Number range CHAPTER**U.S. Department of Commerce**

**International Trade Administration**

**Office of Travel & Tourism Industries**

**Survey of International Air Travelers (IFS)**

# [Request for Information (RFI)]{.underline}

## TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1: [Introduction](#_Section_1:_) Page 2

Section 2: [Background and Description of Current
Program](#_Section_2:_) Page 4

Section 2a: [Questions on the Current Program](#_Section_2A:_) Page 24

Section 3: [Ideas to Improve the Current Survey Program](#_Section_3:_)
Page 33

Section 4: [An Alternative Methodology of Data
Collection](#_Section_4:_) Page 40

Section 4a: [Questions for Alternative Methodology](#_Section_4A:_) Page
45

Section 5: [Open Area for Suggestions and Ideas](#_Section_5:_) Page 50

## Section 1: Introduction

# 

The U.S. Department of Commerce has conducted an international air
travel survey since 1982. This program has changed dramatically over the
years to adapt to changes in the global economy and the travel industry.
Commerce requests that the industry review information on the current
program, review proposed options to improve it, respond to alternative
methodologies, and provide comments on the several proposed changes to
this program. Your input will be used to assist Commerce with the
development of the next contract for this program. Industry input is
also being requested because in order to assist the industry, Commerce
needs to know what industry needs and what concerns exist.

While the program has been in existence for 20 years, few in the
industry have a complete understanding of the In-Flight Survey. For the
purposes of this RFI Commerce has provided background on the program.
OTTI expects that the industry will review the information and provide
feedback, i.e. questions or comments will result. Commerce will respond
to all questions and post questions and responses on the FEDBIZOPS at:
[www.fedbizopps.gov](http://www.fedbizopps.gov/)

**It is important to know that all comments and responses and ideas
should be submitted to the following points of contact no later than
June 11, 2005:**

**Ron Erdmann, <ron_erdmann@ita.doc.gov>**

**Phone: 202-482-4554; Fax: 202-482-2887**

**Richard Champley, <Richard_champley@ita.doc.gov>**

**Phone: 202-482-4753; Fax: 202-482-2887**

> **Rubie B. King, Contracting Officer, <Rubie.B.King@noaa.gov>**

Interested parties are also encouraged to provide the Department of
Commerce with information on their company along with detailed
information on how they would approach conducting this program.

Any ideas the industry may have to assist the Government improve the
data on international travel to and from the United States will be
considered by OTTI before writing the next statement of work for its
survey program on international travelers. There is also an open area
for suggestions, comments, concerns, issues, questions, other
methodologies OTTI should consider using, and/or any other ideas the
industry may want to share with Commerce. Please provide them in this
open area.

## Section 2: Program Background

**I. BACKGROUND**

The U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration
(USTTA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation all contributed to the
development of an in‑flight survey of international air travelers, which
was implemented in the fourth quarter of 1982. The initial technical
survey planning, design and operations through calendar year 1983 were
conducted by the Transportation Systems Center of the U.S. Department of
Transportation. USTTA administered the program from 1984-1996 and in1996
the agency was closed by Congress.

The research functions of USTTA were moved to the U.S. Department of
Commerce, International Trade Administration, and Office of Travel &
Tourism Industries (OTTI). The primary purpose of the survey has been to
provide the USA, via primary research methodologies, with travel and
passenger fare export and import figures. Also, a goal was to provide
timely, accurate, and detailed data on international air travelers to
and from the United States. The data collected from this survey
describes the characteristics and behavior of overseas and Mexican
visitors traveling to the United States and of U.S. residents traveling
abroad and to Mexico. Canadian travel data is not currently included.

This information is designed to assist the various agencies of the
government (specifically, the International Trade Administration, and
Bureau of Economic Analysis), participating airlines and the travel
industry in defining international travel patterns and calculating the
economic impact of international travel. Other uses of this data include
developing appropriate target markets, to compare visitation to
different destinations, to assist in planning and marketing strategies,
and to develop an overall profile of the international traveler \[see
section F. Data Output\]. The survey results also serve as a valuable
technical assistance tool enabling the OTTI to reliably monitor U.S.
international travel and tourism trends and respond to information
requests.

