Virgin Atlantic Airways Won't Fly on Millennium Eve

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

Virgin won't fly on millennium's eve

Robert Uhlig

The Daily Telegraph

LONDON - Virgin Atlantic Airways has decided not to put its jetliners in the air over the millennium, but it denies that the Y2K computer bug is to blame.

The airline announced yesterday that it is planning to ground its fleet of 24 aircraft from Dec. 31 until the afternoon of Jan. 1. It is the first British carrier to cancel flights to North America, which experts have warned is likely to be badly affected by the millennium bug.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which is responsible for air traffic control systems for all routes covering America and the Caribbean region, has been singled out by the General Audit Office in Washington as being particularly vulnerable to Y2K.

Richard Branson, Virgin chairman, was at pains yesterday to explain the decision. "The millennium will be a unique event in all our lives,'' he said, "and both passengers and staff are telling us that they would like the opportunity to fly to be with friends and family, but that they want to celebrate the day itself in peace.''

In January, Jersey European Airways became the first British airline to cancel millennium flights. Other air carriers are studying an international report by the International Air Travel Association, which has examined every airport and air traffic authority around the globe.

Britain's Foreign Office has pressed the industry to make the confidential report public.



-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), April 29, 1999

Answers

Sorry! I see Old Git posted this about 25 threads down.

Old Git's thread

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), April 29, 1999.


Great minds think alike. Of course, fools seldom differ, too!

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), April 29, 1999.

Hi Old Git!! Great minds "fer sure!" :-)

I noticed this paragraph wasn't in the article you posted from, and I thought it was interesting:

"The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which is responsible for air traffic control systems for all routes covering America and the Caribbean region, has been singled out by the General Audit Office in Washington as being particularly vulnerable to Y2K."

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), April 29, 1999.


LINK

-- Scott Johnson (
scojo@yahoo.com), April 29, 1999.

I guess this means that Virgins won't be falling from the sky on New Year's Eve.

Damn...

-- (have@nother.cola), April 29, 1999.



Moderation questions? read the FAQ