Page 2-Friday, July 23, 1982-The Michigan Daily Bias in airline ticket computers From staff and wire reports A battle is under way over the com- puterized reservation systems the airlines sell to travel agents, and it could mean consumers will have to shop even more carefully when they buy tickets. The computerized systems were developed by the airlines to deal with the proliferation of flights and fares that followed deregulation. Travel agents who buy one of the systems can check schedules, fares, and routes by typing commands over the computers. CONTROVERSY has arisen, however, over the built-in bias of the systems. This bias means that a reservation system from Airline X will show a flight from Airline X at the top of the list - even if it is not the best possible choice for the customer. Here's a hypothetical example: Suppose you want to fly from New York to Los Angeles at 9 a.m. You go to a travel agent who has bought American Airlines' SABRE system. Assume United Airlines has a flight at exactly 9 a.m.; American hasa flight at 9:15 a.m.; and Trans World Airlines has one at 8:45 a.m. When the agent asks about flights from New York to Los Angeles at 9; a.m., the American flight at 9:15 a.m. will be displayed first - before the United flight at 9a.m. "Every computer reservation system that I'm aware of does that," said Ellie Ruthenberg, a travel agent for Boersma Travel of Ann Arbor which uses the SABRE system. She added that even though SABRE "makes it easier to sell Aemrican tickets," it "is not really a biased system" in the sense questioned that it limits travel choices. "When I trained on the Continental Airlines computer system, we were told to mention Continental first," Ruthen- berg said. "But I've never been told that by American, they've never pushed us to do that." Steve Conlin of Conlin Travel agrees with Ruthenberg that "all systems are biased." He added "Each system is biased to their (airline's) own needs." AMERICAN'S SABRE and United's Apollo are the two most widespread computer reservation systems, with about equal shares of the business. Now, United has begun a campaign to boost sales of Apollo, offering incen- tives to travel agents. And Delta Air Lines has announced plans for what it calls an unbiased computer system. Conlin:Travel in Ann Arbor is one agency that has decided to switch from SABRE to United's computer reser- vation system in the next few months. "Apollo didn't really appeal to the Ann Arbor market, and in order to get into the marketplace they have to offer cer- tain incentives," Conlin said. "We were offered local retraining (of employees) for the Apollo, and the system had new hardware and advan- cements in software," Conlin said. BUT NOT everybody agrees with Apollo's incentive approach. "I'm very upset at what Apollo's doing," said Ruthenberg, "I think it will change the whole way travel agencies operate when they offer incentives like free use of their system. It will make it too competitive, and that will be an advan- tage for the big travel companies." Today The weather The art fair and its masses will continue to be blessed with clear, sunny skies. Temperatures will be in the low 80s. Q Dialing for sex D IAL-A-PRAYER, Dial-a-Joke and other prerecorded telephone message lines have been joined in New York City by an X-rated newcomer named "Free Phone Sex" whose callers range from curious youngsters to bored night shift workers. "We're averaging 2,000 calls an hour," many of them long distance, said Ira Kirschenbaum, vice president of High Society magazine. The call-in line is designed to bolster sales of the magazine, which features pictures of naked women in various sexual poses and is described by Kirschenbaum as "strictly a girlie book." The prerecorded, three-minute "message" is an audio accompaniment to a series of photos in the monthly magazine that illustrate a prurient story line. Kir- schenbaum said 1.5 million calls have been received in the two months since the magazine opened the line. "A lot of people call again and again. The phone company is making a lot of money," he added. Callers to the New York City-area code number pay only the price of the phone call. This mon- th's offering is a sexually explicit dialogue between two panting, moaning, screaming women who act out a fight-turns-to-passion scenario. "Listen to 'these foxy females in the heat of passion," High Society publisher Gloria Leonard urges in her recorded introduction. "Free Phone Sex" differs from services such as "Suzi's Lust Line" and "Julie's Hot Line," which offer callers an opportunity to talk live with a women and require payment by credit card. Kirschenbaum said the magazine received a call from a night- shift supervisor at a factory in the Midwest who claimed he was fired after his men ran