Post by monpetitchou on Dec 5, 2013 10:00:11 GMT -5
do you need a passport before booking an international flight or can you get it after? My husband and I have ours but I just started filling out the application for DS. we already know the flights we want and are just waiting to pull the trigger. trying to decide if I should pay for the expedited processing.
You can get your passport after. Make sure you book your flight with your full name, as it will be on your passport. DH and I just had trouble (not real trouble, just some inconvenience) because the flights were booked first name last name, and the passports are first, middle, last. So they didn't exactly match and we needed "special assistance."
Post by monpetitchou on Dec 5, 2013 12:11:33 GMT -5
I just went through the whole purchase process (US Airways) and stopped just short of clicking "buy now" and it never asked for passport numbers. This is so weird to me because I know the last international flight I bought (United) we had to provide the numbers when purchasing the tickets.
I just went through the whole purchase process (US Airways) and stopped just short of clicking "buy now" and it never asked for passport numbers. This is so weird to me because I know the last international flight I bought (United) we had to provide the numbers when purchasing the tickets.
I've always been able to provide it later too, after the purchase.
I was waiting to buy an intl ticket a couple of years ago, as I was waiting on my passport. A couple of friends that I was traveling with called me crazy when I explained the reason I hadn't booked. SO I pulled up whatever purchase screen (it really might've also been United, come to think of it), & they explained that, "No- although it asks for you to enter your passport #, it won't stop you from booking if you click 'Next'." Yeah, they were right, & I felt like an ignoramus...
Post by emilyinchile on Dec 5, 2013 13:50:25 GMT -5
I think Copa has asked me for my passport number when purchasing before, and they're partners with United, so maybe it's a United thing. But usually I don't need it, and it sounds like you won't.
PS - I'm pretty sure the airlines don't actually validate it, because when I changed my name and got a new passport, I booked a ticket under the old passport number and then corrected it later when I realized.
So if the website is designed badly and requires the number at booking, you could probably make something up. Just remember to contact the airline later to change it (or just let them know at check-in that your passport info has changed).