Woman, 101, is mistaken for a BABY because American Airlines’ computer system can’t accept that she was born in 1922 and not 2022 – as she jokes ‘they thought I was a child and I’m an old lady!’
- A 101-year-old woman flying from Chicago to Marquette was mistaken for a baby
- The cabin crew expected her to be a baby due to an error in the booking system
A woman who flew from Chicago to Marquette, Michigan, was left stunned this week after being mistaken for a baby.
Patricia, 101, was boarding the plane with her daughter Kris when she was confronted by cabin crew.
Oddly enough, they expected her to be one year old, due to an error in the American Airlines booking system.
Patricia, who did not want her last name shared, was born in 1922 and not 2022 – something the computer system did not seem to be able to accept.
Speaking to the BBCwho witnessed the confusion, she said, “It was funny that they thought I was just a little kid and that I’m an old lady!”
A woman who flew from Chicago to Marquette, Michigan, was left stunned this week after being mistaken for a baby. Patricia, 101, was boarding the plane with her daughter Kris when she was confronted by cabin crew
The strange glitch occurred after Kris purchased two adult tickets for the flight through the American Airlines website.
“My daughter booked the ticket online and the computer at the airport thought my date of birth was 2022 and not 1922,” Patricia told the BBC.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time the problem has affected the former nurse.
βThe same thing happened last year and they were also expecting a child and I wasn’t,β she added.
On both occasions, Patricia said airline staff were friendly and helpful, but admitted the glitch had proven problematic in the past.
On one trip, airport staff were expecting a baby and so did not have a wheelchair ready for her in the terminal.
A solution would also be helpful for her daughter, Patricia says.
βI would like them to fix the computer as my poor daughter had to carry all our luggage and clothes from one gate to another for almost a mile,β she added.
MailOnline has contacted American Airlines for comment.
The strange glitch occurred after Kris purchased two adult tickets for the flight through the American Airlines website (stock image)
This isn’t the first time a computer glitch has led to confusion about someone’s age.
In 2012, a 99-year-old woman born in 1912 was denied a credit card after a glitch thought her date of birth had not yet happened.
Madeline Otto was told by an embarrassed cashier that she was too old to get a credit card after the computer rejected her application.
The computer automatically assumed the ’12’ was 2012 and of course denied her credit because she wasn’t technically born yet.
With an estimated 722,000 centenarians worldwide, these computer glitches are worth fixing quickly!