The travel research program has been developed to support the major
goals and sub goals of the Department of Commerce. The three salient
Departmental goals include:

-   Increasing America\'s competitiveness in the world economy

-   Increasing U.S. exports of goods and services (international travel
    and tourism is a service export)

-   Increase the U.S. market share of the total global travel market.

It also supports the Department goals related to the **National Export
Strategy** report issued in October 1996 (and updated yearly) by the
Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC). Goals related to the TPCC
include: "Providing timely and accurate international tourism
statistics" and "Providing the foundation for economic policy decision
making by assuring the travel and tourism industry is accurately
measured."

Data from this program are also used to support the U.S. Department of
Commerce, International Trade Administration, Manufacturing and
Services, Office of Travel & Tourism Industries. The other main Commerce
user of this data is the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The Bureau of
Economic Analysis uses the In‑Flight Survey (data files and reports ‑
inbound and outbound) to develop its \"International Travel and
Passenger Fares\" estimates for travel and passenger fare exports and
imports issued in the **Survey of Current Business.** For additional
information on the Department of Commerce agencies, please see the
addresses below:

<http://www.doc.gov/>

<http://www.ita.doc.gov/>

<http://www.trade.gov/td/td_home/tdhome.html/>

[http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/) - OTTI
website

<http://www.bea.doc.gov/>

To understand the overall statistical results of the In‑Flight Survey it
should be kept in mind that the sample was originally designed around
the specific airlines willing to participate in the survey. It evolved
to include boarding area surveys. Determination of airlines and boarding
areas was performed through an analysis of U.S. and international
traffic to/from world regions and countries.

Survey data are gathered from passenger self‑administered
questionnaires, which are primarily distributed and collected in‑flight
by airline flight crew personnel. Certain participating carriers prefer
not to use the in‑flight approach to the Survey. Thus, a boarding area
methodology is used. Participation is voluntary, and thus the contractor
and OTTI rely heavily on the cooperation of the airlines. The 1990-2003
[carrier
participation](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/research/programs/ifs/carriers.html)
in this program is provided on the OTTI website. A great deal of
emphasis is placed on developing a working relationship with the
contacts at each airline to ensure they actively participate in this
program. In return for their cooperation and participation, the carriers
receive confidential reports, on a quarterly basis, profiling the
characteristics of travelers aboard their flights as compared to the
aggregate responses of all other carriers. The participating carriers
also receive non-confidential inbound and outbound "national" reports on
a quarterly basis, if requested.

**II. SYNOPSIS OF CURRENT SURVEY OPERATIONS/REQUIREMENTS**

**A. Survey Population and International Airline Participation**

The population of potential Survey respondents consists of all
international revenue air passengers who travel on a participating
airline's departure leg from the United States. Overseas and Mexico air
markets are included, however the Canadian travel market is currently
excluded. OTTI uses the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of
Immigration Statistics I-94 (inbound non-residents) and I-92 (departing
US-citizens) databases to develop the population estimates. It should be
noted that non-residents are surveyed on their return flight and
US-citizens are surveyed on their originating flight. Therefore the two
segments are essentially surveyed on the same flight departing a US
gateway. These databases are integral to the expansion of the survey
results to ensure they are representative of the entire US-international
travel population. See the [travel population
time](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/POPULATION ESTIMATES.XLS) line from
1990-2003. The [April 2004
projections](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/cat/f-2000-99-001.html) for
2004-2007 indicate a five to six percent growth rate each year.

The selection of an airline for participation in the survey includes the
following factors: the airline\'s market share in the geographic area
under consideration, the desirability of representing both U.S. and
foreign flag carriers for each area, a carrier\'s willingness to
participate and the necessity to keep administrative and operational
costs to a minimum.

In 2003, over 60 U.S. and foreign flag carriers participated in the
survey. While the survey is conducted monthly, airline participation
varies by carrier and is based on individual verbal airline agreements
with the ITA, Office of Travel & Tourism Industries.

Between 1996 or 2003, OTTI has requested a maximum of 6,449 flights to
be sampled to a low of 2,522. The airline response rates (flights
requested to be surveyed compared to actual flight kits returned with
completed surveys) have been between 73% and 41%. Based on information
from cabin crews the passenger response rates have been as high as 62%,
and as low as 41%.

