An airline continues to treat a centenarian as a one-year-old baby

An American airline continues to treat a 101-year-old woman as a one-year-old baby when she takes a plane, the BBC reported on April 28.

The misunderstanding would be due to a bug in the American Airlines reservation system which would not be able to recognize the date of birth of Patricia, born in 1922. By default, the system records her date of birth in 2022, otherwise said 100 years later. In the eyes of the American company, the centenarian is therefore a one-year-old baby. A system error that leads to misunderstandings every time Patricia boards a plane. A situation that amuses the centenarian: “It was funny to see that they thought I was just a little child when I was an old lady,” she tells the BBC.

A BBC journalist actually witnessed such a scene of confusion when he was traveling on the same plane as the centenarian from Chicago to Marquette, Michigan, in the United States.

This error in the system nevertheless leads to uncomfortable situations for the centenarian, such as the absence of a wheelchair available to her at the airport.

For several years, Patricia no longer travels alone, because of her vision problems, but often in the company of her daughter Kris. Having her true age in the system would benefit them: "I wish they would fix the computer because my poor daughter had to carry all our luggage and clothes almost a kilometer from a boarding gate to the other". However, she specifies that American Airlines employees have always been kind towards her.

The airline's IT problems won't stop the centenarian from traveling. She has already booked her next flight next fall. She will then be 102 years old. Hopefully the problem will be resolved by then!