( Tribune Media Services ) -- Frank Santa Maria buys two tickets to Italy on Expedia . But when an agent misspells his wife 's name , he must embark on an odyssey to ensure she 'll be allowed to use her tickets . Will he be successful ? Q : I recently bought tickets to Italy by calling Expedia . I spelled my wife 's first name to the agent . That afternoon we left town for a trip . When we returned the tickets were at the front door and a confirmation e-mail was waiting . My wife 's first name was spelled Crista instead of Christa . I immediately called Expedia , and was told I should have contacted them the day the e-mail was sent to me and that there would be a $ 150 re-ticketing fee . After several more calls and being put on `` hold '' for more than half an hour , a supervisor told me that there was nothing they could do . They could n't even change the name on the ticket . I contacted the airline directly and they told me they would make a note on my wife 's passenger record . My wife 's tickets are still wrong and I 'm afraid we may have a problem with our connecting airline or with customs . What can I do ? -- Frank Santa Maria , New Braunfels , Texas . A : Expedia should have spelled your wife 's name correctly . When it was clear that the company had made an error , it should have done everything in its power to fix it instead of giving you the runaround and forcing you to deal directly with your airline . Then again , it should have never come to this . First , why are you phoning an online travel agency to buy tickets ? It may be more convenient , but online agencies are built to handle your purchases online . It 's more efficient and reduces the chance of an error being introduced -- like misspelling a passenger 's name . Second , you should always check your verification e-mail immediately . Expedia could have made a change to your ticket if you had caught the mistake earlier . It 's essential that you review your itinerary as soon as possible . Believe me , I know . I just made this mistake and had to spend an extra day at my destination because I put the wrong date in my reservation . ( See ? It can happen to anyone . ) I 've dealt with too many wrong-name cases to count , and here are a few things I 've learned . Passengers are n't turned away at the gate because of a typographical error on their tickets . Reservations systems have limitations that sometimes truncate last names or render non-English names in funny characters . Last names and first names are frequently flip-flopped . Ticket agents , gate agents and security screeners know that , and will let you through . I have n't heard of anyone being denied boarding because of a one-character difference in a name . I 'm reasonably sure your wife would have been allowed to travel using her ticket , even if this had happened after the May 15 implementation of the first phase of the Transportation Security Administration 's `` Secure Flight '' initiative , which requires that you provide your full name as it appears on your government-issued identification . Incidentally , the `` notation '' in her reservation would have almost certainly been visible to any connecting airline . And a customs agent would n't even pay attention to your ticket under normal circumstances . It 's your customs form and passport that matter to them . Next time you buy tickets by phone -- and I hope there 's no next time -- do yourself a big favor : When you offer your name to the agent , ask to have it spelled back . That way , you 'll catch any errors before the transaction goes through . Once you have a reservation , it becomes much more difficult ( or even impossible ) to make a change . It should n't be that way . In an ideal world , you 'd be able to change a name on a ticket . Airlines say they ca n't allow name changes for `` security reasons '' but I 'm inclined to believe it has more to do with the fact that they would lose lots of money if passengers could give their tickets to friends and family . Or resell them . I contacted Expedia on your behalf , and it issued a new ticket with your wife 's name spelled correctly . Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine . E-mail him at celliott @ ngs.org . Copyright 2009 CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT , DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES , INC .
Passenger purchased airline tickets from Expedia by phone . When he received the tickets , his wife 's name was misspelled . Troubleshooter urged him to purchase online and to verify information . Expedia issued a corrected ticket when contacted by the Troubleshooter .