The primary geographic units of analysis are both the "true" origin and
destinations (O&D) of the survey population. The primary world units are
based upon nine world regions. The United States is primarily divided
into 11 modified Census Divisions. Statistics are also developed for
states, large metropoli­tan areas, and selected major tourist attractions
to the extent that response frequencies for these places permit. Mexico
is treated separately, and Canada is not included in the survey at the
present time. Click on the links to see the states that comprise each
[census
region](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/outreachpages/census_regions.html),
and the countries included in each [world
region](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2003-203-001/index.html)
used for this program.

**B. Sampling**

The sample universe consists of all international air travelers, but
selections are made on a 'cluster basis' based on a random sample number
of scheduled flights (clusters) from among all participating airlines
that depart the USA to overseas or Mexican destinations. Certain charter
carriers are included in the program at Orlando Sanford Airport, which
reports 99% of its total traffic from charter airlines. (Charter
carriers at other airports could be added in the future. Charter traffic
accounts for less than four percent of all international overseas and
Mexican arrivals to the USA.)

The flight clusters for each participating carrier are identified from
the electronic Official Airline Guide (OAG) database of scheduled
airline flights. A computer program draws a random sample of flights
from among the survey week\'s flight list.

The survey period is defined as the seven-day week beginning on the
third Monday of the month each month. The week of the month varies
during holiday periods. OTTI and the contractor strive to ensure that
the survey operation mirrors the airline's own system as much as
possible.

The total population consists of two strata. One stratum is comprised of
U.S. citizens departing the United States on the originating leg of
their flight. The other stratum is defined as non-resident visitors (per
the I-94 record) on their return leg home who are aboard the same
outbound flight. The number of flights sampled from each stratum is
determined on an individual airline basis. Consideration is given to the
number of passengers carried, volume of flights to foreign destinations,
number of participating U.S. and foreign carriers serving the area, and
airline cooperation. The stratum covers all airlines participating in
the survey. An airline which is the sole participating carrier serving a
particular country or region would have proportionately more of its
flights selected than an airline which is one of several serving an
area.

Therefore, the sample design is a stratified cluster sample. From the
population of total international passengers the flight clusters
(flights departing the U.S.) are randomly selected from the OAG list of
participating carriers. Travelers in each stratum (resident v.
non-resident) are asked to complete questionnaires, all passengers 18
years of age and older are eligible to respond to the survey. Since
questionnaires are distributed to passengers throughout all aircraft
cabins (first, executive and main) the responses are considered to be
representative of all passengers on the flight.

Random selection by flight (cluster) and stratification of the
population, based on residency, help to ensure that all participating
airlines and all travelers, regardless of residency and carrier 'flag'
have an opportunity for selection into the sample. Regarding the
passenger mix by airline flag (i.e., U.S. or Foreign), OTTI observed
that, not surprisingly, citizenship appears to be a factor in the choice
of airline. For example, from 2003 [I-92
data](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/research/programs/i92/index.html)
(Table IId.): 67% of all passengers flying on U.S. flag carriers were
U.S. citizens (even though they comprised only 58% of the total market)
and 50% of all passengers on foreign flag carriers were non-U.S.
citizens (even though they comprised only 42% of the total market). This
'share gap' phenomenon needs to be factored in during the sample
selection process.

Due to the voluntary nature of this survey, a pure random sample
selection process of passengers on a flight would be logistically
difficult for a flight crew to administer. Therefore, OTTI relies on the
flight crew's judgment in distributing surveys to eligible (over 18
years old) passengers. Also, since various participating airlines
conduct their own in-flight surveys from time to time OTTI has adopted a
standardized, but yet flexible approach with each carrier so as not to
unduly burden the flight crew. OTTI works with each carrier to ensure
the survey operation fits into its system. Most of the carriers
distribute 50 to 125 questionnaires among all classes of service; the
number of surveys provided is set by each airline.

