The records were unambiguous about the technical failure. Preston had been moved to Flight 802 after his earlier connection was canceled. During the recovery process, the system had generated a new boarding pass for 1A while the original reservation remained active, creating a duplicate that should have been caught by the gate team before boarding.
That problem alone would have been embarrassing. Airlines occasionally encountered reservation conflicts, but the correct response depended on the precise booking and carriage rules, the available alternative inventory, and any mandatory compensation. The software failure had a technical cause that Nisha could identify, document, and repair. The more serious problem was why the crew treated the two valid-looking passes so differently when the people carrying them demanded opposing outcomes.
Richard sat at a conference table with Nisha and the head of compliance, Elaine Foster. The room was bright, expensive, and furnished to project a kind of competence that the video on the wall now contradicted. Preston's voice echoed through the speakers, followed by Brock describing Darien as hostile.
"Stop there," Richard said.
Elaine paused the recording. Darien was visible in the private suite, both hands near the side table, while Brock stood in the aisle with her radio. Richard leaned forward and studied the frame.
"Where is the aggression?" he asked.
Nisha shook her head. "I haven't seen any in the footage reviewed so far. We've requested the complete recording and the crew reports."
"Then I want that distinction reflected in every internal account. He disputed a seat reassignment. That is not evidence of a security threat."
Elaine made a note. She had overseen investigations involving employee conduct before, and she knew that Richard was angry enough to make a decision on the spot. She also knew that the company would damage its own credibility if it appeared to punish employees for public relations reasons without establishing what they had done.
"We should put Brock on administrative leave when the aircraft lands," she said. "The captain can be removed from the next roster pending review, subject to the contract and established process. I want interviews with witnesses before final disciplinary decisions."
Richard rubbed his forehead. "Do it. I want a timely investigation, not a theatrical one. And I want us to review every complaint that was closed with the phrase passenger became disruptive after disputing an assignment. That wording may be hiding a pattern."
Nisha hesitated. "That could be a lot of cases."
"Then we have a lot of work to do."
Elaine closed her folder. "And the status issue?"
"Mr. Carmichael's account should be restricted pending the conduct review, with any final decision made under the program terms. Let the police handle whatever happened with the security worker. We are not threatening federal travel bans as a customer-service tactic."
"Understood," Elaine replied.