Let' see...De Jager says:
The respected industry consultant said North American airlines and air-traffic controllers have their shops in order.
He said he plans to fly from Chicago to London, England next New Year's Eve, to show he has faith that any possible problems have been resolved.
"But would I fly to other place in the world, for example Asia or Africa? The answer would be categorically no."(bold mine)
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Perhaps this is why?
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BC-MELLENNIUM-AIRLINES
Most Asian airlines ready to fly in 2000
By Christina Toh-Pantin
SINGAPORE, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Seventy percent of Asian airlines are
confident they will be airborne at the turn of the new year despite the
threat of the "millennium bug", a Reuters survey found.
Fourteen out of 20 respondents ‹ 70 percent ‹ said they would
"definitely" be flying on Jan. 1, 2000. Another 20 percent answered
"probably", one airline said it would "maybe" fly on that date and one,
Indonesia¹s financially stricken PT Garuda Indonesia, replied "probably
not".
Garuda officials declined to comment further on the reply.
But even those that said they would fly on new year¹s day were careful
to add qualifications. "SIA will be ready to fly on 1 Jan. 2000,"
commented Singapore¹s flagship Singapore Airlines.
"However we cannot state at this stage whether we shall operate every
service. Safety is paramount. The situation is being closely monitored."
The year 2000 or Y2K problem arises from the inability of some computers
and computer systems to recognise the date 2000, since they were
programmed to read only the last two digits of a year. The glitch may
cause computers to malfunction or shut down.
In January and February, Reuters asked Asian airlines and airport
regulators six questions about millennium compliance.
Respondents did not answer every question.
Of the 20 airlines that answered the first question about whether their
computer systems were Year 2000 compliant, 85 percent said they were not
completely ready.
Two of the three that said they were already compliant are South Korea¹s
Asiana Airlines and China¹s Hainan Airlines Co. The third did not want
its answers to be identified.
Deadlines for full millennium compliance ranged from March 1999 to
October 1999.
How did the airlines define compliance? The largest percentage of 14
respondents ‹ 71.4 percent ‹ said they took it to mean "All systems will
function into Year 2000".
Four airlines said compliance meant that its operation and all other
operators it relied on were compliant. Another four picked both
statements as their definition of compliance.
Analysts and industry observers said the airline industry will be
watched especially closely. "It¹s a very high-profile industry," said
Peter Negline, an analyst at Salomon Smith Barney.
"If this issue is not resolved with confidence and public fears are not
allayed suitably, it certainly could damage the industry," he said.
Asia has been accused of falling behind in Y2K preparations, and an
economic crisis has raised concerns that funds will be diverted to more
immediate needs.
While the respondents were bullish about their own prospects of flying
at the turn of the new year, they were less certain about other
carriers.
When asked if some carriers would choose not fly on Jan. 1, 2000,
respondents were almost evenly split, with 55.6 percent saying some
airlines would not be airborne.
For those that believed some airlines would not be flying, two expected
the carriers to be grounded for one day, two for up to one week and one
for longer than a month.
Airlines can¹t afford to idle their fleets, said James Ong, public
relations officer at the 19-member Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.
"No matter how small their earnings are, they need to keep flying".
Most airlines and airport authorities are in the advanced stages of
millennium compliance. Out of 21 responses to a question asking for a
rating of readiness, 81 percent said they are in the "green" mode,
meaning that they have a "comprehensive and realistic programme in place
and on schedule".
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has categorised
states of preparedness according to the colours black, red, yellow,
green and blue.
Black means the airline has "no programme in place". Just one airline,
Air China, said it is in the blue "fully tested and compliant systems"
stage.
The balance, 14.3 percent, said their programme "is behind schedule" but
that recovery was in place.
Analysts say a bigger issue than the compliance of airlines themselves
is whether airports and air traffic control are ready.
IATA has launched a $20 million programme to monitor and assist Y2K
preparedness among industry suppliers. It is doing on-site audits at
major airports and offering training or "toolkits" to smaller airports
to guide them on fixing the problems.
Indeed, airlines recognise there are potential problems outside their
control. Australia¹s Qantas Airways Ltd said it may have to vary its
flying patterns if it considers, for example, "that the integrity of any
airspace zone, air traffic control system or airport" does not meet its
standards.
REUTERS Reut05:34 02-15
(via the South African Press Association's wire service)
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Darn those pesky global relationships and dependencies, eh Qantas?
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