United Airlines has 40,000 separate programs. They think 11,000 are noncompliant.
They have to get them fixed before the FAA shuts down in late 1999, since they need FAA certification to fly.
But if the FAA shuts down, what good does it to to get the systems fixed?
Y2K is a systemic problem.
This is from the RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH (May 24).
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At United Airlines, the nation's largest carrier, systems specialists are busy inspecting no fewer than 40,000 separate computer programs for possible year 2000 bugs. The company estimates it will have to change 11,000 of those programs, at a cost of $15 million.
This is more than merely a costly annoyance. The programs in question cover everything from aircraft maintenance schedules, parts inventory and payroll to passenger reservations. In short, just about everything it takes to run an airline.
United has employees in Chicago, Denver, San Francisco and Los Angeles working on the problem. The company says it will complete its initial phase of year 2000 changes by the end of this year and will spend next year testing and refining its systems.
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