Statistical reliability and validity of the data are dependent on many
variables -- the amount of bias in the selection process, sample sizes
and the ability to quantify results. For example, how reliable are the
estimates (degree of confidence, i.e. 95%) and with what precision
(given an error rate of +/- percentage points). OTTI believes that the
reliability of information and output data from the Survey is dependent
on relative sample sizes and data validation and quality control. The
latter process is described in detail in section E. 'Data Entry,
Editing,' OTTI policies require that information will be released only
if it meets the minimum acceptable standard for a sample size, i.e., 100
occurrences. Information presented at summary levels is assessed to be
very reliable. For example, in 2003, of the 29,114 non-resident
respondents from overseas, much can be said about the travel
characteristics and travel patterns of the 46 percent who visited from
Western Europe. However, there is little data and much less certitude
about the characteristics of a visitor from Bhutan. In 2003, OTTI
collected over 100 respondents for non-resident inbound travelers from
43 countries, 35 states/territories as destinations, 58 cities as
destinations, and 20 U.S. airports. The sample collected for U.S.
residents traveling abroad in which at least 100 respondents were
collected were for 60 countries visited, 38 states of origin, 47 U.S.
cities of origin, and 20 U.S. departure airports. To learn more about
which states, cities, countries or airports are reported, visit the OTTI
website and click on the "[Inbound Travel to the
U.S](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/outreachpages/inbound.general_information.inbound_overview.html)."
or "[Outbound Travel from the
U.S](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/outreachpages/outbound.general_information.outbound_overview.html)."
links.

The number of responses received those sampled among all travelers
originating from overseas markets in 2003 was 29,114. This represents
approximately 0.2 percent of the total population of travelers, which
was over 18 million. The question is "How much is enough given a
specific objective?" For example, how large a sample would need to be
drawn to allow for a reliable conclusion to be made about the
characteristics of a traveler from Paris who visited St. Louis? OTTI
would appreciate the industry's perspective of this issue as part of the
response to the RFI.

Once the appropriate sample sizes are determined the real challenge will
be to implement a more effective administration of the sampling process
to: 1) dynamically adjust the number of survey kits distributed to the
airlines, 2) improve the return rate from the carriers, and 3) increase
the response rates from passengers. (More in section D.)

**C. Questionnaire Design and Content**

The In‑Flight Survey is in the maturity phase of its program life cycle.
The questionnaire is a government document controlled by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB). The survey instrument, OMB No. 0625-0227
must be submitted to OMB for renewal every three years. Its next
expiration date is 7/31/2005. During this process OMB will also assess
the viability of the program. It is expected that the resulting
assessment will be positive.

The questionnaire developed was guided by industry standards of primary
research survey instrument design to encourage accurate and maximum
responses by the surveyed passengers. The airlines and other travel
industry sectors have historically provided input on the content of this
survey. The advice of airlines participating in the program is
particularly appreciated, since without them there would be no in-flight
survey research program. The survey instrument has been re-designed with
travel industry input in 1990, 1993, and 1996. OTTI will work to obtain
industry input on any changes made to the current survey instrument.
When the survey was last revised, over 100 industry representatives
provided input on the survey re-design. OTTI's airline advisory board,
several private sector representatives and staff from the U.S. Census
Bureau Questionnaire Unit were used to develop and review the existing
survey instrument.

To reach the majority of non‑English speaking travelers, the
questionnaire was translated into eleven additional languages ‑ Arabic,
Chinese (Mandarin mix), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean,
Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. There is an English‑only
version and eleven versions with English on one‑half and a foreign
language on the other. Other language adjustments are possible.

The survey questionnaire is designed to obtain responses from both U.S.
as well as non-U.S. residents and can be self-administered by the
respondent. An announcement at the bottom of each survey informs the
respondents of the availability of other versions. The language mix of
questionnaires used on selected routes is determined by the destination
served. The questionnaire design facilitates easy distribution and
collection by eliminating the need to determine the citizenship of the
passengers.

Click
[here](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/research/programs/ifs/question.html)
to view the questionnaire.

The distinguishing features of the current questionnaire are:

-   Trip itinerary - complete origin and destination (O&D) itinerary
    (questions 2-5 and 14) including U.S. and foreign port data.
    Destinations visited requested includes up to seven places visited
    in priority order (question 14). Many airlines have found this
    information useful for route planning purposes, as well as question
    two, main destination.

-   Trip specific data - trip purpose (main and other), type of airline
    tickets purchased, aircraft cabin, reason for airline choice, travel
    party composition, nights away

-   Expenditure detail (question 15 -- 16) and

-   Information on stays at specific hotel chains, type of credit cards
    used (note: credit card numbers are not asked), and name of the
    rental car agencies used. Currently, none of this data is released
    to the public. Should OTTI? Should limits be put on who could obtain
    this type of data? Would hotels, credit card companies, or rental
    car firms want their competitors or partners to have access to this
    type of data?

