American Airlines keeps confusing a 101-year-old woman for a baby. Patricia, who wishes to keep her surname private, has been repeatedly registered as a child on the airline’s system due to a system glitch.
The airline’s system consistently mistakes Patricia for a young child as it is unable to discern she was born in 1922, not 2022. Patricia manages to see the funny side of things, chuckling about the latest incident during her flight.
During a BBC interview, the centurian recalled the amusement this causes, saying, “It was funny that they thought I was only a little child and I’m an old lady! ” Nonetheless, she hopes for a permanent fix for this software hiccup, which has often led to problems during her journeys.
One such issue arose from airport staff not arranging necessary internal terminal transport for her, as their systems perceived her as a baby who could be carried around. A BBC journalist documented one such peculiar episode while sharing a flight with Patricia.
The incident unfolded as Patricia, a former nurse, was travelling with her daughter Kris from Chicago to Marquette in Michigan. She said: “My daughter made the reservation online for the ticket and the computer at the airport thought my birth date was 2022 and not 1922. The same thing happened last year and they were also expecting a child and not me,” as reported by the Mirror.
Despite having booked an adult ticket, Patricia encountered a glitch in American Airlines’ system which seems unable to recognise birth years over a century old, mistakenly updating her birth year to 2022. Nevertheless, Patricia commends the airline staff for their helpfulness and kindness when this confusion arose on previous journeys.
On one occasion, Patricia and her daughter Kris were left waiting on the plane after everyone else had left because the airport staff didn’t provide a wheelchair. Patricia suggests it would be easier for Kris if the airline could acknowledge her true age during their travels.
She said: “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.”
Patricia revealed she was able to travel solo until she hit 97, but now needs a bit of help. “I have some trouble with my eyesight now so I wouldn’t want to do it on my own,” she admitted.
Even with the airline’s system hiccup, Patricia is still keen on flying and is looking forward to her upcoming trip this autumn. By the time her next flight comes around, she’ll be celebrating her 102nd birthday and is optimistic that the airline will get her age right then.
For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our Homepage here.
