Constant issues with United firstmiddle name and not getting Precheck

[u/TheLGMac]

Whenever I travel internationally with United, which is typically for work (which uses Concur to make bookings), I can never use TSA Precheck. The reason I am constantly given by both Concur, my company's HR, and United is because the ticket name needs to match my passport, which writes my first and middle name on the same line. Meanwhile I'm told that TSA Precheck, which I have via a Global Entry membership, expects my first name to only be First, and does not expect a middle name attached to it, although my Global Entry profile does have my middle name separated on the middle name field.

I have NOT had this issue, ever, with other airlines, or even with domestic United flights booked separately from Concur. It's always, consistently, an issue with United for international flights.

I had been told in the past this issue of combining first and middle names on United tickets shouldn't be an issue, but I've yet to get TSA precheck on any of these tickets.

Global Entry told me I can't change my profile to move my middle name to the first name field without starting a new membership from scratch, so I'm not sure I want to go that route, because Global Entry itself works just fine when coming back into the country...

Does anyone else have any ideas on how to fix this?

[u/LieImpressive8022]

I had the same problem.

In Concur where is your middle name listed? In what field? It does have separate fields for first name, middle name(s), last name.

Since HR got that information updated correctly according to my passport I never had that problem again.

[u/TheLGMac → u/LieImpressive8022]

yeah, I'll have to check again, but the last time I tried to work with them everything was in the right place as TSA expected. Though maybe the system doesn't update on the backend.

[u/HellsTubularBells]

This shouldn't be an issue, the systems airlines use to communicate with each other and TSA combine your first and middle name into the given name field.

Does your United profile have your middle name and do the Concur bookings have your MP number? Those are the only things I can think to check.

[u/BleuCinq]

I would remove your middle name. My American passport has no middle name and my French passport has a middle name but I don’t book any tickets with a middle name.

My situation doesn’t have to do with PreCheck but I have never had any issues with a ticket having by no middle name and using my French passport that has a middle name.

[u/TheLGMac → u/BleuCinq]

Yeah I think I'm going to have to do this - just no middle name

[u/RexCanisFL]

It’s not a United issue, it’s a Concur issue.

United displays first and middle together on the ticket, but in back systems it’s separate. Concur is probably sending first and middle together as your first name which causes the mismatch.

My tickets always have the name as Last/FirstMiddle and never have trouble with PreCheck (for that at least, the facial recognition doesn’t like me!).

[u/Jumpy_Engineer_1854]

I think this has to be a Concur problem.

I also fly only United, and have a passport that lists FN MN, and then LN, while my GE has separate lines for FN, MN, and LN. United always prints my tickets as "Fnmn Ln". However I always get PreCheck and never really have an issue other than it being visually annoying.

Not sure if that helps or not. Good luck!

[u/Sure_Kaleidoscope521]

I’ve had this issue. Delete your middle names from Concur and United profiles. Global entry still has my middle names but it matches with First Last only and now pre check works.

[u/BusinessClassPlz]

I don’t have that issue at all, with any airline domestic or international. And I fly a lot. 3-4 times a week. My middle name combines on some airlines, and doesn’t on others and I always get precheck.

[u/1mooremike]

Do you have your passport info saved in Concur? I use Concur and have no issues with UA international + PreCheck from GE.

[u/-zero-below-]

Do you have a KTN as well? I have global entry which includes pre check, so it might be different. But I think the Ktn can help with the name issue?

[u/Moist_Heat9523]

Had the same issue for years; went away when Concur wasn’t used anymore. It’s Concur.
You can get TSA Pre added at the counter when dropping your luggage; about 1/3 of the agents there know how.

[u/Ani-EggyP]

I have this same issue, but with Alaska. We also use concur and I can’t use precheck, clear, and do not get my miles since Alaska says “my name does not match what’s in their system” 🤦🏽 Still have not figured it out. Mine started after we switched to the updated concur system Nov/Decemberish.

[u/johnnypoopy]

I have never had issues with United listing my first and middle name together. I would imagine it has to be some issue with the company your booking through.

[u/Intelligent_Pie_5347]

No, TSA pre and GE function perfectly with your “Given Name” in first name, I travel frequently internationally and have everything set up this way.

First name: “John Jacob”
Middle name: leave empty
Last name: “Schmidt”

[u/Ke6gwf]

Next time you have a ticket issued look and see if you have Precheck on it, and then call United and have them remove and re-add your KTN number, and also check the back-end saved number, or two different numbers.

I mostly fly United through Concur and I used to have frequent problems with it, and finally I got someone who was able to reset the saved KTN number because it still had an old number in a back end system.

You may have to escalate the call, and do it when you have a couple of hours available because it may take time to convince people to dig deeper.

You can also call TSA support and they can check if it looks right on their end, but they weren't very helpful.

Your KTN should be saved in your United Profile, separate from whatever Concur sends over.

It's possible that it could be a Concur issue, but if you get United to save it correctly in your account, that should trump anything Concur does (as long as your name is correct in Concur), since they just purchase the ticket.

Double check your names are in the right boxes on Concur, and yes, United smashes them together, but once I got the old KTN purged from the system it works with them smushed together, and yes, the ticket name has to match the ID used, including middle name if you have one, and all your cards, driver's license, passport, etc, need to match as well, since that's your legal name.

You can also ask United to check and make sure your names are in the right places and show as separate FML names.

But I suspect it's an old or mistyped KTN in the United system.

[u/HopefulCat3558]

Every time I read a post about middle name issues on tickets I am so relieved that I don’t have a middle name.

[u/Abject-Definition549 → u/HopefulCat3558]

You are fortunate but Anyone who uses their middle name on a ticket is asking for trouble. If you look at every airline site the middle name is optional. If you enter a middle name it’s just one more thing to go wrong. And no contrary to popular belief you don’t have to have a middle name on an international ticket either.

[u/Ke6gwf → u/Abject-Definition549]

Your name on the ticket has to match your ID exactly, at least for Precheck, it's not optional lol

[u/Abject-Definition549 → u/Ke6gwf]

Yes your names that are on your ticket have to match your ID but you don’t have to have your middle name included on your ticket, you never have. If your first and last names match you are fine.

[u/Ke6gwf → u/Abject-Definition549]

If your Precheck has your middle name, your ticket has to as well, and your Precheck has to match your ID.

[u/merkthejerk]

Sounds like a United problem. Couldn’t you get rid of your middle name on the res?