Y2K A-OK?

Airline industry aims to squash millennium bug

By Gary Gosselin

There has been much talk about the Y2k problem, and the air travel industry has been the subject of more than its share of speculation.

In short, industry and governments experts say the computer problem is being addressed, and passenger safety will not be compromised.

The Y2k problem arose because, in the early days of computing, programmers used only two digits to designate the year - 88 for 1988, for instance, or 99 for 1999.

The two-digit system was used because storage space was at a premium in those early computers, and those two digits saved countless millions of computer memory spots.

The amount of computer memory today in infinitely larger than it was even 20 years ago, and space is no longer an issue. But many of the old programs still exist, and therein lies the problem.

The old programs read the year 2000 as 00, but not necessarily 2000, but rather 1900. Or, they may read about a dozen other dates, such as 9/9/99, for example, as the end of the program.

The Federal Aviation Administration and all airlines have been working on the problem for the last three to four years, and are now in the testing phases. Most systems are already in compliance with readiness protocols, and the FAA, in a Y2k statement, maintains that the aviation industry will be prepared and safe.

The FAA also said it would decrease flights before it allows passenger safety to be compromised.

Toward that end, the FAA has established June 30 as the date that all systems be Y2k compliant. The rest of the year can be sent testing and retesting the system, according to an FAA statement. Plus, there are contingency plans in place should one or more of the systems fail.

According to its Y2k mission statement, the FAA has undergone a complete overhaul program, replacing much of the hardware and software used in the aviation industry.

According to the FAA, its systems will be functional on Jan. 1, 2000, and beyond.

The airline industry has been undergoing many of the same procedures as the FAA, and the two have been working closely together to maintain compliance.

Northwest Airlines, for instance, has been working on the problem since 1996, and has been booking flights for the new year since Jan. 14. Northwest has experienced no problems with the date change in its transactions.

According to Northwest's Y2k statement, renovations to its systems were totally completed in the first quarter of this year, and testing will continue throughout the year.

Northwest also has been working closely with suppliers and vendors to assure that they, too, are in compliance, and also has instituted contingency plans to assure smooth operations in the event of problems with those outside vendors.

United Airlines has been working on the problem even longer, and completed conversion March 31.

"Since 1995, we have had a team of 600 employees working diligently to ensure safe, uninterrupted service when the clock strikes midnight Dec. 31, 1999," United Airlines chairman and CEO Gerald Greenwald said in a written statement. "Under the direction of our Year 2000 Project office, each division and location of our company has inventoried programs and equipment, such as automated baggage systems and security systems, that may be affected by Y2K.

Robert Biga, Wayne County director of administration at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, said all airport operations will be operational. Wayne County operates all airport functions excluding security and, of course, flight operations.

Biga said his office has written plans on all systems that may be affected, and said most of those have been checked.

There are a few systems in need of further repair, he said, but those are planned for and will be fixed or replaced by September, leaving the rest of the year for a number of systems checks.

He also said contingency plans are in place, such as new power generators, should suppliers have unexpected problems, although suppliers also have been working on Y2k plans and testing of their own.

Airline officials are confident that the problem will not affect safety and expect computer systems be Y2k compliant and 100 percent operational by Jan. 1, 2000.

The nation's airlines say they are pulling out all stops to ensure that their operations are Y2k compliant soon enough to allow for adequate system testing. Photo by Dave Chapman

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