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by Linda Rosencrance

(IDG) -- Travelers flying to Italy, Germany, Switzerland or the Czech Republic between now and Jan. 1 have been given the "green light" by a U.K.-based year 2000 watchdog group.

The Y2K-readiness status of the air traffic control systems and airports of those countries have been upgraded from red -- not Y2K-ready -- to green since Taskforce 2000 issued its first report on Nov. 5 (see story).

Russia, Poland, Portugal, Finland and Hungary are still on the red list, and Luxembourg and Pakistan have been added. Spain, which was on the red list, has been upgraded to amber, and Norway and Ukraine have been added to the amber list (see chart).

The information on the Y2K readiness of various countries has been derived from the U.S. Department of Transportation Web site.

However, Rob Wilson, Taskforce 2000's spokesman, said it was important for travelers to understand that individual countries provide the information to the Transportation Department and it isn't verified by the agency.

"We have interpreted the information from the evidence available. But because it is self-reported, it tends to be on the optimistic side,"Wilson said. "We're not saying don't fly to these countries [on the red list]. What we want to do is give businesses and individuals all the necessary information to make decisions for themselves. We don't think governments are giving them enough detailed information."

The report also concluded that because the situation in the U.S. is "too large and complex" for just one rating, specific airports should be viewed individually.

Y2K Air Travel Readiness