[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 27, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18304-18305]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-7300]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research & Innovative Technology Administration

[Docket ID Number RITA 2008-0002]


Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Report 
of Financial and Operating Statistics for Large Certificated Air 
Carriers

AGENCY: Research & Innovative Technology Administration (RITA),

[[Page 18305]]

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 is being forwarded to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for reinstatement of an expired 
approved collection. 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 January 27, 2011 (76 FR 4992). The 
Bureau of Economic Analysis at the Department of Commerce submitted 
comments in support of the continuation of the data collection.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by April 26, 2012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Gorham, Office of Airline 
Information, RTS-42, Room E34-414, RITA, BTS, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001, Telephone Number (202) 366-4406, Fax 
Number (202) 366-3383 or email [email protected].
    Comments: Send comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725-17th Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20503, Attention: RITA/BTS Desk Officer.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

OMB Approval No. 2138-0013

    Title: Report of Financial and Operating Statistics for Large 
Certificated Air Carriers.
    Form No.: BTS Form 41.
    Type Of Review: Reinstatement of an expired approved collection.
    Respondents: Large certificated air carriers.
    Number of Respondents: 76.
    Estimated Time per Response: 4 hours per schedule, an average 
carrier may submit 90 schedules in one year.
    Total Annual Burden: 27,360 hours.
    Needs and Uses: Program uses for Form 41 data are as follows:

Mail Rates

    The Department of Transportation sets and updates mainline Alaska 
mail rates based on carrier aircraft operating expense, traffic and 
operational data. Form 41 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' ability to continue providing service.

Submission of U.S. Carrier Data to ICAO

    As a party to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, the 
United States is obligated to provide the International Civil Aviation 
Organization with financial and statistical data on operations of U.S. 
air carriers. Over 99 percent of the data filed with ICAO is extracted 
from the carriers' Form 41 reports.

Carrier Fitness

    Fitness determinations are made for both new entrants and 
established U.S. 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 41 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.
    Form 41 reports, particularly balance sheet reports and cash flow 
statements, play a major role in the identification of vulnerable 
carriers. Data comparisons are made between current and past periods in 
order to assess the current financial position of the carrier. 
Financial trend lines are extended into the future to analyze the 
continued viability of the carrier. 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 
is operating, DOT is required to monitor its continuing fitness.
    Senior DOT officials must be kept fully informed as to all current 
and developing economic issues affecting the airline industry. In 
preparing financial conditions reports or status reports on a 
particular airline, financial and traffic data are analyzed. Briefing 
papers may use the same information.

Pending Rulemaking

    On July 15, 2011, the Department published a Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing to collect certain Form 41 revenue 
information on airline-imposed fees in a more detailed manner (see 76 
FR 41726). Many air carriers have adopted a la carte pricing with 
separate fees for certain optional services that use to be included in 
the ticket price. Carriers currently report excess baggage fees, 
reservation cancellation fees and miscellaneous operating revenues. The 
proposed rule would require carriers to report, (1) itinerary related 
fees, (2) seating assignment fees, (3) baggage fees broken down between 
first and second checked bags, carry-on bags and other bags, (4) 
unaccompanied minor/passenger assistance fees, and (5) other fees. The 
Department wants to make airline pricing more transparent to consumers 
and airline analysts.

Administrative Issues

    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.

    Issued in Washington, DC on March 20, 2012.
Patricia Hu,
Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Research and Innovative 
Technology Administration.
[FR Doc. 2012-7300 Filed 3-26-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-HY-P