<B> Driving Safely To 2000</B>
By Lynn Woods
Car rental companies already are accepting reservations for the year 2000, even though the ramifications of the calendar change on their operations won't be fully known until the new year actually rolls in.
Industry analysts said the probability of something going seriously wrong is less likely in the car rental industry than in other types of businesses. "The car rental industry will probably be the one least affected," because "there's always a manual system, which they can use if all else fails," said Ed McArdle, head of car rental consultancy E&E Consulting, based in Coconut Creek, Fla. At the very worst, corporate travelers might experience longer lines at the counter, he said.
Another factor in the car rental firms' favor is that the time period following the Christmas and New Year's holidays is a quiet period for the corporate travel industry as a whole and the car rental segment in particular, said Harold Seligman, the Sarasota, Fla.-based CEO of corporate travel consultancy Management Alternatives. As a result, "they'll have a couple of weeks to fix any glitches without inconveniencing too many travelers."
All the major firms launched programs two or three years ago to assess the problem, modify or replace components affected by the change, test the new installations and implement them in time for the calendar change. The Hertz Corp., for example, made an initial assessment of the Y2K compliance issue in 1995 and began a conversion project in 1997 that is scheduled to be completed this fall.
At Avis Rent A Car, WizCom--the former Avis-owned automated reservation company--began the process as early as 1993. A separate Avis group was formed to assess the problem in 1997, after Avis and WizCom were purchased by HFS Inc., now Cendant, and split into separate companies. Avis spokesman Tony Fuller said the Avis team assigned to the project is focusing on four issues: the interfaces between Avis's Wizard booking system and those of its customers and vendors; the interface between Avis's hardware, software, and electronic systems with those of its customers and vendors; the company's buildings, telephone lines and telephone equipment; and contingency plans.
While testing is a part of every company's compliance program, experts note that it's impossible to test everything. "There are thousands of chips in a system," said Seligman. "If only one fails, it could throw a monkey wrench into the works, throwing out the system for hours or days."
However, dealing with computer glitches has long been a routine part of car rental companies' business, considering that no automated system has ever been infallible.
"With data processing, you run into problems on a daily basis. SWAT teams go in and fix things," said Mary Weddig, director of Year 2000 project at Budget Group Inc., which began its Y2K compliance program with an initial inventory in 1996 and is currently in the testing stage.
She also pointed out that "this is not a technical problem. The change is repetitive; it's the same throughout the system. Once you have a solution, you test it and it works."
At the same time, National this month announced the rollout of its all new Global Odyssey reservation system (see story, page 10), which has been built over the past 18 months, presumably with Y2K compliance issues at the forefront of programmer's concerns.
Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, which plans to complete its compliance program by early October, has drafted a statement noting that it is "impossible to anticipate all future outcomes as to the Year 2000 problem, especially when third-party vendors are involved." As a result, the company "cannot make any assurance it will not experience disruptions in its systems or operations which may impact our business."
Law firms, meanwhile, are having a field day as companies focus on the newest Y2K concern: finding ways to avoid litigation in the event of a glitch.