A 101-year-old woman has repeatedly been mistaken for a baby due to a glitch in an airline’s booking system.
Sometimes we face unexpected challenges that make us frustrated or even angry. But in these situations, our response can make a significant difference. Just like the 101-year-old woman in this story, when she encountered a mix-up with her airline booking, she chose to respond with humor and patience.
Patricia, a centenarian born in 1922, has faced an unusual problem while flying with American Airlines. Due to an error in their booking system, her birth year is often registered as 2022 instead of 1922. The problem occurs because the airport computer system is unable to process a birth date so far in the past, so it defaults to one 100 years later instead.
This glitch causes the system to default to her being just two years old.
“It was funny that they thought I was only a little child and I’m an old lady!” Patricia shared with a chuckle.
The BBC reporter Joe Tidy witnessed the latest mix-up while traveling on the same flight as the elderly woman between Chicago and Marquette, Michigan.
Patricia was traveling with her daughter, Kris, who had booked the ticket online. “My daughter made the reservation online for the ticket and the computer at the airport thought my birth date was 2022 and not 1922,” Patricia explained.
This error has led to several mix-ups, including a lack of transport ready for her inside the terminal, as airport staff expected a baby who could be carried.
This is not the first time Patricia has encountered this issue.
“The same thing happened last year and they were also expecting a child and not me,” she added.
Patricia’s sense of humor and grace under pressure are truly inspiring. She shared another instance when she and her daughter had to wait inside the plane after other passengers had left because airport staff had not arranged a wheelchair for her.
Despite these repeated errors, Patricia has maintained a positive outlook. A former nurse, she travels every year to visit family and escape the cold winters. “I would like them to fix the computer as my poor daughter had to carry all our luggage and apparel almost a mile from one gate to the other.”
American Airlines has not responded to requests for comments on this issue. However, the kindness and helpfulness of the staff during these incidents have not gone unnoticed by Patricia. “On both occasions, staff at American Airlines were kind and helpful, in spite of the confusion,” she noted.
We hope American Airlines addresses this issue soon to prevent any further inconvenience for Patricia.
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