-   Traveler characteristics: age, gender, family income, residency, and
    country of birth, previous international travel history

An industry standard coding system is used to identify airports,
counties, cities, and states within the USA, as well as all
international cities and countries. The system enables OTTI with the
ability to use data-mining techniques to search and select-targeted data
elements to identify a variety of destinations (cities, states, zip
codes, countries, attractions, and National Parks) and ports (U.S. and
foreign). The coding system for this program is extensive. There are
over 130 airline codes, over 400 U.S. port codes, over 370 foreign
airport codes, over 200 inbound and outbound country codes, there is a
code for every U.S. state and territory, OTTI uses the Census FIPS codes
for U.S. cities and counties, there are over 860 attraction codes, over
160 credit card codes, over 350 hotel codes, and over 60 rental card
codes.

**D. Field Administration**

The Survey is administered in either one of two ways: on- board during
flight (or 'in-flight survey') or in the airport gate boarding area.

The basic monthly survey cycle, starts 30 days before the actual survey
week (generally the third week of the month), and is as follows: OTTI's
contractor selects the flights to be sampled, based upon a computer
generated stratified random sample using the flight information from the
Official Airline Guide. The proposed flights to survey for each airline
are sent to an Airline Service Manager (ASM). The ASM is appointed by a
participating airline and acts as the contractor's primary contact for
each airline. The objective of using an ASM is to minimize the costs and
workload of airlines and to handle any problems as they arise (for
example ‑ schedule changes affecting the flight selected for survey).
The ASM will approve the flights and notify the contractor if any
changes need to be made. Ideally, the ASM would also assist the
contractor in tracking down flights that were requested to be surveyed
that were not. The ASM also serves as the central contact points for
each carrier should anyone at that airline have a question about the
program.

The contractor then express mails the designated flight kits to each
airport. At each airport, there is a gateway manager (GM). They are
local contact used on the boxes of surveys sent to each airport. Within
each box, a flight survey package containing the questionnaires,
pencils, and instructions for the flight crew for each sample flight.
Each flight kit is packaged as a nylon zippered bag that is 19 inches by
14 inches and weighing between six (6) to twelve (12) pounds, which has
cost implications for the program.

The contractor follows up to ensure the kits were received and to handle
any problems, regarding lost survey kits, or issues that may arise. In
2003, the loss of survey kits was approximately 12 percent. This was on
par with previous years, but much less than in 1989 when the loss rate
was 24 percent. (The experience of fewer losses appears to be a result
of the shift of methodology from primarily in-flight to more of an
airport intercept method).

The gateway manager notifies the crews of which flights are to be
surveyed, ensuring the flight crews distribute the survey kits. The
flight crews carry the flight survey packages to their airplane.
Included in the flight kit package are instructions that the crew
distribute the surveys to passengers throughout all cabins, answer any
questions, provide pencils to passengers who may need them and collect
the surveys back from the passengers. Flight crews are to place the
surveys -- both completed and not completed - back into the survey kit
bag. They are asked to ensure that the survey kit is returned to the
same USA gateway on the next flight (usually in the cargo hold of the
plane) to the attention of the GM. The gateway manager then mails the
kits back, postage pre-paid, to the contractor for processing

Currently, there are 59 ASMs, and 83 GMs. In 1995, there were 72 ASMs,
25 ASM/GMs, and 180 GMs. The lower number of contacts today is a result
of the shift from an in-flight method to more airport intercepts being
conducted. An airline may have more than one ASM if their company has
divided the USA into regions, and they require that the contractor's
staff contact the regional ASM for approval of the sample, etc. Since
each airline has different gateways and procedures for administration of
the survey, the number of GMs per airline varies greatly.

Currently, over 60 carriers voluntarily participate in the program. A
list of the airlines participating in the In-Flight Survey can be seen
on the OTTI web site

<http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/research/programs/ifs/carriers.html>.

In 1995, the two survey administration methods were divided as follows:
forty-seven (47) U.S. and foreign participating carriers used the
in‑flight method and thirteen (13) airlines required the surveys to be
administered to their passengers in the pre-departure boarding areas.
While 22 percent of the carriers used the boarding area method, only six
percent of the total surveys for the program were collected using the
boarding area methodology. This difference reflects the fact that many
of the larger carriers are still cooperating with the in-flight method.

