Missing middle names on EasyJet flights: Will you be denied boarding?

EasyJet’s booking process can easily leave travellers panicking about a name mismatch on a boarding pass compared to what’s on their passport. So, what are the actual rules, when is an airline legally allowed to refuse you boarding, and can you fly if your middle name is not on your boarding pass?

Why EasyJet's booking system causes name confusion

Imagine this: you’re packing your bag and getting excited to go to the airport in Geneva or Basel for a much-anticipated journey back home to see family and friends. 

You’re double-checking you’ve got your passport and boarding pass when disaster seemingly strikes: your boarding pass doesn’t include your middle names. You check the EasyJet website, and it says passengers must “ensure the[ir] full name matches the ID they will be using to travel, including middle names”. 

While EasyJet currently lets passengers change their title or correct name-spelling mistakes of up to three characters for free, passengers must pay 77 euros (around 72 Swiss francs) per passenger, per flight, to change the name on their booking.

Your heart sinks, and you think, “Does this mean I have to fork out close to 100 euros (or 94 francs) just to change the name on my boarding pass? If I don’t, will I be refused boarding and my trip home ruined?”

EasyJet’s online booking system has left many passengers asking these questions. Currently, when booking a flight, passengers are asked to enter their “First name” in one field - rather than their “First names” or “First and middle names” - and “Last name” in another. 

EasyJet website / Image credit: IamExpat screenshot

As a result, when travellers complete their Advance Passenger Information (API) during check-in, they frequently trigger an EasyJet online check-in name mismatch error because the passport details do not align with the ticket field.

So what actually are the rules? Under which circumstances is EasyJet likely to refuse passengers boarding? And in which circumstances will you be able to board despite your middle names missing from your boarding pass?

The bottom line: Your identity must be verifiable

When asked to clarify their stance, representatives for the budget airline explained to IamExpat the following: 

“The first names on the boarding pass should match those in the passenger’s travel document. This includes middle names. However, minor differences do not necessarily prevent a passenger from travelling, provided their identity can be verified by check-in or gate staff.”

Put more simply, “[I]f the passenger can be clearly identified, they will be allowed to board.” EasyJet gate staff have allowed passengers to board when middle names are missing from their boarding passes, as long as they have been clearly identified.

This article originally appeared on IamExpat Germany.