RELATED VIDEO CNN's Kate Snow reports on measures airlines are taking to prepare for Y2K Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K

March 26, 1999
Web posted at: 6:16 p.m. EST (2316 GMT)

From Correspondent Kate Snow

(CNN) -- Air travel experts say the Y2K computer bug will not make airplanes fall from the sky but they are not ruling out flight cancellations, reroutes or other inconveniences.

Boeing and Airbus say their planes have no year 2000 issues that could compromise safety. The Federal Aviation Administration is working to make sure pilots can depend on air traffic control. FAA officials say all of their systems will be Y2K compliant by June 30, 1999.

A Y2K report card by Congressman Steve Horn calls the FAA's pace sluggish. But the agency says it's being graded on a test it's not scheduled to take until June.

Even if computers fail, controllers can still do things the old way. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey says controllers might be able to get along without computers. "We're so used to the computers, but there was a time when all of those computers were not in place and air traffic was being managed."

"The airlines will be OK. But it won't do them any good if they can't land," says Sen. Bob Bennett, Chairman of the Year 2000 Committee. He says the real problem is with airport systems because computers play a role in everything from baggage handling to landing lights. Bennett also warns about flying outside the United States. "If an airline announces it won't fly to a certain country, good sign something is wrong there."

One of the world's largest airlines, Delta, has been working on the problem for more than 2 years. It's working on every system from airline flight schedules to reservations.

Delta says its planes will be as safe as always. It claims the worst thing that could happen would be delays or reroutes if individual airports have computer trouble.

Walter Taylor, Delta's Year 2000 Program Manager, says there are no promises. "No one can guarantee the absence of interruptions, just like with thunderstorms, but I'm not anticipating any major problems in those areas."

Delta expects to have the Y2K glitch completely fixed by summer.

All airlines flew over one potential stumbling block last month. February 4 was the first day computers could take reservations for flights in 2000 and it went smoothly.