Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia update naming format for tickets
The guidelines are aimed at addressing long-standing issues, particularly for travellers whose names do not follow conventional formats. PHOTO: REUTERS
PETALING JAYA - Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia have updated their name entry rules for flight bookings in an effort to better reflect the format used in Malaysian passports and to align with industry standard practice.
The guidelines are aimed at addressing long-standing check-in issues, particularly for travellers whose names do not follow conventional formats or contain unique elements as listed in their passports.
Both airlines are implementing the changes to streamline passenger processing and minimise errors linked to name discrepancies, including on how passengers can fill 'bin', 'binti', or 'anak' into the 'Last Name/Surname' field.
For example, if the name on a passport is Ahmad Faliq bin Hamedi, it should be inserted in the First and Middle name section as 'Ahmad Faliq' while the Last/Surname section should be filled as 'Bin Hamedi'.
Travellers are advised to refer to the airlines' official websites or their customer service channels for further details on the revised booking procedures.
AirAsia reminded passengers to ensure that the name provided during flight bookings exactly matches the name as shown in their passport, visa, national identification card, or other travel documents.
AirAsia also adopted a clear 'Given Name' and 'Family Name/Surname' format to cater to a wider range of naming conventions.
The airlines stated this would better cater to Malaysian, Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Thai and Vietnamese names.
It also stated its system does not accept symbols, special characters and has a limit on the length of their guests' names.
'If your name is spelled with a '@' or second name in your Identification Card, remove the '@' , insert a space between the two names,' said AirAsia.
'If your name contains 'A/P' or 'A/L', please omit it unless it appears in the 'Name' section of your passport. For names that include a hyphen '-', passengers are advised to replace it with a space when making a booking.'
AirAsia also reminded passengers that changing names on their booking to another person is not allowed once the booking has been confirmed.
'Please check that all your details are correct before booking your flight,' the airline said, adding that it allow name corrections in certain cases, errors or misspellings.
For more information, passengers can refer to the airline's website for more details.
However, this new naming convention is leaving Ms Faridah Joned, who will be travelling to Europe next week via Malaysia Airlines, worried. The businesswoman is unsure if she needs to make changes to her existing bookings.
'I have already purchased the tickets and this is new to me. I did not put 'binti' under my booking. I hope there won't be any issues when I check-in for my flight next week,' she said.
A passenger for AirAsia, who wanted to be known as Tan, said he was unaware about the latest requirement.
'I am not so worried about this as I still have time to make changes online,' he said.
'I hope if there are any such changes in the future, it should be made clearer and the airline should email us on such updates.' THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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