[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 90 (Friday, May 9, 2003)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 24896]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-11634]


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 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 90 / Friday, May 9, 2003 / Proposed 
Rules  

[[Page 24896]]



DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

14 CFR Parts 255 and 399

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


Computer Reservations System (CRS) Regulations (Part 255); 
Statements of General Policy (Part 399)

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice extending comment period.

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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. The Department is now extending the due date for 
reply comments on this notice of proposed rulemaking to June 9, 2003, 
from the current date of May 15, 2003.

ADDRESSES: To make sure your comments and related material are not 
entered more than once in the docket, please submit them (marked with 
docket number OST-97-2881) by only one of the following means:
    (1) By mail to the Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 
20590-0001.
    (2) By hand delivery to room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the 
Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. 
and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The 
telephone number is (202) 366-9329.
    (3) Electronically through the Web Site for the Docket Management 
System at http://dms.dot.gov. Comments must be filed in Dockets OST-97-
2881, OST-97-3014, and OST-98-4775, U.S. Department of Transportation, 
400 7th St. SW., Washington, DC 20590. Late filed comments will be 
considered to the extent possible.
    Due to security procedures in effect since October 2001 on mail 
deliveries, mail received through the Postal Service may be subject to 
delays. Commenters should consider using an express mail firm to ensure 
the timely filing of any comments not submitted electronically or by 
hand.

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 conclusions on whether the rules should be readopted, 
whether we should extend the rules to cover the sale of airline tickets 
through the Internet, and whether we should clarify our full-fare 
advertising policy insofar as it concerns the disclosure of travel 
agency service fees. (67 FR 69366, November 15, 2002). We have stated 
that we intend to hold a public hearing in this rulemaking between the 
March 17 due date for comments and the due date for reply comments, 
currently May 15. (68 FR 12883, March 18, 2003).
    Several firms and organizations have filed comments in response to 
our stated intent to hold a public hearing. They have made various 
suggestions on how the hearing should be structured and when it should 
be scheduled, including proposals to hold the hearing after the filing 
of reply comments and requests that we take into account the 
commenters' need for adequate time to prepare both reply comments and a 
hearing presentation. We continue to believe that we will obtain a more 
useful record if we hold the hearing before the submission of reply 
comments. We are currently planning to schedule the hearing, which will 
last one day, on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, May 20, 21, or 22, in 
the Washington, DC, area, and are in the process of arranging for a 
room for the hearing. We will provide notice as soon as possible on the 
time and place of the hearing.
    To enable the commenters to respond in their reply comments to 
arguments made at the hearing, we are extending the due date for reply 
comments to June 9. This extension will also give commenters a better 
opportunity to prepare for a hearing and write thorough reply comments 
without significantly delaying our completion of this proceeding.

    Issued in Washington, DC on May 6, 2003.
Kirk K. Van Tine,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 03-11634 Filed 5-6-03; 2:53 pm]
BILLING CODE 4910-62-P