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	Fears Take Wing By Declan McCullagh January 28, 1999 Let's file this one under Yet Another Reason Not to Travel in Late December. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines admit they're worried folks scheduled to travel during that time will get so spooked they'll cancel their flights. The companies' response: The only tickets they'll print up for travel over the New Year's holiday will be nonrefundable. This isn't exactly unprecedented. Airlines have taken similar steps before for flights to Atlanta during the 1996 Olympic games. But it does appear to be the first time fears over computer glitches have prompted such a response. Airfare Report magazine editor Terry Trippler said that only United and Delta so far have taken steps to crack down on travellers who might get the Y2K jitters. "I don't see any instance where Delta and United would have these nonrefundable fares and the other airlines would not," he told Stephen Gregory in a January 23 Los Angeles Times article. Y2K fears appear to be mounting, despite official and oft-repeated assurances from government officials who make a point of volunteering they'll be in the air that day. (We'll see. Talk is cheap.) One quarter of Americans will not even consider flying on an airplane during that time, according to a recent Time Magazine/CNN poll. Like the Feds, the airlines are considering a public relations campaign to soothe Y2K-frazzled nerves. "Our campaign will be rolled out later this year and will cover both the US and Canada. It's a comprehensive campaign which targets the national and regional press, features extensive use of the Internet and is highly innovative and aggressive," Air Transport Association vice president David Fuscus wrote in the January 25 issue of PR Week.		FEATURES Book Reviews Y2K already has spawned its own genre. We tell you what books are worth buying. Chip 'n Little Cartoons Chip 'n Little goes on TV Chip 'n Little visits John Koskinen Chip 'n Little saves the world Warning: This cartoon has been called "foolish and tasteless." Y2K from A to Z Y2K Haiku Traditionalists may be shocked. Mad Cow Culture What does Y2K have in common with today's Mad Cow Culture? Answer: Everything. Declan McCullagh's Y2K articles Psychology of Y2K LATEST NEWS As of December 31, 1999 Get Your T-Shirt Quick Bill Gates Does Y2K Reader Feedback A Sarcastic Calendar Cooking After the Apocalypse A Real Y2K Disaster Hitchhiker's Guide Meets Y2K