up an extravagant bill calling the number. The Canadian Press reports that in North Bay, Ontario, some parents have been saddled with hefty long-distance telephone bills by youngsters dialing the number. A mother of four boys between the ages of 9 and 14 said she received a $29 bill for her sons' calls. "Kids are kids, they're going to listen to anything," the woman said. "But this is bad, especially the bills." The telephone number for the prerecorded sex conversation is 212-883-8877.3- Happenings Films Ann Arbor Public Library - Oliver Twist, 7:30 p.m. CFT - Three Stooges Marathon, continuous shows noon to midnight, Michigan Theatre. Miscellaneous Blind Pig - John Mooney and Bob Cooper, 208 S. First. Ann Arbor Chinese Bible Class - meeting, 7:30 p.m., University Refor- med Church. International Student Fellowship - meeting, 7 p.m., 4100 Nixon. Folk Music Club - folk dance instruction, 8 p.m., request dancing, 9:30 p.m., Union. To submit items for the Happenings Column, send them in carp of Happenings, The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, M. 48109. The Michigan Daily Regents discuss faculty salaries, 15% tuition hike (Continued from PageX) adopt a course of action that will prevent further erosion in the financial position of our faculty, and sustain their confidence in the future of the Univer- sity." Frye said the University will continue to request increased funds from the state so that a salary program for all staff can be started, but he said the prospects of getting more state aid than the University received last year are discouraging. With state support at the same level as last year, the University would ac- tually be losing money due to inflation, Frye said. UNIVERSITY President Harold Shapiro and some of the Regents placed the blame for the general staff wage problems, as well as a proposed 15 per- cent tuition hike, squarely on the state government. "The primary responsibility is in Lansing and it just hasn't been met," said Regent Thomas Roach (D- Detroit). Regents also criticized the state government for not providing the necessary funds to avoid the major tuition hike administrators have proposed. "NOBODY WANTS to raise tuition, but at the same time, if the governor and the state legislature do not fulfill their responsibilities.., we don't have any choice," said Roach. "If you want to have a quality education in the state of Michigan, then you have to pay high tuition," said Regent Deane Baker (R-Ann Arbor). Regents will vote on the reallocation of the five-year plan money and the tuition hike of 15 percent when their meeting continues at 9 a.m. today. THE REGENTS yesterday also heard a report on the affirmative action goals and the University's progress in hiring minorities and women. Affirmative Action Director Virginia Nordby said that in the faculty and high level administrative areas the Univer- sity's progress is "so weak as to represent a serious concern," although some progress has been made in non- faculty hiring. Regent Sarah Power (D-Ann Arbor) charged thatthe problems the Univer- sity is having are due to a "lack of com- mitment at the college level, perhaps at the LSA administrative level and possibly" among the Regents and the administrative officers of the Univer- sity. NORDBY NOTED deficiencies in the faculty where minorities and women have made litle progress in gaining professorships. There are currently two fewer women professors than there were three years ago, while the percen- tage of women professors is 5.8 percent, unchanged in the three year span, ac- cording to Nordby's report. Minorities also did not fare well at the level of professor with less than a 1 per- cent gain since the 1978-79 school year. Nordby also expressed concern that there are a very small number of women and minorities at the entry levels of the faculty where future professors are employed. Vol. XCII, No. 46-S Friday, July 23, 1982 The Michigan Daily is edited and managed by students at The Univer- sity of Michigan. Published daily Tuesday through Sunday mornings during the University year at 420 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 49109. Subscription rates: $12 September through April (2 semesters); $13 by mail outside Ann Arbor. Summer session published Tuesday through Saturday mor- nings. Subscription rates: $6.50 in Ann Arbor; $7 by mail outside Ann Arbor. Second class postage paid at Ann Arbor, Michigan. POST- MASTER: Send address changes to THE MICHIGAN DAILY, 420 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, MI. 48109. The Michigan Daily is a member of the Associated Press and sub- scribes to United Press Inter- national, Pacific News Service, Los Angeles Times Syndicate and Field Newspapers Syndicate. 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