WHEN a client travels
on two passports,
assisting them
may seem easy, but what
happens when each
passport shows a different
name after the client
marries and she needs to
use both?
This question was recently
posed by an agent on
Open Jaw.
Bronwyn Pienaar,
owner and manager of
Travessentials, says she
recently booked a client to
Italy via Dubai, but the client
had a UK passport in her
maiden name and a South
African passport in her
married name.
Although the names
differed, the British passport
was still valid. Anneli van
den Berg, spokesperson
for Alitalia, says the best
solution in such a case is
to travel with an original
marriage certificate, to
have proof of the change of
surname.
In another case, Fotini
Domnakis, travel director of
Icon Travel SA, said she had
to book travel to Germany
and Norway for a client who
had kept her maiden name
on her Greek passport, but
took her husband’s surname
and used that name in her
SA passport. The client
left South Africa on her SA
passport and wanted to use
her Greek passport for her
European travels.
“I was then advised
by an airline to include
both the maiden and
married surnames of the
passenger, written as
MaidennameMarriedname,
as well as the passenger’s
first name, and advise the
passenger to travel with
both passports and
a marriage certificate,
and I haven’t had any
problems doing it like that,”
says Fotini.
She says she’s had the
same client travel on both
local and European airlines
like Lufthansa the same
way, and she’s never had
any problems. “I also add
her name to the PNR the
same way,” adds Fotini.
A spokesperson for
Lufthansa has, however,
recommended against using
a name on a ticket that
doesn’t exactly match the
passport.
“If there is a spelling
mistake on the issued
ticket, Lufthansa would
not deny carrying the
passenger, but would make
the passenger aware that
there may be problems with
immigration authorities.
However, in accordance
with current regulations,
Lufthansa will not accept
and carry any passenger
whose name on their
passport differs from the
name on the issued ticket,”
the spokesperson said.
Though Fotini says she
hasn’t had any problems
booking travel with both
surnames, Stuart Cochrane,
marketing manager for
British Airways, has
suggested travelling with a
marriage certificate.
“If a passenger is
travelling with two passports
with different names, it is
advisable to get the details
on the passport updated,
or at least travel with both
passports and a copy of a
marriage certificate. Though
travelling with the marriage
certificate is not guaranteed
to work with all immigration
authorities,” he says.
Maiden and married names on passports – tread carefully
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