What happens if my gender or title is showing incorrectly on my flight booking?

Generally speaking, this is not an issue at all – your first name, last name, and title/gender are stored as different fields in the airline reservation system and whilst you may get a weird look from your check in agent if the gender seems obviously wrong, the identity verification being done at check in is on the first name and last name, not on the gender or title. If your check in agent is giving you a hard time about this, politely ask to speak to the duty manager or station manager to explain your situation. If your check in agent doesn’t mention anything, there’s no need for you to proactively bring this up as a problem.

Don’t make a habit of making this mistake though! Always double check forms and booking confirmations at the time you book, as this is the best way to prevent problems during your trip.

PSSTT: one other good reason to report your gender correctly is that airlines sometimes use this information to estimate the total weight of the passengers, which allows them to optimise the amount of fuel required, or the cargo they’re able to load. Your incorrect data won’t create a safety issue, but could result in a (very) slightly less efficient flight!

Are any of the details above out of date? If so, get in touch and let us know, so all travellers can benefit!

The PSSTT Insider KnowHow pages contain knowledge about airlines, hotels, airports, restaurants and cities that we’ve collected over many years. We regularly review this to keep things up to date but information can sometimes become obsolete. If you need definitive information, please always get in touch with your travel service provider!