[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 62 (Friday, March 30, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13809-13810]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-06402]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Requests for Comments; 
Clearance of Approval for Renewal and Revision of Information 
Collection: High Density Traffic Airports; Slot Allocation and Transfer 
Methods

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
FAA invites public comments about our intention to request approval 
from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to renew and revise a 
currently approved information collection. The FAA collects information 
to allocate and administer landing and takeoff slots and maintain 
accurate records of slot transfers at Ronald Reagan Washington National 
Airport (DCA) under a currently approved collection. The FAA is 
requesting a renewal for the DCA information collection and a revision 
to include six additional airports: John F. Kennedy International 
Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Los Angeles International 
Airport (LAX), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), O'Hare 
International Airport (ORD), and San Francisco International Airport 
(SFO).
    The information collection is required from air carriers and other 
operators at all impacted airports.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by May 29, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to the FAA at the following address: Barbara 
Hall, Federal Aviation Administration, ASP-110, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, 
Fort Worth, TX 76177.
    Public Comments Invited: Public comment is invited on any aspect of 
this information collection, including: (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for FAA's performance; (b) the 
accuracy of the estimated burden; (c) ways for FAA to enhance the 
quality, utility and clarity of the information collection; and (d) 
ways that the burden could be minimized without reducing the quality of 
the collected information. The agency will summarize and/or include 
your comments in the request for OMB's clearance of this information 
collection.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Barbara Hall by email at: 
[email protected]; phone: 940-594-5913.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Control Number: 2120-0524.
    Title: High Density Traffic Airports; Slot Allocation and Transfer 
Methods.
    Form Numbers: There are no FAA forms associated with this 
collection.
    Type of Review: Renewal and Revision of an Information Collection.

Background

    The FAA has implemented several initiatives to address congestion 
and delay issues at certain airports within the National Airspace 
System (NAS). The FAA has issued Orders limiting operations at JFK and 
LGA.\1\ These Orders resulted in part from increasing congestion and 
delays at the airports requiring the FAA to allocate arrival and 
departure slots at JFK and LGA. Additionally, the FAA has designated 
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Chicago O'Hare 
International Airport (ORD), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), 
and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) as Level 2 schedule-
facilitated airports under the IATA WSG.\2\ These Level 2 designations 
largely resulted from increasing congestion and delays requiring FAA to 
implement a voluntary schedule-facilitation process to manage 
operational growth at EWR, ORD, and SFO. The FAA designated LAX as 
Level 2 due to long-term construction projects expected to reduce 
runway capacity. The agency will review this designation upon the 
completion of the planned construction at LAX.
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    \1\ Operating Limitations at John F. Kennedy International 
Airport, 73 FR 3510 (Jan. 18, 2008), as most recently amended 81 FR 
40167 (Jun. 21, 2016); Operating Limitations at New York LaGuardia 
Airport, 71 FR 77854 (Dec. 27, 2006), as most recently amended 81 FR 
33126 (May 25, 2016).
    \2\ Notice of Submission Deadline for Schedule Information for 
O'Hare International, John F. Kennedy International, and Newark 
Liberty International Airports for the Summer 2009 Scheduling 
Season, 73 FR 54659 (Sept. 22, 2008); Notice of Submission Deadline 
for Schedule Information for San Francisco International Airport for 
the Summer 2012 Scheduling Season, 76 FR 64163 (Oct. 17, 2011); 
Notice of Submission Deadline for Schedule Information for Los 
Angeles International Airport for the Summer 2015 Scheduling Season 
80 FR 12253 (Mar. 6, 2015); Notice of Change of Newark Liberty 
International Airport Designation, 81 FR 19861 (Apr. 6, 2016). The 
FAA reaffirmed the Level 2 designations by 82 FR 45938 (Oct. 2, 
2017).
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    The FAA uses the current DCA information collection approval in

[[Page 13810]]

administering the slot program for scheduled and unscheduled operations 
at DCA established under 14 CFR part 93, subparts K and S. The FAA 
utilizes the collected information to (1) allocate available air 
carrier slots; (2) execute slot transfers; (3) record slot returns; (4) 
approve slot reservations for unscheduled or ``other'' operators; and 
(5) track slot usage. Carriers at DCA are the primary providers of slot 
information to the FAA.
    The revision to the existing information collection approval would 
include information reported to the FAA by carriers holding a slot at 
JFK or LGA; by unscheduled operators at LGA; and by carriers operating 
scheduled flights at EWR, LAX, ORD, and SFO. At JFK, carriers must 
notify the FAA of: (1) Requests for confirmation of transferred slots; 
(2) requests for seasonal allocation of historic and additional 
available slots; (3) usage of slots on a seasonal basis; (4) the return 
of slots; and (5) changes to allocated slots. At LGA, carriers must 
notify the FAA of: (1) Requests for confirmation of transferred slots; 
(2) compulsory or voluntary slot returns; (3) requests to be included 
in a lottery for available slots; and (4) usage of slots on a bi-
monthly basis. At LGA, unscheduled operators must request and obtain a 
reservation from the FAA prior to conducting an operation. At EWR, LAX, 
ORD and SFO, carriers are asked to notify the FAA of their intended 
operating schedules during peak hours on a semiannual basis and when 
there are significant schedule changes.
    The FAA estimates that all information from carriers is submitted 
electronically from data stored in carrier scheduling databases. Nearly 
all requests for unscheduled operation reservations are submitted 
electronically through either an internet or touch-tone system 
interface.
    Respondents: 140 carriers at various airports; unknown number of 
unscheduled operators at LGA and DCA.
    Frequency: Information is collected as needed; some reporting on 
bimonthly or semiannual basis.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 6 minutes per slot transfer 
per respondent (i.e. transferor and transferee); 6 minutes per slot 
return; 6 minutes per schedule update; 6 minutes per request for 
inclusion in a lottery; 2 minutes per unscheduled slot request; 1.5 
hours per schedule submission; and 1 hour per slot usage report.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 5367 hours.

    Issued in Fort Worth, TX, on March 23, 2018.
Barbara L. Hall,
FAA Information Collection Clearance Officer, Performance, Policy, and 
Records Management Branch, ASP-110.
[FR Doc. 2018-06402 Filed 3-29-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P