World's busiest airport ready for Y2K, Atlanta Mayor Says

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Let's see if 'dis sista can get it right 'da first time: FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

World's busiest airport ready for Y2K, Atlanta mayor says

July 1, 1999

Web posted at: 12:27 p.m. EDT (1627 GMT) ATLANTA (Reuters) -- Hartsfield Atlanta International, the world's busiest passenger airport, is Y2K compliant and will function as normal on January 1, 2000, city officials said Wednesday.

Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell said Hartsfield will be immune to the so-called millennium bug that some say threatens to disrupt computers worldwide unless steps are taken to bring systems up to date for the date change.

"I believe that aviation history has been made," Campbell said at a news conference. "The embedded chips have been fixed, and they can accurately read the date on January 1, 2000, and beyond."

The state of the world's aviation systems has been one of ter programmers trying to fix the "millennium bug," a problem created decades ago when programmers formatted years with just two numbers.

As a result, programmers fear some computers will read the double zero representing 2000 as 1900 and cause malfunctions.

According to Atlanta officials, most of the airport's vital systems have been independently tested for Y2K, including airfield operations, airport security and airline operator security.

Most security systems were replaced with more capable computer hardware, rather than fixed, officials said. Aviation Manager Benjamin DeCosta said that more $11 million was spent on Y2K issues since mid-1998. "We have 159 systems, with 9,000 components. In western technology, everywhere you look, there is a computer chip," he said.

In 1998, Hartsfield handled more than 73 million passengers and nearly 847,000 flights, making it the busiest passenger airport in the world.

World's busiest airport ready for Y2K, Atlanta mayor says July 1, 1999 Web posted at: 12:27 p.m. EDT (1627 GMT) ATLANTA (Reuters) -- Hartsfield Atlanta International, the world's busiest passenger airport, is Y2K compliant and will function as normal on January 1, 2000, city officials said Wednesday. Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell said Hartsfield will be immune to the so-called millennium bug that some say threatens to disrupt computers worldwide unless steps are taken to bring systems up to date for the date change. "I believe that aviation history has been made," Campbell said at a news conference. "The embedded chips have been fixed, and they can accurately read the date on January 1, 2000, and beyond." The state of the world's aviation systems has been one of ter programmers trying to fix the "millennium bug," a problem created decades ago when programmers formatted years with just two numbers. As a result, programmers fear some computers will read the double zero representing 2000 as 1900 and cause malfunctions. According to Atlanta officials, most of the airport's vital systems have been independently tested for Y2K, including airfield operations, airport security and airline operator security. Most security systems were replaced with more capable computer hardware, rather than fixed, officials said. Aviation Manager Benjamin DeCosta said that more $11 million was spent on Y2K issues since mid-1998. "We have 159 systems, with 9,000 components. In western technology, everywhere you look, there is a computer chip," he said. In 1998, Hartsfield handled more than 73 million passengers and nearly 847,000 flights, making it the busiest passenger airport in the world.
Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.


-- Sista In 'Da Hood (Sista@Da.Hood), July 04, 1999

Answers

This is good news for Atlanta--no doubt about it. Let's just hope fuel stays available and afforable next year.

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), July 04, 1999.

Not a word about the FAA? In one week Atlanta, Charlotte and Minneapolis experienced Y2K-related computer problems. "The radar screens went blank." All of the above is great, but isn't it kind of being all dressed up with no place to go if the air controllers can't do their jobs? Too bad the state of Georgia fired the contractor who just finished the job at the airport. Those of us in the Peach State may be wishing we COULD hop a plane at Hartsfield.

-- jill (jd@mindspring.com), July 04, 1999.

Also see...

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0012Vw

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), July 04, 1999.


centering off, I hope...

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), July 06, 1999.

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