'563 flights and never...': Microsoft executive denied from India flight due to..., here's what happened

A Microsoft executive recently found himself unable to board a flight to India due to a mix-up with his business visa's expiration date. The confusion arose from the different date formats used in the United States and other countries, leading to an unfortunate travel mishap.

The executive, who serves as the Corporate Vice President (CVP) of Microsoft Word and Editor, shared his experience on the Meta-owned social media platform Threads. He revealed that despite taking over 500 flights in the past two decades without ever missing one, he was denied boarding this time because his business visa had expired. His post has since been deleted, and the information has not been independently verified by DNA India.

Date Format Confusion Leads to Missed Flight
The core of the issue lay in the discrepancy between the date formats used in the United States and most other countries, including India. In the US, the standard date format is MM/DD/YYYY (month/day/year), while most other countries use the DD/MM/YYYY (day/month/year) format. This difference can lead to significant confusion, particularly with dates like "10/02/2025," which could be interpreted as October 2nd in the US but as February 10th elsewhere.

In this case, the Microsoft executive misread his visa's expiration date. He believed it would expire in October 2025, but it had actually expired in February 2025. "Today I met my match at the airport. After flying 563 flights and never missing a flight, I was denied boarding for my flight to India. My own fault. My 5-year business visa expired on 10/2/2025... after looking at this half a dozen times I missed the obvious conversion to International conventions," he wrote.

A Defensible Mistake?
The executive defended his error, pointing out that many Americans are accustomed to the MM/DD/YYYY date format. "In the US, the 350 or so million people use MM/DD/YYYY for everything. So encountering other date formats with a different format can, in fact, lead to mistakes," he stated.

While many on social media criticized him for what they saw as an avoidable mistake, the situation highlights the genuine confusion that date format differences can cause. It serves as a reminder for international travelers to double-check travel documents, particularly when dealing with international date conventions.

Such a situation also underscores the broader issue of standardization in global travel documents and the need for heightened awareness among frequent travelers. The story of the Microsoft executive's missed flight is a cautionary tale for all travelers navigating the complexities of global travel and documentation.