By 2003, the survey distribution method was divided into 20 U.S. and
international carriers participating in this program use the in‑flight
method, and 40 airlines the surveys to be administered to their
passengers in the boarding areas. The shift has had major cost
implications. There are positives and negatives for both methodologies,
and OTTI has used both methodologies since 1987. OTTI's goal is to keep
the survey representative of world travel patterns, and if an airline
will not participate using the preferred. In-flight survey method, the
boarding area survey method is then used. .

OTTI's goal is to **survey an appropriate number of travelers** that
will allow reliable statistical inferences to be made about destinations
visited. In actuality the sample size will probably have to be increased
to accomplish this goal, i.e., from the current 0.2 percent to something
approximating one percent sample of the travel population. However, that
percent is yet to be determined. In the near future steps will be taken
to improve on the efficiency of the current process by:

-   Increasing the return rate of the survey kits

-   Increasing the response rates of the surveys distributed

Accomplishing these steps will effectively increase the sample size from
the current 0.2 percent. However, funding has been a major issue for
this program, and until a dramatically larger funding base is obtained,
OTTI will have to survey the same, or even a lesser, number of travelers
as has been the experience in the past.

The number of flights surveyed by the in‑flight methodology or the
boarding area (or airport intercept) methodology has varied over time,
as has the number of flights surveyed. [A
table](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/Table number of flights surveyed and RR.htm)
with the number of flights surveyed per year and the airline response
rate is provided, along with the number of surveys collected each year.
The number of flights surveyed per carrier on a yearly basis it ranges
from 24 to 280. To obtain the target sample each carrier's sample frame
will be adjusted on an individual airline basis. Over the years,
approximately 17,500 to 22,500 (plus or minus 2 percent) questionnaires
are considered completed and usable for analysis per quarter, although
the goal is to collect questionnaires from 70-90,000 or more respondents
over the year. Because of the seasonal travel patterns of international
travelers, the third quarter tends to be the largest survey period. The
ratio of resident to non‑resident questionnaires has historically been
1.2 to one.

Since the inception of the boarding area methodology in 1987, OTTI has
surveyed at the following airports: Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Guam,
Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (JFK), Newark,
Orlando's Sanford, Portland, San Francisco, and Washington's Dulles
airport. In 2003, flights were surveyed at the departure gate for
specific fights following airports: Chicago, Dallas, Guam, Houston,
Miami, New York (JFK), Newark, Orlando's Sanford, and San Francisco's
airport.

After the acts of terrorism on September 11, 2001, airport security has
become a major issue in terms of obtaining access to airports so that
the surveys may be conducted at the international departure gates.
Additional clearances from the airport authorities and the DHS,
Transportation Security Administration had to be obtained. This
increased both the time to gain access and the total costs of conducting
the surveys at the airport. It is expected that OTTI will continue to
work closely with the above-mentioned government agencies; the airlines
and other industry sectors to better facilitate the surveying process at
the airports. This will also require time and effort from the private
sector, which has proven difficult to obtain.

**E. Data Entry, Editing, Verification, Weighting & Processing**

Once the survey packages are returned to the contractor, they are
processed. It is the contractor\'s responsibility to verify collection,
code, edit, and input data from questionnaires. The contractor has
personnel proficient in translating the responses in the different
languages from the questionnaires for coding and editing purposes.
Besides the data entry program, the contractor verifies the processing
and integrity of the database. Finally, steps are performed to check the
survey returns that have been processed. These steps include identifying
the survey returns by control number and cross-tabulating returns as
they are entered on the computer. Returns are crosschecked by day,
airlines, and flight number to ensure the tally for all control numbers.
The contractor has implemented an approved method to verify data entry
and processing. The monthly data processing and review cycle includes
the following tasks: Check the completed survey packages against the
flight survey list and log them in; notify ASMs of any flight surveys
not returned; manually edit and enter responses on questionnaire coding
sheets, enter the data into the computer, perform verification of the
data and wait for the I-94 or I-92 data so the quarterly data may be
weighted. The entire process, excluding waiting for the control totals,
normally takes two months.

