Airline Firms Assure Passengers Of Uninterrupted Service In 2000

Sun Star Daily
September 17, 1998
News

AIR travelers don’t need to panic at the approach of the next millennium even as the Y2K bug rears its ugly head.  The country’s airline industry has assured of uninterrupted operations even during the millennium crossover.

The millennium or Y2K bug refers to problems that date-dependent computer systems will face if they do not recognize the year 2000.  Unconverted system will read 01/01/00 as Jan. 1, 1900 instead of Jan. 1, 2000.

But major airline companies in the country have already upgraded their computer systems to avoid such problems.  There were fears that computerized aircraft might not function if these were not made Y2K compliant.

Autopilot

Bert Pangan, data maintenance manager of Philippine Airlines (PAL), explained that old aircraft using autopilot might cease to operate if these are not upgraded to recognize the year 2000.

But he also explained that the effects of the Y2K bug are not that drastic and that apprehensions about airplanes crashing during the crossover are unfounded.

As for PAL, Pangan said all of its aircraft are state-of-the art and Y2K compliant.

PAL press relations manager Simoun Canton Jr. added that the airline has upgraded all its systems by installing discs into its computers.

“Our airbus and 747-400 are all highly computerized aircraft, and they are Y2K compliant.  We upgraded all our systems beginning last year, way ahead of the others,” Canton explained.

Pangan also said that old computers are being slowly phased out to be replaced by new ones which are Y2K compliant.

For Air Philippines, its central office in Manila is also currently working on correcting its system to avoid the millennium problem, said Rommel Gonzales, Cebu station manager.

But Gonzales said they are not taking the Y2K problem as a big thing to panic about because they don’t think this will affect much of their operations.

“Personally, I am not worried about this because I don’t know exactly what its (Y2K) effects would be.  I don’t think it will affect our lives,” Gonzales told Sun.Star Daily.

Reservation

However, he said that the millennium bug might affect the reservation system since the transaction is basically done through computers.

But the possible problem, Gonzales explained, is now being corrected by the airline’s Manila head office.

Grand Air manager Maripet Baldemor yesterday also explained that the company does not consider the Y2K problem a serious one.

However, she stressed that the company’s Manila central office is now working on upgrading its systems.

She expressed certainty that the year 2000 will not bring major difficulties for airline operations since computer experts from advanced countries are doing something to address the problem.