Premium service coordination.
Corporate relationship enhancement.
On paper, they sounded legitimate.
But the operational records raised serious questions.
Certain staff accessed itinerary details outside their ordinary responsibilities.
Some passenger records were exported.
Several customers reported receiving unsolicited commercial approaches shortly after confidential travel bookings.
And more than one complaint about preferential treatment had been reclassified or closed without adequate justification.
The chairwoman reviewed the timeline.
Eleven weeks.
Dozens of interviews.
Hundreds of records.
Still no complete picture.
She did not assume Richard was guilty of every suspected act.
That would be careless.
She wanted evidence.
But the confrontation made one thing undeniable.
At least some employees believed Richard possessed authority he did not legally have.
That was enough to demand immediate change.
She opened a secure message to the general counsel.
Preserve all records concerning today's seating request. Obtain the original instruction, distribution list, access history, and any related communications. Confirm independent review protocols remain in place.
Then she sent another message to the chief executive.
Suspend discretionary premium-client seat overrides pending review. No employee should face retaliation for reporting improper instructions.
She paused.
Then typed a third.
Schedule an independent board briefing upon arrival.
She closed the laptop.
Outside the window, sunlight reflected off the aircraft wing.
The Atlantic stretched beneath them.
For several minutes, she watched the clouds.
She thought about her father.
He would have been furious if he had seen a passenger throwing another person's belongings.
But she knew what he would say about the broader investigation.
Check the system.
Don't guess.
Don't let the important people skip the checklist.
She smiled sadly.
Then returned to work.
When the aircraft landed in London, she did not step directly into a waiting limousine.
Instead, she met privately with the cabin crew in an airport conference room arranged by the airline's ground operations team.
The meeting was voluntary for staff members not required for immediate postflight duties, and employees were offered the opportunity to provide statements through proper channels.
She made one thing clear at the beginning.
Nobody would be punished simply for telling the truth.
Emily, the young attendant, sat near the end of the table.
Her eyes were tired.
She looked frightened.
The chairwoman noticed.
"Emily."
The attendant looked up.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Would you be comfortable explaining how the seat request reached you?"
Emily nodded slowly.
She described the message.
The premium services director.