British Airways reportedly banned a man named Nicholas from a flight to Bali because his boarding pass said Nick - then wouldn't let him book another ticket

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British Airways reportedly banned a man named Nicholas from a flight to Bali because his boarding pass said Nick - then wouldn't let him book another ticket

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  • A 53-year-old man named Nicholas says he wasn't allowed to travel on a British Airways flight because his wife put the name 'Nick' on the booking.
  • Nick Meads says the airline claimed the names were 'completely different.'
  • His wife, Charlotte, was forced to travel alone, while Nick booked a ticket on another airline.
  • He wasn't able to book another ticket through BA, who told him the flight was full.
  • However, Charlotte saw empty seats on both the outbound and return flights.



British Airways reportedly banned a man named Nicholas from boarding a flight - simply because his boarding pass called him "Nick."

53-year-old Nick Meads told Bristol Live that he and his wife, 49-year-old Charlotte, had bought tickets for a March 27 British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Denpasar in Bali, Indonesia, where they planned to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

The couple, who have three children, paid £550 each for the tickets, booking through TravelUp agency - but Charlotte put her husbands nickname, "Nick," on the booking rather than his official name, Nicholas.

Nick said he noticed the error when the boarding passes arrived, and contacted TravelUp to make sure it wouldn't be a problem.

He was asked to send photographs of his passport as proof of identity to have his name changed by BA - but says the airline refused.

"I re-sent all the details and BA said it was nothing like the name," he said, adding that the airline said Nick and Nicholas were "completely different."

"It just seems illogical to me," he added. "I didn't know the policies."

He said he even asked the airline if he could buy another seat on the flight - at his own cost - but BA told him there were no tickets left unless he wanted to fork out for first class.

Instead, he was forced to pay £1,075 for another flight with Philippine Airlines - meaning Charlotte had to travel alone on her first ever long-haul flight.

Nick's 36-hour outbound journey involved a nine-hour layover in Manila, and his return was 12 hours later than Charlotte's.

He claims the situation was made even worse when Charlotte found out that her husband's original seat - and others - were left empty on both the outbound and return flights.

Luckily, the couple managed to enjoy their 12-day holiday - but said their spending money ran out quickly.

"What incenses me most of all is I couldn't get back what I had already," Nick said. "I would have paid £400 to have my name changed. That just incensed me."

Business Insider has reached out to BA for comment.

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