[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 226 (Friday, November 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59447-59448]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25508]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2018-0190]


Advisory Committee on Aviation Consumer Protection Matters; 
Subcommittee on In-Flight Sexual Misconduct

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (``OST''), Department of Transportation 
(``DOT'').

ACTION: Notice of reestablishment and first meeting of the Aviation 
Consumer Protection Advisory Committee.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Transportation (``Department'') has 
reestablished the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee 
(``ACPAC'' or ``Committee''), formerly known as the Advisory Committee 
on Aviation Consumer Protection, as a Federal advisory committee. The 
Department has also established a National In-Flight Sexual Misconduct 
Task Force (``Task Force'') as an ACPAC Subcommittee. The Task Force 
will develop recommendations for the ACPAC's consideration on best 
practices and protocols for air carriers relating to training, 
reporting, and data collection of sexual assault onboard commercial 
aircraft. The Department anticipates the first meeting of the ACPAC 
will be held on January 16, 2019. The meeting will be held in the Media 
Center (located on the lobby level of the West Building) at the U.S. 
Department of Transportation Headquarters,1200 New Jersey Ave, SE, 
Washington, DC 20590. Three topics will be discussed at that meeting--
(1) establishment of the Task Force (including the tasks to be carried 
out by the Task Force); (2) transparency of airline ancillary service 
fees; and (3) involuntary changes to travel itineraries.

DATES: The first meeting of the reestablished ACPAC will be held on 
January 16, 2019, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To register to attend the meeting, 
please contact Stuart Hindman, Senior Attorney, Office of Aviation 
Enforcement and Proceedings, by email at [email protected], or by 
telephone at 202-366-9342; or Zeenat Iqbal, Senior Attorney, Office of 
Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, by email at [email protected], 
or by telephone at 202-366-9893. Attendance is open to the public up to 
the room's capacity of 100 attendees. Since space is limited and access 
to the DOT headquarters building is controlled for security purposes, 
any member of the general public who plans to attend this meeting must 
notify the registration contact identified no later than Wednesday, 
January 2, 2019.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On May 24, 2012, the Department established an advisory committee 
on aviation consumer protection, known as the Advisory Committee on 
Aviation Consumer Protection, as mandated by section 411 of the FAA 
Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 112-95, 126 Stat. 11 
(2012)) (2012 FAA Act) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 
as amended. The original Committee held nine meetings and examined a 
broad range of issues affecting consumers. The Committee has 
contributed significantly to the Department's aviation consumer 
protection program as it provides a forum for stakeholders, including 
representatives of airlines, airports and consumers, to discuss 
important consumer issues.
    The statutory termination date for the Committee was originally 
established by the 2012 FAA Act as September 30, 2015, but has been 
extended several times, most recently by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 
2018 (Pub. L. No: 115-254) (2018 FAA Act) to the current termination 
date of September 30, 2023.
    The Department has updated the Committee's charter to clarify that 
the Committee's work should concern aviation consumer protection issues 
that fall within the current statutory authority of the Department and 
establish a subcommittee to be called the ``National In-Flight Sexual 
Misconduct Task Force.''

Appointment of New Members

    The Secretary has appointed four new members to the Committee. The 
appointed members are: (1) Patricia Vercelli, General Counsel, Airlines 
for America, as the airline representative; (2) Mario Rodriguez, 
Executive Director of the Indianapolis Airport Authority, as the 
airport operator representative; (3) Pete K. Rahn, Maryland Secretary 
of Transportation, as the State or local government representative; and 
(4) Frances Smith, Adjunct Fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute, as 
the consumer representative. Mr. Rahn will serve as the Chair of the 
Committee. The Department chose the Committee members based on two main 
criteria: (1) Representativeness (does the individual represent one of 
the four groups mentioned above); and (2) expertise (does the 
individual bring essential knowledge, expertise, or experience 
regarding consumer protection).

National In-Flight Sexual Misconduct Task Force Subcommittee

    Recent reports of increased incidents of sexual assault and 
misconduct onboard aircraft have highlighted concerns regarding the 
response to such incidents. The Joint Explanatory Statement of the 2018 
Consolidated Appropriations Act requested that the Department establish 
a Task Force to provide recommendations in this area. In addition, the 
Task Force is mandated by the 2018 FAA Act. Accordingly, a Task Force 
has been established as a subcommittee under the ACPAC to consider best 
practices and protocols for air carriers relating to training, 
reporting, and data collection of sexual misconduct by passengers 
onboard commercial aircraft. The Task Force will include 
representatives from the Department of Transportation, Department of 
Justice (including the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Office of 
Victims of Crime and Office on Violence Against Women), Department of 
Health and Human Services, national organizations which specialize in 
providing services to sexual assault

[[Page 59448]]

victims, national consumer protection organizations, national travel 
organizations, labor organizations representing flight attendants and 
pilots, State and local law enforcement agencies, airports, and air 
carriers. As a subcommittee, the Task Force will report its 
recommendations to the ACPAC for deliberation and not provide its 
recommendations directly to the Department. The Task Force's report of 
its findings and recommendations to the ACPAC will be released to the 
public.

ACPAC Administrative Matters; Upcoming Meeting; and Topics

    The first meeting of the reestablished ACPAC will take place at the 
Department's headquarters in Washington, DC on January 16, 2019. During 
the first meeting, the Department will announce the members of the Task 
Force and there will be a discussion of the duties of the Task Force 
members. In addition, two other topics--the transparency of airline 
ancillary service fees and involuntary changes to itineraries--will be 
discussed. The Joint Explanatory Statement of the 2018 Consolidated 
Appropriations Act requests that the Department work in collaboration 
with industry, consumers and other stakeholders to establish guidelines 
on transparency of airline ancillary fees. In addition, the 2018 FAA 
Act mandates that the Department review and make recommendations with 
regard to air carriers' handling of involuntary changes to passengers' 
travel itineraries, and that the Department may consult with the 
Committee for this purpose. Accordingly, the Committee will discuss 
these issues during the meeting.
    The Department's Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, 
within the Office of the General Counsel, will provide appropriate 
funding, logistics, administrative, and technical support for the 
Committee. The Department's subject matter experts will also provide 
support to the Committee.

Viewing Documents

    You may view any documents mentioned in this preamble as being 
available in the docket at http://www.regulations.gov. After entering 
the docket number, click the link to ``Open Docket Folder'' and choose 
the document to review. If you do not have access to the internet, you 
may view the docket online by visiting the Docket Management Facility 
in Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the DOT West Building, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
E.T., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

    Dated: November 8, 2018.
Steven G. Bradbury,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2018-25508 Filed 11-21-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-P