The problem occurs because American Airlines' systems apparently can't calculate that Patricia, who didn't want to share her surname, was born in 1922 instead of 2022.

The BBC witnessed the latest mix-up, which she and the cabin crew managed to laugh off.

"It was funny that they thought I was just a child and I'm an old lady!" she said.

But the centenarian says she would like the fault to be rectified, as it has caused her some problems in the past.

For example, on one occasion, airport staff didn't have transportation ready for her inside the terminal because they were waiting for a baby who could be transported.

The glitch that the BBC witnessed happened when Patricia was flying between Chicago and Marquette, Michigan. Patricia was traveling with her daughter, Kris.

"My daughter booked the ticket online and the airport computer thought my date of birth was 2022 and not 1922," she said.

"The same thing happened last year and they were also expecting a child and not me." Patrícia's seat was booked as an adult ticket.

But it seems that the airport's computer system can't process a date of birth that far back, so it chose a date 100 years later.

The former nurse, who travels every year to see her family and escape the cold winters, says that on both occasions the American Airlines staff were kind and helpful, despite the confusion.

American Airlines did not respond to a request for comment.

The centenarian says she would like the problem to be resolved. On a previous flight, Patricia and her daughter were left waiting inside the plane after the other passengers had left, as the airport staff had not arranged a wheelchair for her.

Patricia says that it would also benefit Kris if her real age were recognized.

"I wish they would fix the computer, because my poor daughter had to carry all our luggage and clothes for almost a kilometer and a half from one boarding gate to the other," she said.

Next trip
Patricia traveled alone until she was 97, but since then she has depended on her family for help.

"Now I have some vision problems, so I wouldn't want to do it alone," she said.

But she's convinced that the computer problems won't stop her from flying and says she's looking forward to her next flight in the fall.

By then, she'll be 102 and perhaps the airline's computers will have figured out her real age.