[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 6 (Thursday, January 9, 2003)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 1172]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-355]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

14 CFR Parts 255 and 399

[Docket Nos. OST-97-2881, OST-97-3014, OST-98-4775, and OST-99-5888]
RIN 2105-AC65


Computer Reservations System (CRS) Regulations; Statements of 
General Policy

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of petition response date.

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SUMMARY: The Department has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that 
proposes to readopt and amend its existing rules governing airline 
computer reservations systems (CRSs) and to clarify the requirements of 
its Statements of General Policy on travel agency disclosure of any 
agency service fees. Sabre, one of the CRSs, has filed a petition 
asking for a fact hearing. The Department is now establishing January 
13, 2003, as the due date for responses to Sabre's petition.

DATES: Responses to Sabre's petition are due January 13, 2003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Ray, Office of the General 
Counsel, 400 Seventh St., SW., Washington, DC 20590, (202) 366-4731.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    The Department has begun a rulemaking to reexamine whether it 
should maintain its existing rules governing CRS operations. We issued 
a notice of proposed rulemaking that set forth our tentative proposals 
regarding the existing rules and our tentative belief that we should 
not extend the rules to cover the sale of airline tickets through the 
Internet. 67 FR 69366 (November 15, 2002). We stated our intent to 
follow the notice-and-comment procedures established by the 
Administrative Procedure Act for informal rulemakings. 67 FR 69369. 
Comments and reply comments on our notice of proposed rulemaking are 
now due March 16 and May 15, 2003. 67 FR 72869 (December 9, 2002).
    On December 23 Sabre filed a petition asking us to hold a ``Fact 
Hearing.'' Sabre asserts that our notice did not provide an adequate 
factual basis for our tentative decision that we should maintain the 
existing rules with some changes. The hearing sought by Sabre would 
include, among other things, testimony from a Department official on 
the factual basis underlying these decisions.
    Delta Airlines, assuming that answers to Sabre's petition would 
normally be due January 3, has filed a motion asking that answers be 
due January 13. Sabre filed its 33-page petition on December 23. Delta 
contends that it did not receive a copy of the petition until December 
30, since Sabre had served it by mail, that Delta would have only two 
business days to prepare its response if it were required to respond by 
January 3, and that a 10-day extension would be reasonable. Delta notes 
that the petition seeks extraordinary relief and raises a number of 
controversial legal issues.
    We believe that Delta's request is reasonable and that responses by 
other parties would assist our consideration of Sabre's petition. Given 
the holidays and the unusual nature of Sabre's petition, establishing 
January 13 as the due date for answers would give the parties an 
adequate time to respond without delaying the rulemaking. We therefore 
invite interested persons to file answers by January 13.

    Issued in Washington, DC on January 2, 2003.
Kirk K. Van Tine,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 03-355 Filed 1-8-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-63-P