Multiple first names on flight ticket but not on passport for Etihad

Hi, I booked an Etihad ticket on their website for Dusseldorf-Abu Dhabi. In the first name field, I entered all my first names (something I never do and I regret it, but the site was confusing). Everything is spelled correctly, but the problem is that I just received my new passport and only my first two first names and the first letter of the third appear—there’s no trace of the last one.

I called Etihad, and of course, they tried to charge me $100 USD to remove that last first name. But I’m hesitant because usually, I only put my first first name and not the others, and I’ve never had an issue... So I’m wondering if having that extra first name, which isn’t on my passport, could get me denied at check-in. Thanks for your feedback!

Hello,

When is the departure? Maybe there's enough time to request a passport with the full civil status. What’s the rule for first names with Etihad? Recommended or mandatory?

Hi there, In November, I already asked, and the answer was no. Belgian passports have a character limit. But someone working for IATA assured me that secondary first names (whether extra or missing) never cause issues, as long as the last name and first given name are correct.

Hi there,

You're not going to invent passport formats just to suggest things that match e-tickets, are you? Is this a joke? No serious airline in the world requires all the legal first names—that doesn’t exist.

What’s the rule for first names with Etihad? Recommended or mandatory?

Which one forces you to list them all—tell me? Got any examples besides a couple of Vietnamese low-cost carriers? On the other hand, all major airlines know exactly what the standards are. Michel

Hi Michel,

Just out of curiosity, I checked Etihad’s website all the way to the civil status section. And sure enough, they say to include all first names by clicking on their help link.

For your info, a few days ago I booked a domestic flight with ANA, and there was a field for 1st first name and another for 2nd first name. No room for doubt there. Maybe it’s an ANA thing, or because it’s a domestic flight? And you can’t exactly say they’re not a serious airline 😄

No, it doesn’t work like that. The website just fills in something by default, but serious airlines know how to handle passengers and match passports correctly.

Just so you know, a few days ago I booked a domestic flight on ANA, and there was a field for first name and another for second name. No room for doubt there. Maybe it’s an ANA thing or because it’s a domestic flight? And you can’t say they’re not a serious airline.

ANA doesn’t require a "second name" for French passports. You’re just misled by a too-general translation.

Michel

Here’s ANA’s chart, which clearly shows the difference in how passports are treated in this regard. With a French passport, you don’t have a "middle name," and you don’t have to list all your first names. But if you like the fanfare, you can—it doesn’t matter either way.

Michel

On ANA's French website, there are indeed two fields, unlike Etihad which only has one. The help section says to include both first names.

Okay, on ANA it depends on nationality. Doesn’t matter to me—I put both and it’s fine. If you can do more, you can do less! 😁

It was actually by clicking on their help section that I thought, "hey, it's better to include" all my first names... There's one extra compared to my passport, but as you say, better safe than sorry—at worst, they'll be 100% sure of my identity at check-in! :-)

You can go above and beyond if you want, but it’s not worth it. I’ve flown ANA four or five times recently too, and I only put one first name—no need to overdo it. When you start going overboard, it just encourages them to ask for more. If you usually fly with your first name only, and your frequent flyer card is in that format, it’s wise to stick with it for consistency.

Michel

These 2 boxes on ANA are misleading. Still never flown with this airline. My Miles & More FFP card only has one first name, but that’s not the one I credit the most to.

No need to worry too much in your case.

This thing about putting the second first name on Etihad might also depend on nationalities, like with ANA.

If anyone has flown Etihad recently, their feedback will add to this post.

Hi there,

You might still get other answers, but this isn’t about a middle name... Neither Etihad nor any other major airline expects more than the first given name from a French passenger.

Michel

Hi Michel,

Airline formats and information can sometimes be confusing.

Etihad only asks for "first name" on the booking mask;



And when you click on "name format rules"



If you follow the process exactly, you should enter both first names. But how many people actually do that? Just entering one should be enough—I’ve never heard of or read about any issues with this.

Some airlines (and not just low-cost ones), especially Vietnamese and Chinese carriers, do require both first names (or even all of them) because many people from those countries share the exact same last name and first name. To tell them apart when calling or identifying them, they need it to match the passport. It’s like in France, for example, with the most common names like Jean Martin or Marie Bernard. This doesn’t question the airline’s professionalism or competence at all. If you don’t want to do it for personal reasons, that’s another story.



In any case, having too much info is never a problem. And when in doubt (like me with ANA), it’s better to do it.

Hi again,

It’s up to you what you do 🙂. You don’t have a "middle name"—a "middle name" isn’t the second first name on your French passport. It’s something different and specific to certain civil registries. As you pointed out, there’s actually never an issue, except with incompetent staff—but in this case, it’s an unforeseeable hiccup.

Michel

It’s totally in line with this same logic that this time, I included all my first names. My only "mistake" was writing ALL of them. I should’ve stopped at the second one—I automatically wrote all three. During my last trip with SQ, the check-in agent added my first names to the boarding pass, so I figured no worries... except my last first name isn’t on my passport.

But I just checked my Etihad Frequent Flyer profile and noticed only my first first name appears (it’s not my first trip with them). I’m guessing they can still link it to my profile without any issues... I’m just worried it might cause a problem during online check-in.

And for previous trips with Etihad, was the booking under just one first name?

Yes. But on my boarding pass, my second first name and the first letter of my third one sometimes appeared (it depended on the country).