IA8217;s network troubles

MUMBAI November 4: Passengers wishing to fly by Indian Airlines will have to put up with delays till early next year. The newly installed c...

MUMBAI November 4: Passengers wishing to fly by Indian Airlines will have to put up with delays till early next year. The newly installed computer reservation system is beset by technical glitches.

The new reservation system running on an IBM 390 mainframe computer with software supplied by Speedwings, a British Airways BA subsidiary, was found to be not fully compatible with equipment Sperry Univac 1100 which is currently in use.

Said sources, engineers of IBM and BA are still trying to achieve compatibility between the new system and certain crucial modules of the Sperry system. 8220;Some shortcomings were observed in CUTS, the software which enables the interface between both systems and this is being corrected by IBM and BA engineers,8221; said a senior IA official based in New Delhi.

While BA has found the system to be perfect, its adaptation for IA has been hampered by the domestic airline8217;s desire to cut costs by retaining part of the older system. Sources say the airline is already investing Rs 54 crore in the new system and the installation of a new network from scratch would push up costs several-fold.

Meanwhile, IA continues to flog the old reservation system installed in 1984 which was due for replacement ten years later. It consists of a mainframe computer in Delhi and nodal points in a dozen areas spread across India.

Breakdowns can occur anywhere on the circuit. Travel agents and sources at IA8217;s booking counters at Santacruz airport pointed out that the aged system goes on the blink several times in a day. 8220;It is completely unpredictable.

It could be down for a few minutes or even for a few hours,8221; said a senior reservations official.

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Senior IA officials in Delhi confirm that a large number of complaints have been received from travel agents about frequent computer failure. 8220;Travel agents say it takes a long time to make reservation for customers who want to fly by IA,8221; a senior reservation manager said.

Confirming the delay, IA8217;s spokesman in Delhi R N Pathak pointed out that upgradation of IA8217;s reservation system is going through a transitory phase. 8220;Our people are trying to meet the deadline,8221; he said. Phatak also pointed out that functioning of IA8217;s reservation system may be affected. He said erratic power supply in different parts of the country can crash telephone lines on which the system works.