[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 23 (Friday, February 3, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5903-5904]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-1016]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research & Innovative Technology Administration


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

AGENCY: Research & Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), 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 requiring certificated air 
carriers to preserve accounting records, consumer complaint letters, 
reservation reports and records, system reports of aircraft movements, 
etc. Also, public charter operators and overseas military personnel 
charter operators are required to retain certain contracts, invoices, 
receipts, bank records and reservation records.

[[Page 5904]]


DATES: Written comments should be submitted by April 4, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bernie Stankus, Office of Airline 
Information, RTS-42, Room 4125, RITA, BTS, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20590-0001, Telephone Number (202) 366-4387, Fax Number 
(202) 366-3383 or E-mail [email protected].
    Comments: Comments should identify the associated OMB approval 
2138-0006 and Docket 23342. 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, Docket 23342. The postcard 
will be date/time stamped and returned.

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 charter operators.
    Number of Respondents: 120 certificated air carriers, 300 charter 
operators.
    Estimated Time per Response: 3 hours per certificated air carrier, 
1 hour per 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.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on January 27, 2006.
Donald W. Bright,
Assistant Director, Airline Information, Bureau of Transportation 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 06-1016 Filed 2-2-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-FE-P