Not one.
Individually, each case had looked minor.
A disputed lounge entry.
An extra request for identification.
A seat challenge.
A cabin crew complaint.
A passenger being asked whether they were “sure” they were in the correct line.
Nothing large enough to reach the CEO.
Together, they formed a pattern.
Thomas stared at the spreadsheet.
“This existed in my company.”
The head of customer experience answered carefully.
“Yes.”
“And nobody escalated it.”
“Our system treats complaints by event type, not demographic pattern.”
Thomas looked at her.
“Then our system is designed not to see it.”
Nobody answered.
At 9:00 a.m. Eastern time, Alexander joined the video conference.
He wore a dark sweater.
No suit.
No tie.
Behind him hung a large abstract painting.
Thomas thought he looked infuriatingly rested.
“Mr. Thorne.”
“Mr. Davies.”
Thomas took a breath.
“I want to begin with an apology.”
Alexander waited.
“What happened at JFK was unacceptable.”
Still silence.
Thomas continued.
“We have confirmed that your seat was reassigned without a legitimate aircraft or operational reason.”
Alexander’s expression remained neutral.
“The code entered into the system was inaccurate.”
“Yes.”
“And another passenger received my seat.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Thomas hesitated.
“The investigation is not complete.”
“Then don’t answer before it is.”
That surprised him.