Travel Managers Need To Do Contingency Planning Too

<B> Travel Managers Need To Do Contingency Planning Too</B>

By Mary Ann McNulty


Vendors are not the only ones who should be immersed in Year 2000 planning this year. And travel decision makers owe it to their companies to ensure that travel operations can continue, no matter what happens, after Jan. 1, advised several travel industry experts.

Contingency planning is an exercise that travel managers--even those totally reliant on third-parties for all travel technology and its Y2K compliance--also should go through this year, advised Scott McMahon, agency Y2K coordinator for Worldspan. Travel managers "have a responsibility to the continuing operation of their office. They need to make sure that what they're being told is real and make sure that any vendors who provide their software have upgraded it," he said.

For example, decision makers with onsite operations might want to secure some ticket stock, just in case they need to hand-write a few tickets, suggested Steve Reynolds, president of Travel Technologies Group, the Dallas-based software company owned by WorldTravel Partners-BTI Americas.

Some travel managers already have taken that advice to heart, said American Express spokesperson Melissa Abernathy. Amex executives have been called in to visit several customers, she said, to detail the agency's Y2K efforts. In a few isolated instances, clients even have conducted audits or very detailed reviews of the planning.

Decision makers signing new airline deals should be cognizant that performance could very well be affected in the first quarter of next year, due to either real or perceived slowdowns in travel, Reynolds said. Air Traffic Control, the Federal Aviation Administration or airlines themselves could drop some flights, which could impact performance, he theorized. "If I'm a travel manager who just signed a new airline deal, my lift is going to be impacted," he noted, and it's better to address that now.

For those dependent on historical data, Reynolds recommended they ensure their spending and travel records are Y2K compliant, even if they must be converted. Database and reporting software vendors, including FileMaker Pro, recently released new versions that are Y2K compliant, Reynolds said. As a last resort, decision makers can print out data for reference.

Galileo International's Web site, www.galileo.com, offers links to numerous software and hardware vendors, as well as other Web site resources.

Reynolds said travel managers also should share their contingency plans with senior management, so that executives will know what to expect.

Come January, travel buyers also might want to prepare travelers to be a little more flexible than usual, added Galileo's Y2K director, Ronnie Hauptman. Given the complexity of the world's airlines, airports and air traffic control systems, there are bound to be a few delays.