106-year-old woman gets VIP treatment after airport age issue covered by FOX 26

106-year-old woman gets VIP treatment after airport age issue

FOX 26 Reporter Randy Wallace caught up with 106-year-old Cretora Biggerstaff about her most recent travel from Florida to Houston.

HOUSTON - Cretora Biggerstaff says if you tell someone you are 106, most people think of someone sitting in a wheelchair drooling. That's not Cretora.

106-year-old woman gets VIP treatment

The backstory:

Back in March, FOX 26 did a report about an email she sent to the U.S Department of Transportation, United Airlines, and Delta Airlines. United was the only one that responded back.

Cretora flies twice a year, and she says airport computers seem to have an issue with her being 106.

"We have trouble from check-in to TSA with the computer thinking she's five or six years old from 1919 to 2019," said Cretora's daughter Sue Tosi.

Cretora recently flew from Florida to Houston. A seamless experience thanks to United Airlines. Cretora says she was treated like a VIP.

"I really did. It couldn't have been any better," she said.

What they're saying:

In a statement, United said, "I am happy to share that she recently traveled from Florida (JAX) to Houston (IAH) and had a seamless experience. As we would for any customer traveling with us, we went above and beyond to ensure that Ms. Biggerstaff was well-supported for her trip.  

• We spoke with daughter (Sue Tosi) and asked what type of assistance her mother needed in advance of her trip from Jacksonville to Houston.
• We (United) made a connection with the Jacksonville, FL team to ensure that she was given full assistance going through TSA, so there was no issue with detecting her age.
• Ms. Biggerstaff can also sign up for TSA programs like TSA Cares | Transportation Security Administration that can aid in preventing confusion regarding her age during the TSA screening process."

They added, "It was our distinct pleasure to do everything in our power to help Ms. Biggerstaff and make sure that her travel experience with us was a seamless one. We’re so happy that she is happy," said Andy Jamison, Managing Director of Customer Service, United Airlines, IAH Airport.