[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 97 (Tuesday, May 20, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28991-28992]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-11601]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
[Docket ID Number RITA 2008-0002]
Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Report
of Financial and Operating Statistics for Small Aircraft Operators
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information
Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below is being forwarded to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for extension of currently
approved collection. The ICR describes the nature of the information
collection and its expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a
60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection
of information was published on March 3, 2014 (79 FR 41, Page 11873).
No comments were received.
DATES: Written comments should be submitted by June 19, 2014.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marianne Seguin, Office of Airline
Information, RTS-42, Room E34-418, OST-R, BTS, 1200 New Jersey Avenue
SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001, Telephone Number (202) 366-1547, Fax
Number (202) 366-3383 or EMAIL [email protected].
Comments: Send comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725-17th Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20503, Attention: RITA/BTS Desk Officer.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
OMB Approval No. 2138-0009.
Title: Report of Financial and Operating Statistics for Small
Aircraft Operators.
Form No.: BTS Form 298-C.
Type Of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection for
the financial data.
Respondents: Small certificated (29) and commuter air carriers
(24).
Schedule F1:
Number of Respondents: 53.
Number of Annual responses: 212.
Total Burden Per Response: 4 hours.
Total Annual Burden: 848 hours.
Schedule F2:
Number of Respondents: 29.
Number of Annual responses: 116.
Total Burden Per Response: 12 hours.
Total Annual Burden: 1,392 hours.
Needs and Uses: Program uses for Form 298-C financial data are as
follows:
Mail Rates
The Department of Transportation sets and updates the Intra-Alaska
Bush mail rates based on carrier aircraft operating expense, traffic,
and operational data. Form 298-C cost data, especially fuel costs,
terminal expenses, and line haul expenses are used in arriving at rate
levels. DOT revises the established rates based on the percentage of
unit cost changes in the carriers' operations. These updating
procedures have resulted in the carriers receiving rates of
compensation that more closely parallel their costs of providing mail
service and contribute to the carriers' economic well-being.
Essential Air Service
DOT often has to select a carrier to provide a community's
essential air service. The selection criteria include historic presence
in the community, reliability of service, financial stability and cost
structure of the air carrier.
Carrier Fitness
Fitness determinations are made for both new entrants and
established U.S. domestic carriers proposing a substantial change in
operations. A portion of these applications consists of an operating
plan for the first year (14 CFR part 204) and an associated projection
of revenues and expenses. The carrier's operating costs, included in
these projections, are compared against the cost data in Form 298-C for
a carrier or carriers with the same aircraft type and similar operating
characteristics. Such a review validates the reasonableness of the
carrier's operating plan.
The quarterly financial submissions by commuter and small
certificated air
[[Page 28992]]
carriers are used in determining each carrier's continuing fitness to
operate. Section 41738 of Title 49 of the United States Code requires
DOT to find all commuter and small certificated air carriers fit,
willing, and able to conduct passenger service as a prerequisite to
providing such service to an eligible essential air service point. In
making a fitness determination, DOT reviews three areas of a carrier's
operation: (1) The qualifications of its management team, (2) its
disposition to comply with laws and regulations, and (3) its financial
posture. DOT must determine whether or not a carrier has sufficient
financial resources to conduct its operations without imposing undue
risk on the traveling public. Moreover, once a carrier begins
conducting flight operations, DOT is required to monitor its continuing
fitness.
Senior DOT officials must be kept fully informed and advised of all
current and developing economic issues affecting the airline industry.
In preparing financial condition reports or status reports on a
particular airline, financial and traffic data are analyzed. Briefing
papers prepared for senior DOT officials may use the same information.
The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency
Act of 2002 (44 U.S.C. 3501 note), requires a statistical agency to
clearly identify information it collects for non-statistical purposes.
BTS hereby notifies the respondents and the public that BTS uses the
information it collects under this OMB approval for non-statistical
purposes including, but not limited to, publication of both
Respondent's identity and its data, submission of the information to
agencies outside BTS for review, analysis and possible use in
regulatory and other administrative matters.
Issued on May 15, 2014.
Rolf R. Schmitt,
Deputy Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2014-11601 Filed 5-19-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P