“Anyone else involved?”
“Flight attendant Gary Mendes supported the decision.”
Thomas leaned back.
“Were there complaints?”
The head of customer experience hesitated.
That hesitation changed the meeting.
Thomas noticed immediately.
“Were there complaints?”
“Yes.”
“How many?”
“We’re pulling records.”
“About these two?”
“About similar treatment generally.”
Elena looked up.
“What does that mean?”
The executive swallowed.
“Premium passengers reporting inconsistent scrutiny, questioning of eligibility, unexplained seat challenges.”
Thomas went still.
“Demographics?”
Silence.
He did not need anyone to answer.
“Pull everything.”
The investigation began before Flight 88 reached Iceland.
Carol and Gary were removed from duty pending review.
When corporate security questioned them, both initially treated the matter as an ordinary service complaint.
Carol folded her arms.
“There was a seat conflict.”
The investigator placed a printout in front of her.
“No aircraft substitution occurred.”
Carol looked at it.
“I was told there was.”
“By whom?”
She hesitated.
“A commercial supervisor.”
“Name.”
“I don’t remember.”
“You entered the code personally.”
“Yes.”
“Did you verify the reason?”
“We were boarding.”
“That is not an answer.”
Gary was interviewed separately.
He insisted he had simply supported the gate agent.
“Passengers complain about seats all the time.”