Hello all,

This post was partly prompted by a recent observation by a regular
here that the activity in this group has diminished in recent years.
As a newbie to this group (but not Usenet) I would comment that lack
of activity might be a blessing of sorts, considering the piles of
posted rants, flames, and idiocy that can be found in more active
groups. Count your blessings :-).

But now allow me to contribute to this group in a minor way by asking
a few questions about our impending trip to South Africa. Any
responses will be greatly appreciated. You seem like nice people here
and this trip has raised some interesting (serious) questions.

My wife and I were about to take a trip to Cape Town (for two weeks),
and then to Kruger Nat'l Park (for another week) before coming back to
our home in the US. This will be our first trip to South Africa, but
we are veteran travelers (e.g. spent the summer last year in Europe,
have been to the Far East, and spent a year driving through South
America). To keep this particular post short, let me limit this to
just one initial topic: Getting to (and into) South Africa.

The Ticket Dilemma

After doing the usual fight cost comparisons, we bought our RT tickets
through Orbitz -- which uses South African Airways to and from
Atlanta. The price was quite good, but the tickets were *non
refundable*. We have done this before, with good results (and low
prices), but have run into a large problem with this booking. We had
researched the entry requirements to South Africa and had a good grasp
(we thought) of what was required to get into the country as an
American tourist (only a passport). They want to increase tourism.

Then we ran into a caution in one of the books ordered prior to
booking the flight (which arrived afterward) that pointed out that
South African Immigration was tight, and that one of the things they
check for upon entry was an exact match between the name on the ticket
(required to prove exit from the country) and the name on the
passport. (Problem!!)

Unfortunately my given first name is one I have always hated and
therefore have never used -- except when absolutely required
(passports and drivers license). My credit cards carry either my
nickname (a shorted version of my real first name) or simply the
initials of my first and/or middle name. Hence my credit card (to
which this trip was charged, and had to match the booking info)
carried only my initialed first name-- which was carried forward to
the booking and appeared as such on the tickets. This has never been
an issue in past trips, but has become one on this trip.

Soooo, I called South African Airways and asked if this was a problem.
The response was "Oh yes, they won't let you into the country at
Jo'burg unless the name on the return ticket exactly matches the name
on the passport." They said to call Orbitz and have the ticket
reissued with my full legal first name spelled out. I called, but
Orbitz flatly refused! They said they don't ever change the names on a
ticket (they claim they airlines don't allow them to) and that since
the ticket was non-refundable I had no way out of this problem. (Never
mind that a cancellation of this trip would mean the loss of several
thousand dollars. The ticket supervisor's response was "tough.")

So now I have a ticket with a name that doesn't match the name on my
passport. My question here is does anyone here know what might happen
if I proceed with this trip? Will they really ask to SEE the return
ticket? (No one in our past travels ever has.) Would they notice that
the names doesn't exactly match? Would they care? Should I feel like
gambling on they possibility that they might deny me entry and put me
on the next plane back to the USA (leaving my wife alone in South
Africa)? Or should I scrap the whole trip and take the loss?

Any thoughts?

TIA.

Caveat