Jane Garvey's Flight Cancelled... Taking Bets on Her Plans to be Airborne

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washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/17/092r-111799-idx.html

Low Demand Pares Flights on Dec. 31 Y2K Trip Elusive for FAA Chief By Stephen Barr and Rajiv Chandrasekaran Washington Post Staff Writers Wednesday, November 17, 1999; Page A01

To express her confidence that the Year 2000 computer glitch won't affect air travel, Federal Aviation Administration director Jane F. Garvey pledged to be high in the sky, flying from Washington to the West Coast, when the new year rolls around.

But keeping that promise is turning out to be tougher than expected because nobody else, it seems, wants to fly anywhere this New Year's Eve.

The flight Garvey had hoped to take from Reagan National Airport--American Airlines Flight 1799, leaving at 6:06 p.m. for Dallas-Fort Worth and connecting on to San Francisco--was canceled a few weeks ago. Several days later, the next flight she was booked on, a 5:13 p.m. departure for Dallas, also was wiped from the schedule.

She's now on her third reservation, hoping that American Flight 1099 will take off as planned and deposit her in California seven minutes after midnight on Jan. 1. However, only a paltry 25 people--two-thirds of them from the news media--have made bookings so far on the 138-seat Boeing MD-80.

"We really have found the world, come the evening of Dec. 31, is divided into two parts: those who are celebrating the millennium and those whose eyes will be glued to a computer to find out if the chips work," said American spokesman John Hotard. "Both of those groups will be in place on the ground when the great event occurs or doesn't occur."

Last New Year's Eve, American reduced its schedule by about 10 percent. This year, the airline expects to cancel about 20 percent of its scheduled flights.

"We've got low demand," Hotard said.

Other airlines are facing the same situation. United Airlines has eliminated 22 percent of its regularly scheduled flights on Dec. 31 and 12 percent on New Year's Day. Virgin Atlantic Airways will ground its entire fleet for 24 hours starting at midday on Dec. 31. And Frontier Airlines, a low-fare carrier based in Denver that averages 94 flights a day, plans to scrap 34 flights on Dec. 31 and 18 on Jan. 1 because of insufficient reservations; the airline will not operate any flights after 9 p.m. on the 31st.

"Nobody wants to be in the air on New Year's Eve," said Frontier spokeswoman Elise Eberwein.

Airline officials and travel agents say the lack of interest in flying on the holiday isn't just because of the possibility of computer problems related to the rollover to 2000. Most people want to be at their destination of choice--from Times Square to the comfort of their living room--by the evening of Dec. 31.

"The primary reason seems to be that nobody wants to be anywhere other than a special place with special people when the clock strikes midnight," said Steve Loucks, a spokesman for the Carlson Wagonlit travel agency, which has 1,300 offices nationwide. "They don't want to be sitting in an airplane."

Sophie Bethune, a spokeswoman for the Air Transport Association, said that while most airlines are canceling or consolidating more flights than last year, the moves have nothing to do with fears of Y2K disasters. A poll conducted for the association found that less than 10 percent of potential travelers said they would avoid travel on New Year's Eve for safety or other reasons, she said.

Garvey isn't the only high-profile Washingtonian having a problem getting aloft on New Year's Eve.

White House Y2K adviser John Koskinen had hoped to take a shuttle flight from Washington to New York so that he would be in the air at 7 p.m., or midnight "Universal Time," the clock observed around the world by air-traffic controllers. But Delta Air Lines and US Airways have cut the number of shuttle flights, making it difficult for Koskinen to return from New York the same night to carry out his duties at the White House's Y2K crisis management center.

Koskinen, though, intends to find a way to be in the air. "One way or another, I will be on an airplane," he vowed.

He suggested that he might fly instead on New Year's Day, but that trip would come after the calendar change, putting its symbolic value into doubt. But Koskinen's spokesman, Jack Gribben, said, "Whether we do that on the 31st or the 1st, I think it is a significant showing of our confidence in the system, that it works and has gone through the rollover."

Delta spokesman Kip Smith said the airline would work with Koskinen "to get him on some planes." Late afternoon and evening flights were cut back because of low passenger demand, Smith said.

Even with the tepid interest in New Year's Eve flights, the airlines aren't offering any great deals. For instance, a round-trip flight between San Francisco and Washington on United Airlines that includes a Dec. 31 red-eye still costs $613.50, even with a 21-day advance purchase.

United spokeswoman Kristina Price said the airline has not lowered its prices for holiday travel because "people are still buying tickets." But she said the airline will continue to evaluate demand in the coming weeks and could adjust prices then.

Garvey, who will be flying coach class, will qualify for a federal government discount rate.

In a bid to make a dreary flight more fun, a number of Garvey's aides plan to wear black ties and tuxedos. Drucella Andersen, a top public affairs officer at FAA, will don black velvet gloves and a pink cummerbund.

With luck, Garvey can flip the calendar at midnight Universal Time, midnight Rocky Mountain time and midnight Pacific time.

As she told Andersen yesterday, "This will be the first time I will celebrate New Year's three times in one night."

) Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company



-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), November 17, 1999

Answers

deceitful,spineless,hypocrisy,lies,spin,dishonest,weak,worthless,super ficial,pathetic,egocentric,boastful,arrogant.

To vehemently promote safe skys to the public via the media.

And then to ever so quietly back out of your boastfully brave flight is beyond belief.

-- d.b. (dciinc@aol.com), November 17, 1999.


In a bid to make a dreary flight more fun, a number of Garvey's aides plan to wear black ties and tuxedos. Drucella Andersen, a top public affairs officer at FAA, will don black velvet gloves and a pink cummerbund.

