has onward connections with another carrier or is on a partner airline or anything like that. If the ticket has been issued on American Airline paper ( or etix ) with their three digit designator, in this case AA = 001, then the whole case rests with AA.

Name changes are an absolute last resort for airlines. In most cases it’s the one thing we won’t do. The best you can hope for is that they will put notes into the check-in information saying that there is a name anomaly. This is fine in the case of single and married name confusion but only if the passenger carries documentation to prove who he/she is.

Obviously in this case I don’t know how wide the gap is between the name on the ticket and the name on the passport. If it is a large difference I would need a large volume of documentary evidence before I authorised a name change. This is an unfortunate situation for you but you have entered an area where airlines face a great deal of fraud and are also legally obliged to conform to security regulations. In all such cases airlines are naturally going to take a very cautious approach and stay strictly within the security guidelines.