[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 17, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67382-67383]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-25451]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


High Density Airports; Notice of Reagan National Airport Lottery 
Allocation Procedures

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration.

ACTION: Notice of lottery and allocation procedures for slots at 
Washington Reagan National Airport.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a lottery to allocate a limited number 
of commuter slots at Washington's Reagan National Airport in accordance 
with Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations Sec.  93.225, Lottery 
of available slots.

date/location of lottery: The lottery will be held in the Federal 
Aviation Administration, Conference Room 9 ABC, 800 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591 on December 3, 2004, beginning at 
11:30 a.m. Carriers that wish to participate in the lottery must 
notify, in writing, the FAA Slot Administration Office, Attention: AGC-
220, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591, or by 
facsimile to (202) 267-7277. Notification must be received no later 
than 5 p.m. e.d.t. on November 18, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lorelei Peter, Operations and Air 
Traffic Law Branch, Regulations Division, Office of the Chief Counsel, 
Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20591; telephone number (202) 267-3134.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The High Density Traffic Airports Rule, or ``High Density Rule,'' 
14 CFR part 93, subpart K, was promulgated in 1968 to reduce delays at 
five congested airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), 
LaGuardia, O'Hare International Airport (O'Hare), Ronald Reagan 
Washington National Airport (Reagan National) and Newark International 
Airport (33 FR 17896; December 3, 1968). The regulation limits the 
number of instrument flight rule (IFR) operations at each airport, 
during certain hours of the day. It provides for the allocation to 
carriers of operational authority, in the form of a ``slot'' for each 
IFR takeoff or landing during a specific 30- or 60-minute period. The 
restrictions at Newark were lifted in the early 1970s. The restrictions 
at O'Hare were lifted in July 2002.
    Slots during peak hours and not required for Essential Air Service 
are allocated by lottery. (See CFR 93.225.) the FAA will follow the 
lottery procedures of 14 CFR Sec.  93.225 and certain special 
procedures described further in this notice will also apply.
    A limited incumbent carrier is now defined as a carrier with fewer 
than 20 slots and slot exemptions. (49 U.S.C. 41714(h)(5)(A)) (The 
regulatory definition of a limited incumbent carrier was amended by the 
above statutory provision.) Also, section 426 of Vision 100--Century of 
Aviation Reauthorization Act amended the definition of commuter 
aircraft in 14 CFR 93.123(c)(2), as applied to aircraft operations at 
Washington's Reagan National Airport, to mean aircraft operations using 
aircraft having a

[[Page 67383]]

certificated maximum seating capacity of 76 or less.
    The commuter slots available during the lottery previously were 
allocated to carriers to provide Essential Air Service and subsequently 
withdrawn by the FAA for nonuse. (Under 14 CFR 93.227, if slots are not 
used 80 percent of the time over a two-month reporting period, the 
slots will be withdrawn.)
    A total of six daily commuter slots are available during this 
lottery. One commuter slot is available in each the 0700 and 0900 hours 
and two commuter slots are available in each the 1400 and 1900 hours.

Special Procedures

    By Order 2004-9-22 issued September 23, 2004, the Office of the 
Secretary of Transportation directed the FAA to hold a slot lottery for 
six available commuter slots at Reagan National that had been reserved 
for Essential Air Service for Clarksburg, Morgantown, and/ or 
Lewisburg, West Virginia, subject to the conditions described in the 
order. In summary, the Order provides that the slots may be used to 
provide service to points other than the above West Virginia 
communities unless a carrier subsequently requests slots to serve the 
Reagan National-Clarksburg, Morgantown, and/or Lewisburg markets with 
specific dates a viable proposal. Under that scenario, the Office of 
the Secretary would review the proposal and then direct the FAA to 
recall the reserved Essential Air Service slots that had been allocated 
by this lottery. The complete text of the Order is available via the 
Internet at http://dms.dot.gov in Docket OST-2003-15886.

    Issued on November 10, 2004 in Washington, DC.
James Whitlow,
Deputy Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 04-25451 Filed 11-16-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M