On her yearly flights to see her family in Michigan, US, American Airlines’s booking system has frequently misidentified a 101-year-old woman as an infant.
“It was funny that they thought I was only a little child, and I’m an old lady,” said Patricia, a 101-year-old retired nurse.
Patricia, who only revealed her first name to BBC reporter Joe Tidy when they found themselves on the same flight to Michigan, has experienced difficulties with American Airlines.
Her birth year, 1922, appears to have been incorrectly entered by the airline reservation software, which caused a mix-up by defaulting to 2022.
“My daughter made the reservation online for the ticket, and the computer at the airport thought my birth date was 2022 and not 1922,” she told the BBC.” The same thing happened last year, and they were expecting a child, not me.”
Despite her ability to laugh at the several misunderstandings, Patricia has acknowledged that she wishes the issue would be fixed because it has made her flight experience more unpredictable and uncomfortable.
Patricia explained to the publication that on one occasion, staff members were expecting a newborn, who would be carried or pushed in a pram, so they didn’t have motorised transportation available for her when she arrived at the airport.
“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,” the 101-year-old explained.
During another trip, Patricia and her daughter Kris were prohibited from leaving the aircraft after it landed because the flight attendants were not informed that a wheelchair was required. According to the 101-year-old, the pair were forced to wait for a lengthy period after every other passenger had disembarked.
Patricia went on to tell the outlet that once flight and airport crews are aware of the misunderstanding, staff members often go above and beyond to apologise and make sure she is feeling comfortable.
Up until the age of 97, Patricia, who boarded flights from Chicago to see family in Marquette, Michigan, every year, travelled alone. However, Patricia admitted that her vision has since deteriorated, and she now needs her family to accompany her.
“I have some trouble with my eyesight now, so I wouldn’t want to do it on my own,” Patricia explained.
According to the 101-year-old, she has already planned her next journey to Michigan, which is scheduled for autumn this year. American Airlines has not commented on the issue.
This news comes after the Allied Pilots Association said that the number of issues at American Airlines is increasing, including tools left in wheel wells and collisions between aircraft being towed.
There has been a “significant spike in safety and maintenance-related problems,” the Allied Pilots Association warned.
In an email to TIME Magazine, the Allied Pilots Association wrote: “Safety at any airline is a shared mission, and it’s especially true at American. Our robust safety program is guided by our industry-leading safety management system. It includes a multitude of collaborative programs—and regular touch points—with the FAA and all our unions, including the Allied Pilots Association, to further bolster our strong safety record and enhance our ever-evolving safety culture.”
