Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Report of Financial and Operating Statistics for Small Aircraft Operators
Federal Register Notice
January 16, 2002
Volume 67, Number 11
AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), DOT.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public
Law 104-13, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics invites the general
public, industry and other governmental parties to comment on the
continuing need for and usefulness of BTS collecting financial, traffic
and operating statistics from small certificated and commuter air carriers. Small certificated air carriers
(operate aircraft with 60 seats or less or with 18,000 pounds of
payload capacity or less) currently must file the five quarterly
schedules listed below:
A-1 Report of Flight and Traffic Statistics in Scheduled Passenger
Operations,
E-1 Report of Nonscheduled Passenger Enplanements by Small
Certificated Air Carriers,
F-1 Report of Financial Data,
F-2 Report of Aircraft Operating Expenses and Related Statistics,
and
T-1 Report of Revenue Traffic by On-Line Origin and Destination.
Commuter air carriers must file the three quarterly schedules
listed below:
A-1 Report of Flight and Traffic Statistics in Scheduled Passenger
Operations,
F-1 Report of Financial Data,
T-1 Report of Revenue Traffic by On-Line Origin and Destination.
On August 28, 2001, BTS published in the Federal Register (66 FR
45201) a notice of proposed rulemaking which recommends that small
certificated and commuter air carriers report their traffic under the
T-100 reporting system. If this proposal becomes a final rule, Form
298-C, Schedules A-1, E-1 and T-1 would be eliminated.
Commenters should address whether BTS accurately estimated the
reporting burden and if there are other ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information collected.
DATES: Written comments should be submitted by March 18, 2002.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be directed to: Office of Airline
Information, K-25, Room 4125, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001, fax No. 366-3383 or e-
mail bernard.stankus@bts.gov.
Comments: Comments should identify the OMB # 2138-0009. Persons
wishing the Department to acknowledge receipt of their comments must
submit with those comments a self-addressed stamped postcard on which
the following statement is made: Comments on OMB # 2138-0009. The
postcard will be date/time stamped and returned.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bernie Stankus, Office of Airline
Information, K-25, Room 4125, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001, (202) 366-4387.
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. The traffic data will be included under OMB
Approval number 2138-0040.
Respondents: Small certificated and commuter air carriers.
Number of Respondents: 90.
Estimated Time per Response: 4 hours per commuter carrier; 12 hours
per small certificated carrier.
Total Annual Burden: 2,880 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 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.
Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act
DOT is using financial data reported by small certificated and
commuter air carriers to establish benchmarks to assess the
reasonableness of air carrier claims under the Stabilization Act.
Donald W. Bright,
Assistant Director, Airline Information, Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
[FR Doc. 02-1157 Filed 1-15-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-FE-P
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