The first time I flew, I was pretty surprised when I saw my name on the ticket and boarding pass. My name was reversed, with my last name printed first, followed by my first name.
On my next flight with a different airline, I noticed the same thing—my name was still flipped. After doing a bit of research, I found out that this reversed name format is actually standard across airlines worldwide.
Airline tickets and boarding passes typically list names in reverse order—last name first—because this follows an international standard among airlines.
For instance, if my name is Ganjar Maulana, on an airplane ticket it would appear as Maulana Ganjar. This format serves two main purposes:
The reversed order helps the aviation system identify passengers more efficiently, prioritizing the last name, which is often the surname. The surname is key in identifying passengers because it is more specific to family lineage.
In many Western countries, like those in Europe and America, the format of a personal name followed by a surname has been common since the medieval era.
During those times, as populations grew, surnames became crucial for distinguishing between individuals with the same first name.
Many cultures, especially in Asian countries like China, Japan, and Korea, traditionally place the family name first as a way to honor ancestors.
By using this surname-first format, airlines can maintain uniformity across various international naming conventions.
For those with longer names (three syllables or more), the system usually places the first and middle names after the last name. This ensures the surname, which is often the most important for identification, stays at the front.
For example, my wife's name is “Assyfa Octaviyani Istiqomah,” the ticket would show it as “Istiqomah Assyfa Octaviyani.”
However, some systems may skip the middle name if it’s too long, so “Assyfa Octaviyani Istiqomah” might just be written as “Istiqomah Assyfa.”
Regardless of how it’s displayed, the name on the ticket must exactly match the name on your passport, especially the spelling. If the names don’t match, it could cause issues during check-in or at immigration.
When a person’s name is just one syllable, airlines often duplicate the name in both the first and last name fields. So, if someone is named "Budi," their ticket would read "Budi Budi."
Some airlines handle one-syllable names differently by putting the name in the first name field and either leaving the last name field blank or using "LNU" (Last Name Unknown). So, for a person named “Budi,” their ticket might show "Budi LNU."
In some cases, airlines add a title like "Mr." or "Ms." to the last name field for single-syllable names. Thus, a ticket for “Budi” could be issued as “Budi Mr.”
No matter the format, it’s crucial that the name on your ticket matches the one on your passport or ID to avoid any issues during check-in or immigration.
