Completing our check-in, the agent handed two passports to my friend saying, "These are all set." Handing the other three over she pointed across the lobby to another window and said, "These names are too long to fit on the ticket. You'll need to go over there and have them certified and stamped." This was new territory for me, I have to admit. Of course my last name doesn't fit on the blank; that's not surprising. It was surprising to have to have my ticket 'certified and stamped.' Heading over, we took our place in line and waited our turn. Handing the passports over, the man pulled up our tickets in his system, picked up a pen, wrote in the missing letters of our name and then applied the beautiful red stamp. I was already a bit confused. Hadn't they seen in the system that my name did in fact match my passport? Regardless, this step was required before being allowed through security.
Retrieving our passports from the man, my buddy redistributed our passports and tickets. Heading toward security, I pulled out my ticket to inspect my beautiful, new, red stamp. Upon seeing the work requiring the red stamp, I stopped in my tracks and laughed out loud. It turns out all that was missing was my middle name. The man, carefully inspecting my passport, decided that the missing letters of my name were "s-o-f-a-m-e-r-i-c-a". The name on my ticket now read 'Jessesofamerica'. "This isn't right!", I said. Glancing back at the long line at the red stamp line, I decided to take my chances. I did, after all, have the red stamp proving it was legitimate. Stepping up to the security counter, I handed my passport and ticket over and held my breath. I really did not want to go back in that line for their mistake. Opening to the name page, the agent carefully inspected my passport, then my ticket, and then me. Picking up his stamp, he stamped my ticket and waved me through. Awesome. Jessesofamerica got to fly home.