A Y2K questions...

Do you think it is safe to issue an electronic ticket for travels on January 4?
or do you think it is safer to issue it on paper?

Carfield...

If you are issued an electronic ticket:
1. Have the airline FAX you the reservation record.
2. Keep a copy of the E ticket number.
3. Also jot down the record locator number.
With any of those 3 items the airline can locate your reservation and issue a boarding pass with proper identification whether 1999 or 2000.
If you lose a paper ticket it is a problem at any time and might require an extra payment to the airline for a ticket reissue.

Personally, I think the Y2K "hysteria" is more a product of the media's desire to sell product. With a full-blown crisis, you can't sell advertising!

Most, if not all large companies have their technical staff on 24-hour alert for the year-end, so most serious items will be fixed in a matter of hours, not days.

The 80/20 rule applies as much to computer systems as any other are. In fact, in many cases it is the 98/2 rule.

Bottom line, I would take the same precautions as I would with any E-Ticket, but I wouldn't lose much sleep over it.

And if I'm wrong, and the world destructs in an atomic war caused by the inadvertent launching of nuclear weapons, well, won't I feel stupid.


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"I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own."

I'm flying on an Eticket on Jan. 1, international. I figure if there are going to be Y2K problems, then my little Eticket isn't going to amount to a hill o beans compared to nuclear missiles and bank accounts and stock crashes and the stars falling from the sky... blah blah blah.

I think it is a mistake to fly on an eticket internationally at any time, esp if you have connections and esp if you are in the 3rd world. Egypt's customs and immigration, for example, will not acknowledge etickets - view them as receipts. You cannot enter the transit lounge and are required to purchase visas and enter the country.

Alright, I know nothing about the Egyptian customs guys, but I've flown on etix in Belgium, England, France, Italy, Germany, China!, and Hong Kong... and in January I will add Australia. Have your itinerary printed up to show the picky customs guy, or do as I do: ask the US agent when you check in on the US side to print up a receipt. Then you can use that to show the picky customs guy on the international side...

I suppose I should also add that I do not do inter-line transfers on etix... in fact I think I only do etix on United. So there. Heck... roll the dice! Live a little... travel is supposed to be an adventure, why make it all predictable and boring...

[This message has been edited by jet (edited 11-08-1999).]