Y2K Status of Some Air Travel Systems Unclear

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

More mixed news...

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/19990929/pl/y2k_air_travel_1.html

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), September 29, 1999

Answers

[Fair Use: For Educational/Research Purposes Only]

Wednesday September 29 2:55 PM ET

Some Air Systems Y2K Status Unclear

By JIM ABRAMS Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Thirty-four nations whose airports handled 1 million passengers traveling to and from the United States last year have yet to report on steps taken to remedy possible Y2K computer problems, the Transportation Department inspector general says.

Lack of information is also worrisome closer to home, Inspector General Kenneth Mead said in testimony to be delivered Thursday to the Senate special panel on the Y2K problem.

He said that while air carriers handling 95 percent of passenger and cargo services in the United States say they will be Y2K-ready at the end of September, 1,900 smaller carriers out of 3,300 air carriers did not respond to a Federal Aviation Administration survey.

Y2K-related failures or disruptions are likely to be isolated local events in this country, Mead said, but ``we are disappointed at the lack of information concerning the readiness of many smaller providers.''

The FAA has stressed that vital airport systems are ready for the year 2000 date rollover and FAA Administrator Jane Garvey has booked a cross-country airline flight for New Year's Eve to show her confidence that air travel is safe.

Older computers that read only the last two digits of a year could mistake the year 2000, or ``00,'' as 1900, causing systems to malfunction or break down.

Mead said the International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N.-based group that sets international flight standards, surveyed its 185 members and 34 had not responded as of Sept. 23. That was down from 53 that had not responded at the end of August. Most not supplying information were Asian, African and former Soviet Union countries.

Ed Smart of the International Federation of Air Line Pilot Associations, in testimony before the Senate panel, said pilots too were confident of flight safety in North America and the eastern Pacific and northern Atlantic regions. But he said ``we are somewhat less confident'' about Eastern Europe and other areas of the world.

He said there was a possibility of airspace and airports along main Asia-Europe routes being closed because of air-ground communications failures. His association is recommending that pilots carry an extra 30 minutes of fuel and that the ICAO make military airports available to cope with possible Y2K-induced delays and diversions.

The FAA plans to impose flight restrictions if there is a known, verifiable safety problem. But Mead said, ``We are not persuaded this approach will be sufficient because FAA is not likely to have verified evidence of problems until after Dec. 31, 1999.''

As examples of lack of information, he said only 107 of 579 non-hub and general aviation airports had completed Y2K work as of March 15, and the 4,624 public airports not associated with the major airport associations had not been surveyed by the FAA or the trade associations.

Aside from air transportation, Mead said only 33 of 83 U.S. port authorities had responded to an August survey, and the Coast Guard got a 36 percent return on its survey of more than 5,000 marine facilities.

Of 30 transit authorities questioned by the Federal Transit Administration, four said they were Y2K compliant and 26 said they should be ready by the end of the year. Amtrak and major freight railroads are in good shape, but 541 other regional and local freight railroads have not been surveyed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), September 29, 1999.


While large airlines, airports and other transportation providers are well on track to complete Y2K fixes before the date roll-over, the dearth of Y2K information about small airlines and much of the shipping industry has officials at the US Department of Transportation (DOT) worried.

More than 1,900 small air carriers nationwide have failed to respond to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Y2K survey of more than 3,000 US airlines and roughly 500 airports, according to DOT testimony prepared for a hearing of the Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem.

"You don't want to infer anything from the (lack of) information, but this committee has a tradition of being concerned when no information is available," committee staffer Don Meyer told Newsbytes today.

DOT Inspector General Kenneth Mead is scheduled to testify Thursday on the Y2K readiness of the nation's transportation carriers and infrastructure.

Mead's testimony urges the FAA to demand Y2K readiness statements from all US carriers.

The DOT's aviation concerns extend outside the United States as well. More than 30 of the 185 countries represented by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have failed to respond to an ICAO Y2K survey.

More than 1 million passengers traveled from the United States to the 34 non-responding countries in 1998, the DOT found.

Mead's testimony suggests that the FAA look into restricting US flights to countries that fail to provide Y2K information.

Another area of grave concern outlined in Mead's prepared testimony is the maritime shipping industry.

A recent US Coast Guard survey of shipping company Y2K readiness generated an anemic 43 percent response rate, setting off alarm bells for Y2K authorities.

The Coast Guard has, to date, taken 175 "actions" against shipping companies for failing to provide timely and accurate Y2K information. The Coast Guard further intends to keep some "high-risk" vessels out of US Ports during the period surrounding the date roll over.

On the bright side, most large carriers and airports appear to have either completed or have very nearly competed their Y2K fixes, according to Mead's testimony.

The DOT's mission-critical systems are also Y2K ready.

Reported by Newsbytes.com, http://www.newsbytes.com .

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), September 29, 1999.


LOL... priceless!

``We are not persuaded this approach will be sufficient because FAA is not likely to have verified evidence of problems until after Dec. 31, 1999.''

;-D

Live test-day coming up... 01/01/2000.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), September 30, 1999.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