May 01, 2024 08:00:00

Airlines mistook 101-year-old grandmother for baby

Some airlines

continue to use old reservation management systems, which often cause problems such as passengers with the name 'Amr' being replaced with 'A' or reservations for people with the surname 'Test' being automatically cancelled. In American Airlines' reservation system, the automatic calculation of age did not work well, so it was discovered that a 101-year-old passenger was treated as an infant, surprising those involved.

'They thought I was a child': US airline repeatedly registers 101-year-old as baby | Air transport | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/apr/28/us-american-airlines-booking-system-woman-age-error

Patricia, 101, was mistaken for a baby when she booked a flight with American Airlines.

Patricia, whose first name has only been released, was born in 1922, but American Airlines' system was unable to recognise her age, so it was listed as being born in 2022.

Patricia, a former nurse who was travelling with her daughter Chris, told media: 'It was funny to see how they thought I was just a kid and then realised I was actually a grandma.'

Patricia said she flew alone until she was 97 years old. Even after her eyesight deteriorated and she needed her family's help to get around, she didn't give up air travel, but as soon as she turned 100, she began to experience problems with airline systems not calculating her age properly.

The same problem has occurred many times before, when airport staff mistakenly thought Patricia was a baby rather than an elderly person, and the wheelchair she had requested was not prepared, and she was sometimes left in that position after disembarking from the plane.

The American Airlines mix-up occurred even though Patricia had booked an adult fare instead of a child fare. Because no wheelchair was provided, Patricia had to wait until other passengers had disembarked.

'I want them to fix the computer because my poor daughter now has to carry our luggage a mile from gate to gate,' she said, adding that she hopes the airline will introduce a system that can correctly calculate her real age.

American Airlines did not respond to media requests for comment.

Despite the trouble, Patricia plans to continue traveling and is looking forward to another flight in the fall of 2024, when she will be 102 years old.