Image for illustration purposes only
Image credit: ET Infra & Asia Aviation

Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia have updated their name entry guidelines for flight bookings to better reflect the diverse naming systems commonly used across Southeast Asia.

This move addresses long-standing issues faced by travellers, particularly Malaysians, whose names often do not follow Western-style formats. In many cases, confusion arises during flight check-ins and bookings because Malaysian passports do not separate given names and surnames in the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ). As a result, names can be incorrectly processed or displayed on boarding passes, leading to delays, errors, and even boarding denials when travelling with international airlines.

A screen capture from the Malaysia Airlines site shows its guide for name entries.
Image credit: Malaysia Airlines

To solve this, Malaysia Airlines now uses the “First & Middle Name” and “Last Name/Surname” format for all bookings. For example, if a traveller’s name is “Vincent Tan Ming Ban,” “Tan” should be entered as the surname, while “Ming Ban Vincent” is placed in the given name field. In another case, a name like “Foo Mei Mei” would be split into “Foo” as the surname and “Mei Mei” as the given name.

Names containing Malay identifiers such as “bin,” “binti,” or “anak” must now include those parts under the “Last Name/Surname” field. For instance, a person named “Mohd Ali Ahmad Bin Mohd Abu” should enter “Bin Mohd Abu” as their surname.

A screen capture from the Airasia site shows its guide for name entries.
Image credit: Airasia Airlines

AirAsia has adopted a similar approach using the labels “Given Name” and “Family Name/Surname” to better accommodate a wide range of naming conventions. The airline noted that this change is designed to serve not only Malaysian passengers but also those from other Southeast Asian countries including China, India, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

According to both airlines, the changes aim to minimise confusion, reduce booking errors, and improve the overall passenger experience, especially when flying internationally. By clearly distinguishing how names should be entered, Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia are ensuring that travellers avoid past complications at check-in counters and during online check-ins.

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