[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 117 (Friday, June 17, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 36582]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-13113]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Bureau of Transportation Statistics

[Docket ID Number DOT-OST-2014-0031]


Agency Information Collection: Activity Under OMB Review; Part 
249, Preservation of Records

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology 
(OST-R), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) 
abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for reinstatement of an expired 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 25, 2022 (87 FR page 17136). DOT received a comment 
from an individual stating that DOT should continue to require air 
carriers to retain paper complaint forms and submit the forms to DOT's 
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) because the online DOT form 
is insufficient. We note that this PRA action pertains only to how long 
air carriers must retain certain records, including any complaints 
received. DOT is not in any way through this PRA action affecting the 
ability of persons to file a complaint against an air carrier. The 
comment has been referred to the DOT Office of Aviation Consumer 
Protection for evaluation.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by July 18, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Gorham, Office of Airline 
Information, RTS-42, Room E34-414, OST-R, 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: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

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: 89 certificated air carriers and 280 charter 
operators.
    Estimated Time per Response: 3 hours per certificated air carrier, 
1 hour per charter operator.
    Total Annual Burden: 547 hours.
    This collection needs a new OMB control number as it was previously 
and erroneously entered into ROCIS as a generic collection.
    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 
legers, 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.
    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.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on June 21, 2022.
William Chadwick Jr.,
Director, Office of Airline Information, Bureau of Transportation 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2022-13113 Filed 6-16-22; 8:45 am]
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