One thing that got me some side-eye in Morocco (which is not Middle East, but is mostly Arabic-speaking) is that my ticket was issued under <First Name><Middle Name> <Last Name> with my first and middle name smushed together, but my passport only had my first and last name.
I was never a problem traveling in places where middle names are a thing, but airport security in Marrakech was not as familiar.
Was that ticket to Morocco on United Airlines? Because I noticed they do that to me (squish my first and middle name together). I assumed it was a mistake on my record so I contacted them about it and was told two years ago that it’s their reservation system, “the way it is programmed does not allow a space between a first and middle name and will always run them together; the same thing happens if someone has a hyphenated last name, it removes the hyphen and runs them together. Hopefully when they roll out our new reservation system this will be changed.” The quoted bit is straight from the email they sent me at the end of March 2022.
I’ve had that two, but it was a different airline, either Jet Blue or Delta.
@leahcim , was the problem because the first and last name were smushed together or was it because the passport didn’t have your middle name at all?
A lot of airlines do that, I’ve found.
Indeed it was, or at least United was the booking carrier. The operating carrier (and the entity that actually printed out my boarding passes for that leg) was TAP (flying out of Lisbon).
The problem (or momentary hesitation from the security guy – “problem” probably overstates the situation) was because the passport doesn’t have my middle name at all. I assume that similar security peeps in countries where middle names are more familiar have probably seen it at let it pass without even a mention.
I blame the ancient IT systems that airline booking systems run on.
If you don’t have Global Entry, try using Mobile Passport Control (MPC). It’s an app from Customs that lets you submit your entry information from your phone when you land. I used it last year and went through as fast as the Global Entry holders. It’s free, so great if you travel infrequently. If course, it’s useful for arrivals, but not departures (no pre-check).
But I did apply for Global Entry a month ago. From submitting my form to having the interview and approval was 8 days. I guess I was lucky. I could have had it in 7 days, but didn’t want the 6:30 am interview.
BTW, the Global Entry interviewer wasn’t sure what MPC was. But he was assigned to a land border crossing, not an airport.
Just wondering if anyone has done a land border crossing (US-Canada) lately with an enhanced US driver’s license? I’ve heard stories of the Canadian border crossing people not being sure of how to deal with it, but that could have been from the early days of the program.
I did it a few years ago without a problem - but it was at Niagara Falls and I assume a lot of people in that area have enhanced NYS licenses. Might be different crossing in Idaho or Montana which don’t issue enhanced licenses
Thanks, I’m asking because I can’t find my passport. It’s somewhere in my chaotic house, and it should show up with more searching (for which I don’t have the energy right now).
I’m not planning any trips right now, but my mom lives in Toronto and is in poor health; just in case an emergency comes up, at least I know can cross the land border from NY with my enhanced DL without any problems.
All too recently, in fact!
New Mexico Resident’s ID Temporarily Rejected as ‘Foreign’ By D.C. Clerk : NPR
There are also tales of TSA agents refusing to accept a passport card as acceptable ID for flying, despite TSA’s own policies stating it is valid. If you’re from a state where your license is not RealID compliant, that could be a real hassle (to be fair, the cites I found on that are 10+ years old; they may be better-trained since then. HAHAHA I’m funny!!!).
Good luck if you’re from Puerto Rico:
I have to travel three or four weeks each month for business so I’m glad I have Global Entry, though I’m only using the TSA Precheck part. My membership expires at the end of this month so I applied for renewal in September 2023. It’s still not yet approved so I asked about it yesterday on their website. The form reply I received said that processing time for Global Entry applications is running thirteen to fourteen months, with Sentri and Nexus even longer. Supposedly I can still use PreCheck even after the expiry date, though they advise carrying the pending renewal to show them that I tried.
So if you’re trying to renew, I recommend starting as soon as possible (which is, I think, up to one year from the expiration date).
That’s ridiculous!
That’s weirdly long , I discovered mine expired on my trip out to Saudi last month ( so I couldn’t use the TSA precheck line the horror!) , I went to the website on my phone whilst waiting to board, coughed up the 100bucks and renewed. By the time I flew back to the US a week later it was all renewed and tsa precheck and global entry all in place and the United credit card I used gave me the 100 bucks back.
Well, the OP here was posted on February 16 when it was discovered that my SiL’s passport was missing. Someone asked that I post when and if it was found and the circumstances surrounding that discovery. Well, today on March 20, my SiL discovered her passport in a drawer IN HER KITCHEN. LOL
She has a large “island” that separates her kitchen from her dining room, and the island has lower cabinets and a three upper drawers. She surmised that she left it on the island and, when the cleaning lady she has come in once a week saw it there, she just put it in one of drawers so she could clean the surface of the island.
Three factors played into it not being found until it was found literally by accident.
A) A document that important should not have been left lying out on the island in the first place.
B) She forgot she left it there.
C) Once she forgot, she would never have thought to search for a passport in a kitchen drawer full of eating and serving utensils.
Yay! I was looking forward to the update. And I’m really glad it explains the whole chain of events. I’ve lost stuff that was never found, and sometimes I still sit around and wonder how in the hell it could have happened.
Wow. 
That proves that the more lost things are, the more they were right under our noses.
If someone can “lose” a passport in a kitchen junk drawer, I can ( temporarily ) lose a wallet in my mailbox. ( which I did, but a story for another time ).
Or you can leave your wallet in the garage fridge - which may or may not have happened to me someone of very close acquaintance.
I was once searching an apartment for something. A friend was helping me look. She saw me opening a cupboard door using a putty knife (it had been painted shut when I moved in).
She asked what I was doing. I told her I was looking for it, and I had to look everywhere. It wasn’t in there.
Yes, every time this thread is bumped, I’m hoping we get the follow-up on where the passport was found. Well, finally, that day is here!