She tells her story to the British broadcaster BBC.
Patricia, born in 1922, has found herself in remarkable situations for the past two years when she wants to board a flight with American Airlines. Despite her old age, she still does this with some regularity to visit her family.
Need assistance
And that went well until her 100th birthday. She even flew completely independently until she was 97. After that, she always flew with family, mainly because her eyesight had become too bad. But that also went well. When booking you can indicate whether you need assistance on board. And then the crew ensures that a special wheelchair is ready to wheel you through the narrow aisle to your seat.
But since Patricia – she prefers to keep her last name to herself – is a centenarian, the crew is no longer ready with a wheelchair, but with a maxicosi or a special baby bed. Indeed: American Airlines’ computer systems are apparently not yet completely millennium-proof. Patricia’s date of birth of 1922 is listed in the systems as ’22.
The inconveniences were always solved on the spot with a smile, she says, but a solution for the next flight would still be nice.
