U.S. AIRLINES CANCEL HUNDREDS OF YEAR-END FLIGHTS
12/29/99 10:46:00 AM
Washington, Dec 29, 1999 (EFE via COMTEX) -- U.S. airlines have
canceled hundreds of flights scheduled for Dec. 31 and early Jan. 1 for
fear of possible complications from the so-called Y2K computer bug.
The USA Today newspaper reported Wednesday that there would only be
some 45 planes in the air around midnight on New Year's Eve.
Airlines said that a lack of reservations was the reason behind the
cancellations.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that a vast majority of
airlines and all airports in the United States were Y2K compliant.
The Y2K bug refers to the possibility that some computers might not
recognize the last two digits of the year, reading 2000 as 1900, and
analysts say the software glitch could have unexpected consequences.
U.S.-based airlines have canceled about 20 percent of the flights
scheduled for Dec. 31.
American Airlines has canceled about 20 percent of the 2,500 flights it
had scheduled for the last day of the year. The airline will have one
plane in the air, carrying FAA Director Jane Garvey and a group of
journalists, at midnight.
Garvey will make the trip from Dallas to San Francisco to dispel any
fears about possible computer problems.
America West will have one plane in the air, while Delta and US Airways
will have 35 and eight active planes, respectively.
But the precautions were not limited to U.S. carriers. Australia-based
Qantas announced that it had no scheduled flights for midnight Dec. 31.
Belgium's Sabena said it had scheduled one flight for midnight, and it
would carry airline chief Paul Reutlinger.
The Dutch carrier KLM said that it had grounded all its flights for
Dec. 31. EFE
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