Chicago Declares Airports Y2K Ready

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http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/hare29.htm

City declares airports ready for new year

September 29, 1999

BY GILBERT JIMENEZ TRANSPORTATION REPORTER

Chicago's airport computers and the FAA's radar equipment are ready to face the new year and the Y2K bug as well, officials said Tuesday.

"It will be safe to fly on Jan. 1, 2000," said city Aviation Commissioner Mary Rose Loney.

The Y2K problem involves the two-digit year designation in many date-dependent computer systems. On Jan. 1, the year digits will change to "00" in many systems, which could be read as 1900 and cause computer problems. Service interruptions could result.

Loney said all critical computer-related software and hardware at O'Hare, Midway and Meigs Field airports have been tested and brought into compliance where necessary, except for two systems.

Updating of the public address system in O'Hare's Terminal 1 and the airport's ground vehicle radios will be completed by Oct. 15, she said. The cost of the department's Y2K program will be about $8 million.

In addition, the FAA has completed the testing and correction of the nation's entire air traffic control system to eliminate the computer bug, said FAA Great Lakes Regional Administrtor Cecelia Hunziker.

FAA Administrator Jane Garvey has said she will demonstrate her confidence in the system by flying around the country on Dec. 31 and into early Jan. 1.

The feared computer problems, if they materialize, are generally expected to occur just after midnight on Jan. 1 as the date rolls over. However, the FAA runs on Greenwich Mean Time, which is six hours ahead of Central Standard Time. So for Y2K purposes the agency's "midnight" will occur at 6 p.m. Chicago time Dec. 31.

Also, a spokesman for the airlines and their Aviation Millennium Project have completed a $16 million program to ensure that commercial U.S. aircraft and their computer support facilities will not be affected by the date rollover problem.

"We will be ready," said project executive director Thomas Browne.(end)

Chicago said they would be completely y2k ready at the end of Sept. I am waiting impatiently (arms crossed, foot tapping) for the triumphant announcement.

-- Deborah (infowars@yahoo.com), October 04, 1999


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