[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 97 (Tuesday, May 20, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28991-28992]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-11601]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Docket ID Number RITA 2008-0002]


Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Report 
of Financial and Operating Statistics for Small Aircraft Operators

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology.

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 extension of currently 
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 March 3, 2014 (79 FR 41, Page 11873). 
No comments were received.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by June 19, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marianne Seguin, Office of Airline 
Information, RTS-42, Room E34-418, OST-R, BTS, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001, Telephone Number (202) 366-1547, 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. 2138-0009.
    Title: Report of Financial and Operating Statistics for Small 
Aircraft Operators.
    Form No.: BTS Form 298-C.
    Type Of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection for 
the financial data.
    Respondents: Small certificated (29) and commuter air carriers 
(24).
    Schedule F1:
    Number of Respondents: 53.
    Number of Annual responses: 212.
    Total Burden Per Response: 4 hours.
    Total Annual Burden: 848 hours.
    Schedule F2:
    Number of Respondents: 29.
    Number of Annual responses: 116.
    Total Burden Per Response: 12 hours.
    Total Annual Burden: 1,392 hours.
    Needs and Uses: Program uses for Form 298-C financial data are as 
follows:

Mail Rates

    The Department of Transportation sets and updates the Intra-Alaska 
Bush mail rates based on carrier aircraft operating expense, traffic, 
and operational data. Form 298-C 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' economic well-being.

Essential Air Service

    DOT often has to select a carrier to provide a community's 
essential air service. The selection criteria include historic presence 
in the community, reliability of service, financial stability and cost 
structure of the air carrier.

Carrier Fitness

    Fitness determinations are made for both new entrants and 
established U.S. domestic 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 298-C 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.
    The quarterly financial submissions by commuter and small 
certificated air

[[Page 28992]]

carriers are used in determining each carrier's continuing fitness to 
operate. Section 41738 of Title 49 of the United States Code requires 
DOT to find all commuter and small certificated air carriers fit, 
willing, and able to conduct passenger service as a prerequisite to 
providing such service to an eligible essential air service point. In 
making a fitness determination, 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 begins 
conducting flight operations, DOT is required to monitor its continuing 
fitness.
    Senior DOT officials must be kept fully informed and advised of all 
current and developing economic issues affecting the airline industry. 
In preparing financial condition reports or status reports on a 
particular airline, financial and traffic data are analyzed. Briefing 
papers prepared for senior DOT officials may use the same information.
    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 on May 15, 2014.
Rolf R. Schmitt,
Deputy Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2014-11601 Filed 5-19-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P