Wow airline
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 4
Wow airline
Has anyone else used thesee. Got cheap flight from Chicago to London. But boyfriend put his name down wrong .he put Tim his passport says Timothy. I have tried calling but no answer. Do u think this will matter. We fly Sunday
#2
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2016
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Posts: 334
Re: Wow airline
I haven't used them; but I have also never heard anything good about them either. Also, yes, I believe the name ticketed must be the exact name in the passport, no abbreviations. Sorry to be a downer
#3
Re: Wow airline
Can you not go online and change it? I thought with Wow on US flights you could do so up to 72 hours before departure.
#4
Re: Wow airline
On paper, you need an exact match. First, sometimes even middle, and last. In the future, I'd recommend doing this as it is just an easier experience and leaves less to chance.
In practice, you can get likely get by with a 'Tim' instead of a 'Timothy'. It will depend a bit on the agent screening your ticket, but some boarding passes print differently than others and some things like a 'Tim' instead of a 'Timothy' will be allowed. I would take the passport, and possibly any other forms of ID they might have that shows who he is.
For example, my wife's middle name got messed up in United Airlines computer and got listed as part of her last name. When the boarding pass printed it all showed up exactly in order so no one was the wiser, but after about 10 years of flying she got nabbed by a hyper-observant check-in clerk in Hong Kong who insisted she would be arrested on arrival in the USA. She wasn't, of course, but we did call United later and get that fixed in their system.
This is from a TSA FAQ a few years ago:
Q. If the name printed on my boarding pass is different than what appears on my government ID, will I still be able to fly?
A. Boarding passes may not always display the exact name you provided when booking your travel. The name you provide when booking your travel is used to perform the watchlist matching before a boarding pass is ever issued, so small differences should not impact your travel. Secure Flight is a behind-the-scenes process that TSA and airlines collaborate on to compare the information you provide against government watchlists. The additional data elements that you may be asked to provide, such as date of birth and gender, serve to better differentiate you from individuals on the government watchlist.
Q. Does the name on all of my IDs have to match? What if my driver's license has only my middle initial, but my passport has my full name? Should I change my driver's license to match my passport?
A. Secure Flight does not require that the names on all of your IDs be identical. Passengers should provide their name as it appears on the government-issued ID they plan to use when traveling. This provides TSA the best information possible to use when performing watch list matching. This will result in a better process for travelers and greatly reduces the number of misidentifications. By adding date of birth and gender, the number of misidentifications is reduced further and TSA can more readily identify passengers who do not pose a threat.
----
Not sure what your experience will on the return flight though...
In practice, you can get likely get by with a 'Tim' instead of a 'Timothy'. It will depend a bit on the agent screening your ticket, but some boarding passes print differently than others and some things like a 'Tim' instead of a 'Timothy' will be allowed. I would take the passport, and possibly any other forms of ID they might have that shows who he is.
For example, my wife's middle name got messed up in United Airlines computer and got listed as part of her last name. When the boarding pass printed it all showed up exactly in order so no one was the wiser, but after about 10 years of flying she got nabbed by a hyper-observant check-in clerk in Hong Kong who insisted she would be arrested on arrival in the USA. She wasn't, of course, but we did call United later and get that fixed in their system.
This is from a TSA FAQ a few years ago:
Q. If the name printed on my boarding pass is different than what appears on my government ID, will I still be able to fly?
A. Boarding passes may not always display the exact name you provided when booking your travel. The name you provide when booking your travel is used to perform the watchlist matching before a boarding pass is ever issued, so small differences should not impact your travel. Secure Flight is a behind-the-scenes process that TSA and airlines collaborate on to compare the information you provide against government watchlists. The additional data elements that you may be asked to provide, such as date of birth and gender, serve to better differentiate you from individuals on the government watchlist.
Q. Does the name on all of my IDs have to match? What if my driver's license has only my middle initial, but my passport has my full name? Should I change my driver's license to match my passport?
A. Secure Flight does not require that the names on all of your IDs be identical. Passengers should provide their name as it appears on the government-issued ID they plan to use when traveling. This provides TSA the best information possible to use when performing watch list matching. This will result in a better process for travelers and greatly reduces the number of misidentifications. By adding date of birth and gender, the number of misidentifications is reduced further and TSA can more readily identify passengers who do not pose a threat.
----
Not sure what your experience will on the return flight though...
#5
Re: Wow airline
There was a typo in my daughter's name on her ticket when we flew a couple of years ago, and the advice was "show up at the airport one hour earlier", to allow time to fix it. It didn't take an hour, but I think the advice was good.
#6
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 4
Re: Wow airline
Thanks everyone. Emailed them and they said they can change for $200 .nearly same price as flight. I will try to call as that seems a bit unfair as we not changing person
#7
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 4
Re: Wow airline
Called them and they were very helpful and only charged me $17
#8
Re: Wow airline
We have used WOW Air a few times now, flying from London Gatwick to Pittsburgh via Reykjavik. Overall, we haven't been impressed with them. They regularly make mistakes on our booking (this past Christmas, they tried to say we hadn't booked one of our 10 month old twins on the flight, even though we had booking confirmation to prove it).
