airline tickets for my wife

[Chris Parker 11]

Just to give you one interesting problem we have encountered.

Transaero, a Russian airline refused to process (online) my wife's ticket in her maiden name, because all of her credit cards were in her married name! They insisted that the traveler must be the same person as the credit card holder. We finally bought a ticket via email through an agent. But it just goes to show you. Transaero tickets were not available for sale here in the US at a travel agent.

You could get an additional card with the pre-married name to get the order processed.

Similar problems I've had to deal with:

1) The baby legally has 2 last names. The interior Russian airlines aren't sure whether to use the last last name or the first last name, but they know they must put 3 names on the ticket and cannot put all 4 names on the ticket. It's a toss.

2) I have no middle name. The interior Russian airlines have to put a bogus character for my middle name because they can't support no middle name.

Names can be like playdough when cultural differences clash.

Edited December 4, 2007 by Chris Parker

[Chris Parker 11]

As for the marriage certificate, getting that apostilled, professionally translated, and certified at the Russian consulate, before it can legally be used in Russia is a huge hassle and costs quite a bit too.

The Russian embassy in New York requires apostilles on U.S. civil documents before they will render any services requiring them.

Translations can be done while in Russia with a notary for much less money.

[mox 298]

You could get an additional card with the pre-married name to get the order processed.

Ikobo.com is your friend. Open an account (free) and have a Visa card made out to any name you care to enter. It works like a pre-paid phone card, but you can add funds on their website from your bank account or another credit card, and the transfer is instant. I had one sent to Nadya. She can use it as a Visa card (which makes her feel very cosmopolitan at the few places that take credit cards lol) or in a Bankomat. The fee is $0.99/month. We no longer deal with Western Union. Don't see why it couldn't work for you to buy plane tickets.

[groovlstk 0]

My wife returned to Moscow in Sept., her first trip home since arriving here a year ago. I arranged for her ticket using FF miles I had w/Lufthansa using her married name, as that is the name on her Green Card.

When we arrived to check in, the Lufthansa clerk told us the ticket needed to match her passport and she simply re-booked her and gave her new tix. The clerk also advised her that she should have a copy of her marriage license with her, just in case. Once she had her new tix she went Newark-Frankfurt-Moscow and back and had no problems and no one asked her for a copy of her marriage license.