A Thai Airways passenger was forced to pay a name change fee after the online system would not let him type in his full name. (Reuters)
A Thai Airways passenger said he was charged a $94 fee at the airport for a name change because the online booking system would not let him type his full name.
The passenger, whose name was not shared, said when he went to purchase his ticket on the Thai Airways website, his full last name would not fit in the name field. The name field only allows 25 characters for surname. The passenger tried shortening his name on the website and was finally able to buy tickets for himself and his family, the Bangkok Post reported.
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However, once the passenger and his family arrived at the airport check-in counter, he was told the name on his ticket did not match the name on his passport and he would have to pay an extra fee to change the name on the boarding pass to match.
The man explained the situation and tried to prove his identity through the airline’s Royal Orchid Plus loyalty program, of which he is a member, but the airline employee said that was not a valid confirmation and advised the passenger to file a complaint online, which he did.
According to the Post, Thai Airways reviewed the case and offered a reimbursement for the name change fee and an apology to the man for the incident.
"We apologize for the inconvenience since the internet booking system allows up to 25 characters each for the first name and family name when booking a ticket," read a statement from Wiwat Piyawiroj, THAI acting executive vice-president, commercial, the Post reported.
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Thai Airways said in addition to reimbursing the man, it would also upgrade its internet booking system to accommodate passengers with longer names.