[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 20, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 3275]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-983]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research & Innovative Technology Administration

[Docket ID Number RITA 2008-0002]


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 (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information 
Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for extension of currently 
approved collections. The ICR describes the nature of the information 
collection and its expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 
60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection 
of information was published on November 16, 2009 (74 FR 59018).

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by February 19, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bernie Stankus, Office of Airline 
Information, RTS-42, Room E34-409, RITA, BTS, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, 
SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001, Telephone Number (202) 366-4387, Fax 
Number (202) 366-3383 or E-MAIL [email protected].

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 collection.
    Respondents: Certificated air carriers and charter operators.
    Number of Respondents: 90 certificated air carriers and 300 charter 
operators.
    Estimated Time per Response: 3 hours per certificated air carrier. 
1 hour per charter operator.
    Total Annual Burden: 570 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.
    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, 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.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20503, Attention BTS Desk Officer.
    Comments are invited on: whether the proposed record retention 
requirements are necessary for the proper performance of the functions 
of the Department. Comments should address whether the information will 
have practical utility; the accuracy of the Department's estimate of 
the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the 
quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.

Anne Suissa,
Director, Office of Airline Information.
[FR Doc. 2010-983 Filed 1-19-10; 8:45 am]
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