[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 183 (Monday, September 22, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55085-55086]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-24096]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

BUREAU OF TRANSPORTATION STATISTICS


Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Report 
of Passengers Denied Confirmed Space--BTS Form 251

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public 
Law 104-13, the Bureau of

[[Page 55086]]

Transportation Statistics invites the general public, industry and 
other governmental parties to comment on the continuing need for and 
usefulness of DOT requiring U.S. and foreign air carriers that operate 
scheduled passenger service with large aircraft to submit reports on 
their oversales practices. Large aircraft are aircraft designed to 
carry over 60-seats. Carriers submit the quarterly Form 251 ``Report of 
Passengers Denied Confirmed Space.'' Carriers do not report oversales 
of inbound international flights because the protection provisions of 
14 CFR part 250 do not apply to these flights. The Department uses Form 
251 to monitor the compliance by U.S. and foreign air carriers to the 
oversales provisions of Part 250.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by November 21, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be directed to: Office of Airline 
Information, K-25, Room 4125, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001, FAX NO. 366-3383 or 
EMAIL [email protected].
    Comments: Comments should identify the OMB  2138-0018. 
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-
0018. The postcard will be date/time stamped and returned.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bernie Stankus Office of Airline 
Information, K-25, Room 4125, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001, (202) 366-4387.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Approval No.: 2138-0018.
    Title: Report of Passengers Denied Confirmed Space.
    Form No.: BTS Form 251.
    Type Of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: Large U.S. and foreign air carriers.
    Number of Respondents: 110.
    Number of Responses: 440.
    Total Annual Burden: 2,220 hours.
    Needs and Uses: BTS Form 251 is a one page report on the number of 
passengers holding confirmed space that were voluntarily or 
involuntarily denied boarding. Carriers must report whether the bumped 
passengers were provided alternate transportation and/or compensation, 
and the amount of the payment. The report allows the Department to 
monitor the effectiveness of its oversales rule and take enforcement 
action when necessary. The involuntary denied-boarding rate has 
steadily decreased over the years from 4.38 per 10,000 enplanements in 
1980 to .99 for the first six months of the year 2003. This decrease 
occurred at a time when air carrier load factors have increased. These 
statistics demonstrate the effectiveness of the ``volunteer'' 
provision, which has reduced the need for more intrusive regulation.
    The rate of denied boarding can be examined as an air carrier 
continuing fitness factor. This rate provides an insight into a 
carrier's policy on treating overbooked passengers and its compliance 
disposition. A rapid increase in the rate of denied boardings often is 
an indicator of operational difficulty.
    Because the rate of denied boarding is published in the Air Travel 
Consumer Report, travelers and travel agents can select carriers with 
low bumping incidents when booking a trip.
    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.

Donald W. Bright,
Director, Office of Airline Information, Bureau of Transportation 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 03-24096 Filed 9-18-03; 12:01 pm]
BILLING CODE 4910-FE-P