Subj: Galileo International's Apollo System, Airlines, Book... Date: 2/4/99 1:40:39 PM US Mountain Standard Time From: AOL News BCC: Lulu010101

Galileo International's Apollo System, Airlines, Book First U.S. Year 2000 Travel, Pass First Y2K

Year 2000 travel inventory now on Apollo(R) and Galileo(R) computerized

reservation systems

ROSEMONT, Ill., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Galileo International's (NYSE: GLC), Apollo(R) computerized reservation system (CRS), which serves North America, Japan and portions of the Caribbean, successfully passed its first Year 2000 (Y2K) test by processing airline availability, fare quote and ticketing requests for carriers offering inventory into the Year 2000. Galileo International's Apollo and Galileo(R) CRSs also successfully processed hotel and car rental reservations for Jan. 1, 2000. This confirms that Galileo's host systems and databases, and the travel suppliers' systems it successfully interfaced with, are Year 2000 ready now -- nearly 11 months before the new millennium arrives.

Today is the first date that the majority of air carriers, hotel and car rental companies make available their inventory for Jan. 1, 2000 reservations. Generally, travel suppliers make their inventory available just 331 days in advance of the actual travel date. February 4 is 331 days in advance of Jan. 1, 2000.

The company's Galileo CRS, which serves Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Africa, received its first round of Year 2000 itineraries on Jan. 3rd of this year, when 18 air carriers made available their Jan. 1, 2000 inventory. Just like its sister system, Apollo, the Galileo system also successfully processed reservations for the new millennium.

Today, a travel agent at Professional Travel of Englewood, Colo., a part of Navigant International, Inc., was one of the first to book a ticket for the Year 2000 on the Apollo system. It was for travel from Chicago O'Hare to Hartford, Conn., on Jan. 1, 2000. The round-trip ticket cost the traveler $345.

Kathy Cook, director of operations, Professional Travel, said, "Our first ticket for the new millennium was both historic and successful. The airline reservation and car and hotel bookings went very smoothly. We have worked closely with Galileo International on Y2K testing and are very confident that reservations in the Year 2000 will be business as usual."

"Since 1995, we have been working tirelessly to help ensure that our systems, and those of our business partners, travel agencies and travel suppliers, are ready for the new millennium," said Ronnie Hauptman, Galileo International's Year 2000 global project manager. "We are pleased to see that our hard work on our systems has paid off."

Galileo International is one of the world's leading providers of electronic global distribution services for the travel industry. The company provides travel agencies at approximately 39,000 locations, as well as other subscribers, the ability to access schedule and fare information, book reservations and issue tickets for more than 500 airlines. Galileo International also provides subscribers information and booking capabilities covering all major hotel chains, car rental companies, cruise lines and numerous tour operators throughout the world. Further information on the company is available on its Web site at http://www.galileo.com.

SOURCE Galileo International

CO: Galileo International

ST: Illinois

IN: CPR LEI

SU:

02/04/99 15:29 EST http://www.prnewswire.com

-- lulu (lulu010101@aol.com), February 04, 1999

Answers

Is this good news? Does this mean its possible for other industries to do as well?

-- Isthis (goodY2Knews@all.com), February 04, 1999.

Looks like good news to me, but it certainly doesn't address the problem of embedded systems. While I'm glad the reservations systems seems compliant, I would rather hear that the FAA is compliant. I'll tarde you one safe landing for two first-class tickets.

-- Vic (Roadrunner@compliant.com), February 04, 1999.

An earlier post. Travel Agents Trial Run, got several informative responses. One being, today only reservations for Jan. 1, 2000 could be made . Tomorrow reservations for Jan. 2. You can not make reservations for, say, March.

-- Linda A. (adahi@muhlon.com), February 04, 1999.

That would be trade.

-- Vic (Roadrunner@compliant.com), February 04, 1999.

I'm still fuzzy about the embedded chip problem. Could systems that are running right now like the ones above still have problems with embedded chips on Jan 1, 2000? What does real time mean? Does it mean that we won't know how well all these systems will run until the actual date of Jan 1, 2000?

-- Am I (tounderstand@all.com), February 04, 1999.

It is good news.

Airlines can traditionally only book forward about 330 days - don't ask me why, it's to do with the record structures, PNR chains, and authorization profiles (the voodoo that gets vou bumped or not depending on what colour underwear you're waring...)

Let's see how BA (BABS), AA (SABRE) and the others do...

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), February 04, 1999.

I'll take all the good news I can get, personally. This is good to hear, and hopefully they aren't pulling our legs since the reservations are for almost a year away (so who knows if they aren't fudging right now, knowing they won't have to deliver for another 11 months?) Oops, my skepticism is showing....better zip up.

Another interesting point that THEY made though... ""Since 1995, we have been working tirelessly.....""" Granted, they did list a huge network of vendors/suppliers etc.

All-in-all, a nice positive note

-----giving a one-handed clap---- Mr. K

-- Mr_Kennedy (y2kPCfixes@motivatedseller.com), February 05, 1999.