- 1 Febbraio 2012
- 12,503
- 2,639
Perdonate il titolo, che riprende una nota trilogia di fantascienza che sto leggendo e che ovviamente mi ha influenzato.
Riporto qui la notizia apparsa su BBC News e relativa ad una simpatica 101enne che, ogni volta che vola, viene scambiata per una "infant" dal DCS, con tutti i disagi del caso (ad esempio la mancata assegnazione del posto).
www.bbc.com
A 101-year-old woman keeps getting mistaken for a baby because of an error with an airline's booking system.
The problem occurs because American Airlines' systems apparently cannot compute that Patricia, who did not want to share her surname, was born in 1922, rather than 2022.
The BBC witnessed the latest mix-up, which she and the cabin crew were able to laugh off.
“It was funny that they thought I was only a little child and I’m an old lady!” she said.
But the centenarian says she would like the glitch to be fixed as it has caused her some problems in the past.
For example, on one occasion, airport staff did not have transport ready for her inside the terminal as they were expecting a baby who could be carried.
The glitch the BBC witnessed happened when Patricia was flying between Chicago and Marquette, Michigan - a flight this reporter was also travelling on.
Patricia was flying with her daughter, Kris.
“My daughter made the reservation online for the ticket and the computer at the airport thought my birth date was 2022 and not 1922," she told me.
"The same thing happened last year and they were also expecting a child and not me."
Patricia’s seat was booked as an adult ticket.
But it appears the airport computer system is unable to process a birth date so far in the past - so it defaulted to one 100 years later instead.
The former nurse, who flies every year to see family and escape the cold winters, says on both occasions staff at American Airlines were kind and helpful, in spite of the confusion.
American Airlines has not responded to a request for comment.
The centenarian says she would like it to be fixed. On a previous flight, Patricia and her daughter were waiting inside the plane after other passengers had left, as airport staff had not arranged a wheelchair for her.
She says having her real age acknowledged would also be beneficial for Kris.
“I would like them to fix the computer as my poor daughter had to carry all our luggage and apparel almost a mile from one gate to the other,” she said.
Next trip
Patricia travelled solo until she was 97, but has been reliant on help from her family since then.
“I have some trouble with my eyesight now so I wouldn’t want to do it on my own,” she said.
But she is adamant the IT problems will not put her off flying, and says she is looking forward to her next flight in the autumn.
By then she will be 102 - and perhaps by then the airline computers will have caught on to her real age.
Problema, non mi stancherò ma di dirlo, che ereditiamo da sistemi informativi le cui aziende hanno campato per anni in regime di oligopolio.
Può sembrare una banalità modificare un programma per consentirgli di gestire un'età con 3 digit, ma su sistemi vecchi, con codice sedimentato a strati tipo città di Troia, non è facile né economico.
Prego spesso Gesù Bambino che aiuti IATA a trovare presto la quadra per One Order, che non solo semplificherà enormemente il modello dati alla base del trasporto aereo ma - cosa a mio avviso ancor più rilevante - per il tramite di questa innovazione aprirà le porte ad una concorrenza tra system provider mai vista prima. Per ora le mie preghiere sono rimaste inesaudite, ma non demordo.
Nel frattempo @13900 e tutti i program manager come lui sono avvisati, e già tremano all'idea!
@Dancrane, invece, tra qualche anno proverà sulla sua pelle cosa significhi viaggiare quando il sistema non legge correttamente la tua età.
Riporto qui la notizia apparsa su BBC News e relativa ad una simpatica 101enne che, ogni volta che vola, viene scambiata per una "infant" dal DCS, con tutti i disagi del caso (ad esempio la mancata assegnazione del posto).
American Airlines keeps mistaking 101-year-old passenger for baby
An IT glitch leaves the cabin crew expecting to welcome a baby on board rather than a centenarian.
www.bbc.com
A 101-year-old woman keeps getting mistaken for a baby because of an error with an airline's booking system.
The problem occurs because American Airlines' systems apparently cannot compute that Patricia, who did not want to share her surname, was born in 1922, rather than 2022.
The BBC witnessed the latest mix-up, which she and the cabin crew were able to laugh off.
“It was funny that they thought I was only a little child and I’m an old lady!” she said.
But the centenarian says she would like the glitch to be fixed as it has caused her some problems in the past.
For example, on one occasion, airport staff did not have transport ready for her inside the terminal as they were expecting a baby who could be carried.
The glitch the BBC witnessed happened when Patricia was flying between Chicago and Marquette, Michigan - a flight this reporter was also travelling on.
Patricia was flying with her daughter, Kris.
“My daughter made the reservation online for the ticket and the computer at the airport thought my birth date was 2022 and not 1922," she told me.
"The same thing happened last year and they were also expecting a child and not me."
Patricia’s seat was booked as an adult ticket.
But it appears the airport computer system is unable to process a birth date so far in the past - so it defaulted to one 100 years later instead.
The former nurse, who flies every year to see family and escape the cold winters, says on both occasions staff at American Airlines were kind and helpful, in spite of the confusion.
American Airlines has not responded to a request for comment.
The centenarian says she would like it to be fixed. On a previous flight, Patricia and her daughter were waiting inside the plane after other passengers had left, as airport staff had not arranged a wheelchair for her.
She says having her real age acknowledged would also be beneficial for Kris.
“I would like them to fix the computer as my poor daughter had to carry all our luggage and apparel almost a mile from one gate to the other,” she said.
Next trip
Patricia travelled solo until she was 97, but has been reliant on help from her family since then.
“I have some trouble with my eyesight now so I wouldn’t want to do it on my own,” she said.
But she is adamant the IT problems will not put her off flying, and says she is looking forward to her next flight in the autumn.
By then she will be 102 - and perhaps by then the airline computers will have caught on to her real age.
Problema, non mi stancherò ma di dirlo, che ereditiamo da sistemi informativi le cui aziende hanno campato per anni in regime di oligopolio.
Può sembrare una banalità modificare un programma per consentirgli di gestire un'età con 3 digit, ma su sistemi vecchi, con codice sedimentato a strati tipo città di Troia, non è facile né economico.
Prego spesso Gesù Bambino che aiuti IATA a trovare presto la quadra per One Order, che non solo semplificherà enormemente il modello dati alla base del trasporto aereo ma - cosa a mio avviso ancor più rilevante - per il tramite di questa innovazione aprirà le porte ad una concorrenza tra system provider mai vista prima. Per ora le mie preghiere sono rimaste inesaudite, ma non demordo.
Nel frattempo @13900 e tutti i program manager come lui sono avvisati, e già tremano all'idea!
@Dancrane, invece, tra qualche anno proverà sulla sua pelle cosa significhi viaggiare quando il sistema non legge correttamente la tua età.
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