[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 83 (Monday, May 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 25645]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-6512]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research & Innovative Technology Administration

[Docket No. RITA-2005-23342]


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, (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) this notice announces that the 
Information Collection Request, abstracted below, is being forwarded to 
the Office of Management and Budget for extension of currently approved 
record retention requirements. Earlier, a Federal Register Notice with 
a 60-day comment period was published on February 3, 2006 (71 FR 5903). 
The agency did not receive any comments to its previous notice.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by May 31, 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 be sent to OMB at the address that 
appears below and should identify the associated OMB Approval Number 
2138-0006 and Docket RITA-2005-23342.

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 
legers, 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.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 715-17th Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20503, Attention RITA Desk Officer.
    Comments are invited on whether the proposed retention of records 
is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the 
Department of Transportation.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2006.
Donald W. Bright,
Assistant Director, Airline Information, Bureau of Transportation 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. E6-6512 Filed 4-28-06; 8:45 am]
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