another computer

British Airways achieves another computer breakthrough in USA

British Airways has achieved an other breakthrough into the United States computer market with the sale to United Airlines of its com puter passenger check-in system— along with the rights to market the system in America—and of an ad vanced computer software tool.

United, largest airline in the Western World, has signed a con tract worth SA 150,000 for the sys tem and followed it with a $A9,000 purchase of “step-by-step” trace, a tool which enables processes to be monitored in the highly complex area of realtime programming.

The American airline, with its headquarters in Chicago, has one of the world’s most powerful comput ing centres in Denver, Colorado, where it is equipped with IBM 360/195 central processors. In close association with British Airways, it is making minor modifications to the computer programmes to tailor them to the American domestic carrier needs.

The British Airways computer check-in system has become the most successful commercial aviation computer package yet marketed with sales worth SAI.S million to eight other airlines, including Qantas.

Mr Peter Hermon, British Airways Group Management Services Direc tor, points out: “United Airlines chose our system against inter national competition after consider ing six others as part of their enhanced customer service scheme.

“This further penetration of the fiercely competitive American com puter market represents quite an achievement by British Airways”. • The flight number of the British Airways super VC 10 flight from Melbourne to London, which calls at Sydney, Nadi, Honolulu, Los Angeles and New York, has been changed from 8A594 to 8A590. The flight in the opposite direction re tains the same number—BAs9L