101-Year-Old Woman Mistaken for a Baby by American Airlines: Comical Mix-Up during Flight Check-in
A 101-year-old woman named Patricia, born in 1922, was mistakenly registered as being born in 2022 by American Airlines' booking system.
This error led to a mix-up during her flight from Chicago to Marquette, Michigan, with airport staff expecting a baby instead of an elderly woman.
Patricia found the situation amusing but it caused her inconvenience, as transport was not ready for her inside the terminal.
Ms. Patricia's online ticket reservation for an adult fare was incorrectly processed by the airport's computer system, which recorded her birth year as 2022 instead of 1922.
This resulted in her being mistaken for a child during check-in, a recurring issue from the previous year.
The computer system, unable to process such old dates, defaulted to a birth year 100 years later.
Ms. Patricia and the cabin crew found the situation amusing, but she expressed her hope that the airline would rectify the issue soon.
Ms. Patricia was traveling with her daughter, Kris, and desired more seamless travel experiences in the future.
Ms. Patricia, a retired nurse, shares her frustrating experiences while traveling by air.
On one occasion, she had to carry all the luggage and apparel for her family after the computer broke down, as they had to walk almost a mile from one gate to another.
In another instance, she was left waiting inside the plane after everyone else had disembarked because the flight crew were unaware of her need for a wheelchair.
Ms. Patricia flies annually to visit her family and escape harsh winters, as reported by the BBC.