*sigh*

My mother goes home today. There was a slight panic in our house this morning when American Airlines decided that my mother's departing flight did not exist.

Me: Are you sure that's the right flight number?

Mum: (Showing me her itinerary that my brother printed for her when he booked the seats in DECEMBER) That's what it says on the ticket...

Me: There's no such flight number.

Mum: (shrugging) That's what it says on the ticket...

(at this point I'm feeling like I'm in a scene from the Grapes of Wrath, where the Joad family have a 'han'bill' promising them work in California and treat it as though it's a piece of ultimate truth)

Me: It doesn't matter WHAT your itenerary says, there's no such flight!

Mum: *shrugging and waving her hands* That's what it says on the ticket.

*sigh*

I called AA to ask what the deal was.

AA Agent: There's no such flight number.

Me: I know. I checked online and asked her, but she's insisting that what it says on her ticket. So, what flight IS she on?

Agent: The one leaving an hour later. Don't worry, she's got a reserved seat.


I got off the phone and wrote down the details for mother (why she wanted me to write them down I don't know; I'm taking her to the airport and getting her checked in).

Mum: Aren't they supposed to tell people when flights change like that?

Me: Yeah, and I don't know why they didn't.


Half an hour later, totally out of the blue:

Mum: I wonder if the new tickets your brother gave me before I left have the new flight number on them...

Me: Wait, what? What 'new tickets'!?

Mum: About a week before I left he rang to say there was a change. I was in town so he shoved the papers through the letterbox...I didn't really look at them, I just put them in with the other tickets.

She hands me a package of papers and sure as shit, the 'new' flight number is right on the front.

Mum: Oh. I thought that he meant it was the flight I came in on that was changed by 5 minutes. I didn't look at it, I just stuffed it in with all the other papers he give (sic) me.

Me: *sigh*