[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 242 (Friday, December 17, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75601-75602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-27589]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Bureau of Transportation Statistics


Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Report 
of Financial and Operating Statistics for Small Aircraft Operators

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 Transportation Statistics invites the general 
public, industry and other governmental parties to comment on the 
continuing need for and usefulness of BTS collecting financial, traffic 
and operating statistics from small certificated and commuter air 
carriers. Small certificated air carriers (operate aircraft with 60 
seats or less or with 18,000 pounds of payload capacity or less) 
currently must file the two quarterly schedules listed below:

F-1 Report of Financial Data,
F-2 Report of Aircraft Operating Expenses and Related Statistics, and 
Commuter air carriers must file the Schedule F-1 Report of Financial 
Data.
    Commenters should address whether BTS accurately estimated the 
reporting burden and if there are other ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information collected.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by February 15, 2005.

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 OMB 2138-0009. 
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-
0009. 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: 2138-0009.
    Title: Report of Financial and Operating Statistics for Small 
Aircraft Operators.
    Form No.: BTS Form 298-C.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection for 
the financial data.
    Respondents: Small certificated and commuter air carriers.
    Number of Respondents: 80.
    Estimated Time per Response: 4 hours per commuter carrier, 12 hours 
per small certificated carrier.
    Total Annual Burden: 1,600 hours.
    Needs and Uses: Program uses for Form 298-C financial data are as 
follows:

Mail Rates

    The Department of Transportation sets and updates the Intra-Alaska 
Bush mail rates based on carrier aircraft operating expense, traffic, 
and operational data. Form 298-C cost data, especially fuel costs, 
terminal expenses, and line haul expenses are used in arriving at rate 
levels. DOT revises the established rates based on the percentage of 
unit cost changes in the carriers' operations. These updating 
procedures have resulted in the carriers receiving rates of 
compensation that more closely parallel their costs of providing mail 
service and contribute to the carriers' economic well-being.

Essential Air Service

    DOT often has to select a carrier to provide a community's 
essential air service. The selection criteria include historic presence 
in the community, reliability of service, financial stability and cost 
structure of the air carrier.

Carrier Fitness

    Fitness determinations are made for both new entrants and 
established U.S. domestic carriers proposing a substantial change in 
operations. A portion of these applications consists of an operating 
plan for the first year (14 CFR part 204) and an associated projection 
of revenues and expenses. The carrier's operating costs, included in 
these projections, are compared against the cost data in Form 298-C for 
a carrier or carriers with the same aircraft type and similar operating 
characteristics. Such a review validates the reasonableness of the 
carrier's operating plan.
    The quarterly financial submissions by commuter and small 
certificated air carriers are used in determining each carrier's 
continuing fitness to operate. Section 41738 of Title 49 of the United 
States Code requires DOT to find all commuter and small certificated 
air carriers fit, willing, and able to conduct passenger service as a 
prerequisite to providing such service to an eligible essential air 
service point. In making a fitness determination, DOT reviews three 
areas of a carrier's operation: (1) The qualifications of its 
management team, (2) its disposition to comply with laws and 
regulations, and (3) its financial posture. DOT must determine whether 
or not a carrier has sufficient financial resources to conduct its 
operations without imposing undue risk on the traveling public. 
Moreover, once a carrier begins conducting flight operations, DOT is 
required to monitor its continuing fitness.
    Senior DOT officials must be kept fully informed and advised of all 
current and developing economic issues affecting the airline industry. 
In preparing financial condition reports or status reports on a 
particular airline, financial and traffic data are analyzed. Briefing 
papers prepared for senior DOT officials may use the same information.

Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act

    DOT is using financial data reported by small certificated and 
commuter air carriers to establish benchmarks to assess the 
reasonableness of air carrier claims under the Stabilization Act.
    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,

[[Page 75602]]

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,
Assistant Director, Airline Information, Bureau of Transportation 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 04-27589 Filed 12-16-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-FE-P