[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 95 (Thursday, May 17, 2007)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 27770-27771]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9210]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

14 CFR Parts 217, 241, 248, 250, 291, 298 and 374a

[Docket No. OST 2006-26053]
RIN 2139-AA11


Submitting Airline Data via the Internet

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is hosting a 
public meeting to discuss the submission of air carrier traffic, 
financial, and consumer reports via a secure internet connection. The 
public meeting was requested by the Air Transport Association. DOT 
staff will demonstrate e-filing procedures and be available to answer 
questions. During the meeting, the DOT will propose a pilot program for 
a limited number of air carriers to test the internet filing system 
prior to the system becoming operational. A cross section of major, 
national, regional, commuter and foreign air carriers will be invited 
to volunteer to participate in the pilot program.

DATES: The meeting will be held June 21, 2007, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the new DOT headquarters 
building at 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. The room 
number will be announced at a later date. Persons attending the public 
meeting must pass through the building security; therefore, we are 
requesting that you register for attendance by e-mailing or calling Ms. 
Sharon Herman at [email protected] or (202) 366-9059.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bernie Stankus, Office of Airline 
Information, RTS-42, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, 
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), telephone number (202) 366-
4387, fax number (202) 366-3383 or e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) was 
published on December 20, 2006 (71 FR 76226). You may review comments 
to the NPRM at http://www.dms.dot.gov, Docket 26053.

Background

    Receiving and processing aviation data is an essential business 
process for the DOT. To increase efficiency and reduce costs of the 
filing process to both the air carriers and the government,

[[Page 27771]]

DOT has proposed that all aviation data collected by the BTS be 
transmitted via the internet (e-filing). To the maximum extent 
practicable, the proposed e-filing system will be user friendly. 
Automated, built-in data edits would alert filers of incomplete 
information, thus reducing filing errors and the need for corrective 
re-processing. E-filing is more secure than attaching files to e-mails. 
E-filing does not have the size limit constraints encountered by 
attachments to e-mail submissions. E-filing provides the submitters 
with immediate confirmation that the filing has been received by BTS. 
E-filing should eliminate the need for BTS to key punch hard copy 
records into its various data bases.
    During this public meeting, DOT representatives will answer 
questions about the proposed system, the pilot program and gather 
additional public comments. A summary of the public meeting will be 
placed in the rulemaking docket.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2007.
Donald W. Bright,
Assistant Director, Airline Information, Bureau of Transportation 
Statistics.
 [FR Doc. E7-9210 Filed 5-16-07; 8:45 am]
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