The system encouraged him to solve immediate problems for powerful people.
So he stopped asking whether the solution created another problem for someone else.
During his interview, the investigator asked him whether he'd have changed my seat if Caroline hadn't been associated with a valuable corporate account.
Keating was quiet.
Then answered.
"Probably not."
The honesty surprised the investigator.
She asked why.
He looked toward the table.
"Because there wouldn't have been a reason to."
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then the investigator asked whether the original passenger's paid reservation should have counted as a reason not to move him.
Keating lowered his head.
He knew the answer.
He had known it when he entered the override.
But admitting that meant acknowledging that he'd made a choice based on influence rather than the airline's ordinary standards.
And that was harder than blaming the software.
Marianne Harlow's interview was equally difficult.
She had spent sixteen years building a career in cabin service.
She knew emergency procedures, passenger communication, and the complicated demands placed on flight attendants during boarding.
She had helped sick travelers.
Calmed frightened children.
And handled medical emergencies with professionalism.
Her record contained many positive evaluations.
But investigators also found earlier reports suggesting that she sometimes prioritized influential customers over the fair application of service procedures.
One junior attendant described a flight where Marianne instructed her to move a passenger from a preferred seat because a celebrity's representative requested it.
Another recalled being reprimanded after she questioned an unexplained last-minute downgrade.
The investigators examined those accounts carefully.
They didn't assume every recollection was accurate.
But they compared the statements with available records.
Then they reviewed Flight 617.
The passenger video showed Caroline grabbing my clothing and striking the cup.
Marianne acknowledged that she saw both actions.
She also acknowledged that she initially described the incident as a seating dispute rather than a physical confrontation.
The investigator asked why.
For a long time, she was silent.
Then whispered, "I was afraid of the complaint that would come from Mrs. Prescott."
The investigator nodded.
"What about the complaint from the passenger who was harmed?"
Marianne looked down.
For several seconds, she couldn't speak.
Then tears filled her eyes.
"I didn't think about it the same way."
The investigator waited.
Marianne continued.
"I knew he was upset. I knew he needed help. But I kept thinking about getting the flight out on time and avoiding trouble with the corporate account."
She wiped her cheeks.
Then whispered, "I made the wrong choice."
That admission didn't determine the final outcome of her employment review.