[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 8958]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-4554]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Bureau of Transportation Statistics


Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Part 
249 Preservation of Records

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public 
Law 104-13, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics invites the general 
public, industry and other governmental parties to comment on the 
continuing need for and usefulness of BTS requiring certificated air 
carriers to preserve accounting, records, consumer complaint letters, 
reservation reports and records, system reports of aircraft movements, 
etc.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by April 28, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be directed to: Office of Airline 
Information, K-14, Room 4125, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001, FAX NO. 366-3383 or e-
mail [email protected].
    Comments: Comments should identify the associated OMB approval 
 2138-0006. Persons wishing the Department to acknowledge 
receipt of their comments must submit with those comments a self-
addressed stamped postcard on which the following statement is made: 
Comments on OMB  2138-0006. The postcard will be date/time 
stamped and returned.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bernie Stankus, Office of Airline 
Information, K-14, Room 4125, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001, (202) 366-4387.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Approval No. 2138-0006.

    Title: Preservation of Air Carrier Records--14 CFR part 249.
    Form No.: None.
    Type Of Review: Extension of a currently approved recordkeeping 
requirement.
    Respondents: Certificated air carriers and public charter 
operators.
    Number of Respondents: 120 certificated air carriers. 300 public 
charter operators.
    Estimated Time per Response: 3 hours per certificated air carrier. 
1 hour per public charter operator.
    Total Annual Burden: 660 hours.
    Needs and Uses: Part 249 requires the retention of records such as: 
general and subsidiary ledgers, journals and journal vouchers, voucher 
distribution registers, accounts receivable and payable journals and 
ledgers, subsidy records documenting underlying financial and 
statistical reports to DOT, funds reports, consumer records, sales 
reports, auditors' and flight coupons, air waybills, etc. Depending on 
the nature of the document, the carrier may be required to retain the 
document for a period of 30 days to 3 years. Public charter operators 
and overseas military personnel charter operators must retain documents 
which evidence or reflect deposits made by each charter participant and 
commissions received by, paid to, or deducted by travel agents, and all 
statements, invoices, bills and receipts from suppliers or furnishers 
of goods and services in connection with the tour or charter. These 
records are retained for 6 months after completion of the charter 
program.
    Not only is it imperative that carriers and charter operators 
retain source documentation, but it is critical that we ensure that DOT 
has access to these records. Given DOT's established information needs 
for such reports, the underlying support documentation must be retained 
for a reasonable period of time. Absent the retention requirements, the 
support for such reports may or may not exist for audit/validation 
purposes and the relevance and usefulness of the carrier submissions 
would be impaired, since the data could not be verified to the source 
on a test basis.
    Under the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical 
Efficiency Act of 2002 (44 U.S.C. 3501 note), a statistical agency must 
clearly distinguish any information it collects for non-statistical 
purposes. Respondents and the public are hereby notified 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 in Washington, DC, on February 14, 2003.
Donald W. Bright,
Assistant Director, Airline Information, Bureau of Transportation 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 03-4554 Filed 2-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-62-P