Have you experienced a case of mistaken identity, while travelling?

[RooFlyer]

Reading @Mattg 's story about benefiting from being 'confused' with an Australian Olympic skier, here, reminded how I once also benefited from an identity mistake.

I was working for a private investment bank, owned by a very well known 'high flying' banker. He sent me to Sth America to look at stuff, and used his global CEO connections to arrange mine visits for me. While in Chile, his 19 yo son, doing a 'gap year', tagged along with me.

We got a visit to Barrack Gold's El Indio mine, high in the Andes on the border of Argentina. Barrack arranged for us to fly up there from Santiago on a special flight on the company plane and have what turned out to be a 'royal tour' of the complex. In fact the President of Barrick Gold South America (quite a big wig - Barrack Gold at the time was I think the world's biggest gold producer) was there to meet us at the airport in the morning.

I introduced my self, and then James xx_X. The Barrack guy's face instantly puzzled. Remained so until we parted to board the airport. Of course when the trip was arranged, it was for me and 'Mr xx_X' - and the President of Barrack Gold SA thought it was the kid's father!

A great visit, but the scariest flights through the Andes, rough as anything on the way back.

 

[drron]

One of our nieces had a similar experience. She was flying to the USA on Pan Am in Y. She has an unusual spelling of her surname which happened to be the same as the then president of Pan Am.
Staff incorrectly that she was the daughter as he did have a daughter of the same age. So she was upgraded to F and looked after extremely well. They never realised their mistake