Wrong information on Google flight card meant we missed our flight

I's so important for everyone to understand that Google can only approximate describing the real world in a structured way based on vast inputs of unstructured data with minimal human attention.

Twice that I can remember, I've gone to a restaurant that existed on Google maps but when I got there I saw had been long closed. That's my fault, Google isn't to blame because there were stale web pages somewhere indicating these restaurants still existed.

But the more Google represents itself as presenting truth without significant qualification, the more they do so with their signature lack of humility or accountability, the more disingenuous it becomes.

I'm skeptical of Google and apparently even I still sometimes make the mistake of assuming its data is correct. How many people don't understand even the basics of how Google gets its data and don't distinguish between the real world and the representation of the world in a database so vast that it could never be vetted?

I use Google to introduce my new rock climbers to the principle of "Climb the cliff, not the guidebook."

A group of 20 year olds are standing around their cars. "All right. Does every car have someone who knows the way to the car park for Beginner Cliff?" They all nod.

I drive to the car park, and wait for 5 minutes. My phone rings. "Hey, we're driving along the freeway, and we can see Beginner Cliff on the other side of Whopping Great Valley, but Google told us to drive here." I give them directions, and remind them that they said they knew the route. We repeat this for the other cars.

I sit back and read a book, and everyone else turns up 15 minutes later.

I'm amazed that there is a flight delay lawyer.

Right, what I have learned is that just because a flight might be late for you doesn't mean you can be late for it...

Flight delays have to be reported when it delays the arrival at destination time. I think you should generally assume the flight loads on time or as soon as possible after that, even in a delay situation.

the letter to the columnist is ambiguous and did not say if the consumer knew the email was from google or from the airline or from the agent. I can only imagine the consumer could not tell the difference and simply assumed that the advice came directly from the airline.

I have not seen this 'email' myself but I know that if the itinerary was present in my gmail inbox the flight details, i get the flight card on the google search engine when searching for the flight. definitely not in the form of an email.

Avoid the problem: if you receive a flight delay notification, check the airline's flight status website. Flight logistics are complicated and in constant flux.

I myself faced this issue when google told different arriving-departing terminals at transit. Called the airport and re-verified that it was wrong.