Bizarre Lion Air rule prevents families booking together.

Using the Lion Air website is a pleasurable experience. Compared to its peers, it is easy to use, fast and reliable.

Having said that, Lion Air’s booking system does have one unusual regulation: it does not permit 4+ passengers with the same last name to book together.

For example:

The Duck family

Instead of booking the flight, it always gives an error message:

Bad luck, Ducks

This is most inconvenient for families, tour groups and people with common surnames.

Of course, Indonesian families do not share a surname or family name like in Western culture… but still, there is no reason for this restriction. It cannot be to prevent ticket scalpers, because (as can be seen in the first image) it is not possible to change a passenger’s name after booking.

Nor is it a website-only special feature; it also applies to bookings made via travel agents, Lion Air ticket offices, etc.

There are only two ways around it:

1. Make multiple bookings, ensuring children aren’t booked alone or separately from a parent.
2. Switch the first/last name order, e.g. Mr Duck Donald.

But in an era of online shopping becoming more popular and easier to use, Lion Air has taken an unfortunate step in the wrong direction.