Names on a flight booking: why they must match the passport
A ticket is issued to a name, and at the airport that name is compared with the passport. Getting it right when you book takes a minute; fixing it afterwards can take much longer.
3 min read ·
The name on the ticket
A flight ticket is issued to a person, by name. At check-in and at the gate, that name is compared with the passport, and a ticket in the wrong name can be refused.
- Exactly as in the passport. First name and surname as they are printed, in the same spelling.
- In Latin letters. Tickets are issued in the Latin alphabet. Use the Latin-letter version printed in the passport, not your own transliteration.
- No nicknames or initials. "Alex" on the ticket and "Alexander" in the passport is a mismatch.
- Every traveller. Each person on the booking needs their own name, including children.
Why the passport details are asked for
For many flights the airline needs more than a name to issue the ticket: the passport number, its expiry date, the traveller's nationality, date of birth and gender. Some of these are passed to the authorities of the countries you fly to before you arrive.
They are used for that and nothing else. On Rahlio the passport number is sent to the supplier, kept encrypted with your order, and erased from it when you delete your account.
Check the passport itself
- Valid for the trip. Many countries require a passport that stays valid for some months after your stay. The rules are the destination's, not the airline's; check them on the official website of the country you are visiting.
- The one you will carry. If you hold two passports, book with the one you will show at the airport.
- Visas and entry rules. A ticket is not permission to enter a country. Check what your passport needs before you book.
If something is wrong
Contact us as soon as you notice a mistake. Whether a name can be corrected, and what it costs, is decided by the airline under the fare's rules: fixing a letter or two is sometimes possible; changing who travels usually is not.
The same care applies to a hotel: names are passed to the hotel with the booking, and changing a guest's name afterwards is up to the hotel.
Questions that keep coming up
Should I use my nickname or my full name?
The name exactly as printed in the passport you will travel with — first name and surname, in Latin letters. Not a nickname, not a shortened form.
My passport shows my name in Hebrew or Arabic too. Which do I use?
The Latin-letter version printed in the passport, exactly as spelled there.
What if I made a spelling mistake?
Contact us as soon as you notice. Whether a name can be corrected, and at what cost, is the airline's decision under the fare's rules; a small correction is sometimes possible, a change of person usually is not.
Why do you need my passport number?
The airline needs it to issue the ticket. It is sent to the supplier, kept encrypted with your order, and erased from it when you delete your account.
On Rahlio the form asks for each traveller's name in Latin letters, as in the passport, and for the passport details the airline needs to issue the ticket — kept encrypted, and erased when you delete your account.