In an unusual occurrence, American Airlines mistook a 101-year-old woman as an infant. How? Okay, technology is to fault.
The woman, known as Patricia by media accounts, is 101 years old and was born in 1922. However, the American Airlines system cannot calculate her over 100 years of age and defaults the year of birth to 2022.
“It was funny that they thought I was only a little child, and I’m an old lady!” she told a BBC reporter traveling with her on the flight.
“My daughter made the reservation online for the ticket, and the computer at the airport thought my birthdate was 2022 and not 1922,” she told the reporter.
Her seat was booked as an adult ticket. However, the staff was expecting an infant.
“The same thing happened last year, and they were also expecting a child and not me.”
The Airport Airlines computer cannot process the 1922 birthdate, so it defaults to 2022
On the journey from Chicago to Marquette, Michigan, the flight crew was able to correct the error. However, the centenarian stated that she would like to see the bug repaired because it has caused her trouble in the past.
The 101-year-old, who has some vision problems, said that the last time she encountered problems, airport officials did not have transportation ready for her inside the terminal and were expected to carry a baby instead.
“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,” said Patricia.
According to the allegation, the Airport Airlines computer is unable to process the 1922 birthday and instead defaults to one from 100 years later.
Patricia, a former nurse, traveled alone until she was 97 and has since relied on her family for assistance.
“I have some trouble with my eyesight now, so I wouldn’t want to do it on my own,” she said.
Patricia is set to fly again in the autumn when she will be 102. She told the BBC that IT issues would not prevent her from flying and that she hoped that by autumn, airline computers would be ready to handle her astounding age.