The leg room is below average, so if you are anywhere near 6 foot, you'll be sitting fairly uncomfortably for the duration of your flight. Iceland Air in comparison is much more leg room, and you also have a screen in the back of the headrests to watch movies etc.
It's a budget airline, so don't expect much and you won't be too disappointed. Once you add baggage, pay for an in-flight meal and drinks (which aren't complimentary), pick your seat assignment at an additional cost of course, it doesn't really work out much cheaper than flying with one of the more well known Airlines. They also do not offer any air miles scheme.
Add to this that Reykjavik airport is pretty poor, it's not a great overall experience. The airport is small, and is not setup to receive the increased passengers that they have started receiving now that WOW Air and Iceland Air are flying to the U.S. There are minimal places to eat, and also minimal places to sit whilst waiting for your flight. Oh and London Gatwick must be one of the worst Airports we have in the U.K. We've decided against flying with them for now and try alternative routes.
The leg room is below average, so if you are anywhere near 6 foot, you'll be sitting fairly uncomfortably for the duration of your flight. Iceland Air in comparison is much more leg room, and you also have a screen in the back of the headrests to watch movies etc.
It's a budget airline, so don't expect much and you won't be too disappointed. Once you add baggage, pay for an in-flight meal and drinks (which aren't complimentary), pick your seat assignment at an additional cost of course, it doesn't really work out much cheaper than flying with one of the more well known Airlines. They also do not offer any air miles scheme.
Add to this that Reykjavik airport is pretty poor, it's not a great overall experience. The airport is small, and is not setup to receive the increased passengers that they have started receiving now that WOW Air and Iceland Air are flying to the U.S. There are minimal places to eat, and also minimal places to sit whilst waiting for your flight. Oh and London Gatwick must be one of the worst Airports we have in the U.K. We've decided against flying with them for now and try alternative routes.
#9
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 18
Re: Wow airline
Hey.
My partner lives in Chicago too!
So WowAir I haven't used yet, however they are cheap (and they're also opening up routes for Stanstead - Chicago in May, which I'm excited for).
^They have no inflight entertainment and I would assume that they are just a budget airline like Easyjet or Ryanair.
I will be booking with WowAir in the future, ironically I was going to use them to go see my partner for Valentines day, however the flight prices went up to over £500 (I was getting prices for £270 at the time).
I've so far flown with IcelandAir and American Airlines (through British Airways as it was cheaper).
When the 'season opens', I will be flying with Norwegian Air as they have direct flights for like £350 so far.
My partner lives in Chicago too!
So WowAir I haven't used yet, however they are cheap (and they're also opening up routes for Stanstead - Chicago in May, which I'm excited for).
^They have no inflight entertainment and I would assume that they are just a budget airline like Easyjet or Ryanair.
I will be booking with WowAir in the future, ironically I was going to use them to go see my partner for Valentines day, however the flight prices went up to over £500 (I was getting prices for £270 at the time).
I've so far flown with IcelandAir and American Airlines (through British Airways as it was cheaper).
When the 'season opens', I will be flying with Norwegian Air as they have direct flights for like £350 so far.
#11
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 12,865
Re: Wow airline
As I've pointed out before WOW gets appalling reviews on airline review sites. They have a propensity to leave people stranded in Iceland with non-existent customer service to deal with it.
http://www.airlinequality.com/airline-reviews/wow-air/
And I certainly agree with the comments about Keflavik airport. I flew Edinburgh->Keflavik->San Francisco in 2016, and it was pretty clear that the airport couldn't cope with the numbers of transit passengers. But, otoh, my actual flights with WOW were fine - just make sure you take your own food/water/entertainment.
http://www.airlinequality.com/airline-reviews/wow-air/
And I certainly agree with the comments about Keflavik airport. I flew Edinburgh->Keflavik->San Francisco in 2016, and it was pretty clear that the airport couldn't cope with the numbers of transit passengers. But, otoh, my actual flights with WOW were fine - just make sure you take your own food/water/entertainment.
Last edited by Giantaxe; Feb 1st 2018 at 7:54 pm.
#12
Just Joined
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 7
Re: Wow airline
Supposedly they have a decent fleet but you get what you pay for
#13
Re: Wow airline
We have used WOW Air a few times now, flying from London Gatwick to Pittsburgh via Reykjavik. Overall, we haven't been impressed with them. They regularly make mistakes on our booking (this past Christmas, they tried to say we hadn't booked one of our 10 month old twins on the flight, even though we had booking confirmation to prove it).
Add to this that Reykjavik airport is pretty poor, it's not a great overall experience. The airport is small, and is not setup to receive the increased passengers that they have started receiving now that WOW Air and Iceland Air are flying to the U.S. There are minimal places to eat, and also minimal places to sit whilst waiting for your flight. Oh and London Gatwick must be one of the worst Airports we have in the U.K. We've decided against flying with them for now and try alternative routes.