How generous of them. This will eliminate the need to dress the corpses for burial.

-- (its@coming.soon), November 17, 1999.


Oh, how utterly unexpected. Let me reach into the future and predict the eventual excuse used by Koskinen and Garvey: "We'll, we live in a free market economy. We can't FORCE a plane to fly, like they're doing in Communist China. Say, you're not a Commie, are you? Do you love Commies? GOD BLESS AMERICA, YOU COMMUNIST FILTH!"

Ahem. Hey, isn't Koskinen supposed to be buttoned up in Bill's Y2K Survival Bunker - sorry, non-Crisis Management Centre? Or is that his evil twin?

-- Colin MacDonald (roborogerborg@yahoo.com), November 17, 1999.


Dear Janeykins;

I've checked will Bill and Hillary, and it's okay for me to use Air Force One to take a little spin on New Year's. ("Take a little spin," get it? Ha, ha. I crack myself up sometimes!)

Anyway, please come with me and some of my buds. Pay no attention to the man handcuffing you to the seat. It's just part of the celebration.

Kissywissies,

Koskypoo

-- I'm Here, I'm There (I'm Everywhere@so.beware), November 17, 1999.


I'd be willing to make a contribution to chartering a private flight for Koskinen and Garvey. I'm sure we could find an Egyptian pilot willing to be in the air over rollover.

-- (RUOK@yesiam.com), November 17, 1999.


Could this mean that CPR is not going to be flying HIGH this new years eve? I guess we will see him standing outside some NUCLEAR POWER plant in texas as he has previously stated.

-- y2k dave (xsdaa111@hotmail.com), November 17, 1999.

So... Nov. 16th poor Kosky announces he just can't get a flight: Link... now a day later Ms. Garvey is having the same problem. I guess they were right - planes WON'T fall out of the sky. They won't even get off the ground!

The gov't spinmasters must be as tired of Y2K as all of us are. They can't even come up with a good excuse anymore. No bonuses this week Jane and John. Send your writers back to the drawing board.

Sheez! Pitiful. Would be funny if it wasn't so darn stooopid, and if so many people weren't going to be hurt by this idiocy.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), November 17, 1999.


Slight smile. Shakes head.

I'd suggest Jane 'n John "expect the unexpected" but they probably wouldn't understand what that means.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 17, 1999.


Little Johnny K. says Tuesday: I can't get a flight.....waaaahahahah.

Little Janey G. says Wednesday: Me neither.....waaaaaahahahaha.

-- Boy Wonder (robin@the.cave), November 17, 1999.


Repeat after me: Planes will not fall from the sky... Planes will NOT fall from the sky... Planes will not FALL from the sky...

(especially if they don't go up in the first place...)

-- eubie (eubie@she'sgotatickettoride.com), November 17, 1999.



"We really have found the world, come the evening of Dec. 31, is divided into two parts: those who are celebrating the millennium and those whose eyes will be glued to a computer to find out if the chips work," said American spokesman John Hotard. "Both of those groups will be in place on the ground when the great event occurs or doesn't occur." .. Yeah, and the ones that are celebrating without worry will be the doomers who prep'ed all these years. It'll be the pollies who are glued to the Cathode Ray Tubes..

-- slammer (billslammer@yahoo.com), November 17, 1999.

>>It'll be the pollies who are glued to the Cathode Ray Tubes [at the rollover]<<

Oh, somehow I think there will be a fair few doomers glued to their screens looking for reports about sewage plants in Uzbekistan (spelling?) encountering embedded problems. I will go so far as to say that it will be almost impossible to log onto this board for the 12 hours pre and post rollover. (And not impossible for Y2K problems, rather through volume of traffic.)

-- Johnny Canuck (j_canuck@hotmail.com), November 17, 1999.


From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr (pic), near Monterey, California

"One way or another, I will be on an airplane," he vowed. I linked to ...morphing... on the Koskinen flight thread, too.

I've been wracking my brain since yesterday, trying to remember the name of that old movie 20-30 year vintage, about a faked space launch due to a NASA budget crunch or some similar excuse. The actors on the "flight" (supposed astronauts) figured out that for some reason they were going to not be allowed to "come back to earth" because NASA needed to destroy all evidence of their sham. Most of the movie consisted of the astronauts running to escape the government. The movie... Alpha III?

Do you suppose they've filmed this rollover plane footage already? Ahahaahaha

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), November 17, 1999.


Dancr,

I think you're thinking of "Capricorn One."

-- Don (whytocay@hotmail.com), November 17, 1999.


If Koskinen and Garvey are hell-bent to be in the air late Dec. 31, maybe they could borrow the Wright Brothers' plane from the Smithsonian.

Special occasion, don't you know. Once in a millennium. Great Photo-op for the two.

Problem is that all that wood won't show up too well on the FAA radars (including the wood in their heads). Woops! Won't matter. FAA won't work either.

-- profit of doom (doom@helltopay.ca), November 17, 1999.



Dammit Don! I was all over the Internet looking for the title of Capricorn One, and you beat me to it.

-- Pearlie Sweetcake (storestuff@home.now), November 17, 1999.

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr (pic), near Monterey, California

Yes! Capri corn One (1978). I'm adding that to my Y2K movie list, plus I'm going to rent it and view it again.

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), November 17, 1999.


Maybe Plane Jane and Kosky could join Peter deJager on United flight 928 from Chicago to London on Dec. 31. Last I heard, it hadn't been cancelled (yet).

-- (dot@dot.dot), November 17, 1999.

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