My name causes an issue with any booking! (names end with MR and MRS)
- By
- Aparna Patel
- |
- 8 Dec, 2024
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271👍
Airlines have been slow to modernize their communication technologies, with IT systems still extensively using TTY for communication. There is a standard for TTY, which is not widely followed, and a de-facto standard by SITA, which is mostly followed, resulting in quirks and inconsistencies in implementation.
There are often discrepancies between the information received by airlines and what was sent by the agent, with the issue lying between the Travel Agency and the GDS. Travel Agencies are often reluctant to modernize their IT due to the costs and inconvenience of re-training agents and purchasing new software.
Old interfaces, such as the Amadeus Terminal Emulator (ATE), are still used by Travel Agencies despite their quirks and ambiguities. This can lead to issues with data entry, resulting in incorrect interpretations by the system.
While GDS use structured records internally, the data entry issue can still cause discrepancies that may require double-checking by the individual. Online Travel Agencies are more likely to rely on modern interfaces, making them a simpler option for ensuring accurate data entry.
Good luck!
The Good
Internally, GDS use structured records, so if the data entry issue is solved, there should be no further issues.
The Bad
Double-checking the agents' work may be necessary to ensure the system interprets the entered information correctly.
The Ugly
Agents may not immediately enter your name into the system, making it difficult to verify if it was done properly.
31👍
It seems that the issue you are experiencing is that your name is not printed correctly on the ticket. However, you should not anticipate any significant practical problems. Airline booking systems were developed during the early days of computer technology and are still subject to numerous restrictions that now appear odd or outdated. Since there is always a risk associated with modifying or extending a functioning system, and the name-related restrictions in the booking system do not pose any problems for regular operations, airlines are hesitant to implement only "cosmetic" improvements with little or no real and relevant benefits.
This means that many passengers will have their names printed incorrectly on the ticket, not just those with names ending in 'MR' or 'MRS'. I have the impression that most booking systems only allow the letters A to Z (without case distinction) in their name fields. This means that all passengers with double names, hyphens, case-relevant distinctions, letters outside the basic A-Z in their names, or names written in a non-Latin script will have their names incorrect on the ticket. Since fixing the problem may risk introducing a new bug that actually disrupts flight operations, airlines are likely not very willing to address these limitations as a relevant and need-to-be-fixed issue.
I assume that the convention of appending 'MR' or 'MRS' at the end of the name arose around the time that governments introduced advanced passenger information requirements. At least the US APIS interface requires the airlines to also report the passenger's gender. Since the gender was previously of no interest to the airlines and was usually not recorded, the different booking systems likely did not even have a field for the passenger's gender in their reservation records. It was easier for the airlines to include the gender information in the existing name field rather than extending the reservation record with a new gender field, so they started to do so.
18👍
Regarding your question about whether it is normal for the system to drop the title "MR," the system does recognize "MR" after any letter as the title. In your case, it is leaving just the letter "A." The space between the name and title is actually ignored.
When an airline agent enters a command for the name in the system, they should type it like this (in GDS Amadeus):
NM1ELADAWY/AMR MR or NM1ELADAWY/AMRMR. This ensures that there is no chance of it being mistaken.
As for airline web platforms, when you enter your data, there is usually a drop-down list with titles, and you choose "MR." Then you continue entering other information normally in the fields for the first name, last name, etc. It is usually very user-friendly. Always check your name when the ticket is issued. If something is still wrong, call the airline immediately—don't wait for online check-in.