[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 204 (Monday, October 23, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 54407]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-26213]



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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary
[Docket No. OST-95-744]


Passenger Origin-Destination Survey Reports

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Transportation (DOT or the Department) 
announces its intent to direct large certificated U.S. air carriers 
that participate in code-sharing arrangements to report both the 
ticketing and operating air carriers in their quarterly Passenger 
Origin-Destination Survey reports. DOT needs the information to assess 
accurately the benefits to both code-share parties, especially in 
international code-share agreements.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bernie Stankus or Jack Calloway, 
Office of Airline Information, K-25, Bureau of Transportation 
Statistics, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, D.C., 20590 (202) 366-
4387 or 366-4383, respectively.

COMMENTS: Comments are due within 30 days and should be sent to Messrs. 
Calloway or Stankus at the address listed above or to Desk Officer, for 
the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Management and 
Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10202, Washington, D.C. 
20503.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Congress has urged the Department to analyze 
more thoroughly the effects of international code sharing on air 
transportation and U.S. carriers. In June 1995, the Secretary pledged 
to expand monitoring the effects of code sharing in testimony before 
the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
    Under the current Passenger Origin-Destination Survey (Survey) 
reporting system, the Department has difficulty evaluating the benefits 
received by U.S. and foreign air carriers from code-share arrangements. 
As currently designed, the Survey does not identify both carriers on a 
code-share ticket. The Survey identifies the carrier transporting the 
passenger, but not the ticketing carrier (carrier of record on the 
ticket).
    To assess accurately the benefits to both parties in international 
code-share agreements, DOT needs to know the ticketed carrier as well 
as the transporting carrier for the various legs of the passenger's 
flight. When a U.S. carrier transports a code-share passenger with a 
ticket that has only a foreign carrier code, that ticket is reported by 
the U.S. carrier as the transporting carrier. Since both carriers 
receive economic benefits from code sharing, both carriers need to be 
identified in the Survey for the Department to analyze correctly the 
benefits from the code-share arrangement.
    If both code-sharing partners are identified in the survey, it will 
reduce the need for special reports, as now obtained from certain U.S. 
carriers, regarding major code-share alliances.
    We estimate a four-hour increase per response to report both the 
ticketed and operating carrier and a one-time reprogramming burden of 
200 hours per respondent. To simplify and provide uniformity in 
reporting, we are requiring that both domestic and international code-
share flights be reported as prescribed above.
    The reporting requirements associated with this notice are being 
sent to the Office of Management and Budget for approval in accordance 
with 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35 under OMB NO: 2139-0017. A copy of the 
submission can be obtained by calling or writing Mssrs. Calloway or 
Stankus at the address or telephone numbers listed above under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

    Issued in Washington, D.C. on October 17, 1995.
T.R. Lakshmanan,
Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, DOT.
[FR Doc. 95-26213 Filed 10-20-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-62-P