The next step in the processing of the data is to expand the survey
estimates by giving each respondent a weight that corresponds to the
known number of international travelers entering the country, or the
number of U.S. residents traveling abroad. To compute estimates of total
international travel to and from the USA, OTTI uses information from the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) forms I‑92 and I‑94 flight
records. The I-92 form is the only source in the world that provides
information on the citizenship mix on international flights to and from
the USA. The I-94 data collects information on non-residents and
non-citizen inbound to the U.S. When OTTI processes the raw I-94 data,
the data output is based upon the residency of the traveler. The World
Tourism Organization's recommendation is that travel to and from all
countries be reported by country of residency. OTTI assumes the I-92
citizen data is equivalent to residents. The individual airline reports
contain unweighted data, and therefore only include the items that do
not require the expansion process.

The I-94 is the DHS Non-Immigrant Arrival Data Base. Tabulations of the
I‑94 entry cards by DHS provide total arrivals into the United States by
residence of other countries. They receive a monthly hard copy report
(entitled **Summary of International Travel to the U.S.)** and data
tapes from this database. OTTI ensures that the tapes/e-mail and reports
are delivered to the contractor. The I‑92 is a DHS form that is also
processed by OTTI. The tabulations of international air travel volume
are based upon the I‑92 cards submitted by the airlines, providing
numbers of U.S citizens and foreign citizen arrivals and departures
between international gateways. The contractor receives a data
tape/email from OTTI on a monthly basis. Only the data on U.S. citizens
is used from the I-92 database. This data is published in a report
entitled the **U.S. International Air Travel Statistics Report**. OTTI
works with DHS to process the I-92 data. When OTTI reports U.S. outbound
travel from the USA, OTTI assumes citizens equals residents. The
contractor sends the OAG file to the Commerce Advanced Data Processing
contact each month. A schedule of when the contractor expects to e-mail
the OAG file is developed and sent to OTTI. This file is required by DHS
so their contractor who keypunches the I-92 data can complete its work.
Timely delivery of the OAG is crucial to the program.

These sources provide the input to the weighted ratio estimating
procedures that expand the sample information to represent all visitors
to the United States and all U.S. travelers to Mexico and overseas
countries, and to ensure it is representative of world travel patterns.
The use of both the survey responses and these independent data sources
in the estimation process yields more reliable estimates than if only
the survey responses and sampling rates were used. This is extremely
critical because of the voluntary nature of this research program
whereby certain carriers and world regions/countries have more
respondents than their share of arrivals or departures.

The survey responses are the primary data source for computing
estimates. The survey responses also provide information on
distributions of variables and relationships among survey items as well
as information relating the country of debarkation to the residence of
the passenger.

A weight is calculated for each survey respondent. This weight
represents passengers departing from the United States via scheduled
international air carriers. Calculation of the weight for the U.S.
residents based on the I-92 is a multi-step process. Briefly, it
entails:

a\. The initial weight of a respondent is one, unless children are part
of a travel party. If children are included, the initial weight has a
value greater than one, depending on the number of children and the size
of the travel party.

> b\. Although 100% sampling is performed on a flight, there is usually
> non-response. The respondents are considered a random sample of the
> passengers, and each weight is increased to cover the non-response on
> the flight.
>
> c\. Each weight of a respondent in a stratum is increased to represent
> all travelers on all flights on the stratum.

d\. The I-92 data are incorporated into the weights by port of
debarkation to represent not only the participating, but also the
nonparticipating, airlines in the survey.

The weights are then used in standard weighted ratio estimation formulas
for calculating the distribu­tions, means, and medians found in the
published tables.

The survey responses are also the primary data source for computing
estimates for the non-resident data. Here, information developed from
the Immigration and Naturalization Service Form I-94 forms the basis for
the expansion process. Similar to the responses weighted using the I-92
data; the calculation of the weight is a multi-step process. Briefly it
entails:

> a\. The initial weight of a respondent is one, unless children are
> part of a travel party, in which case, the initial weight has a value
> greater than one, depending on the number of children and the size of
> the travel party.
>
> b\. Both the I-94 data and survey responses are sorted and summarized
> by country of residence and port of customs information.
>
> c\. The weight computed for individual survey responses is the result
> of directly proportioning the I-94 data to the surveys.
>
> d\. The weights determined by the limiting variables in the survey
> responses match the corresponding control totals from the I-94 data
> summarized in the same manner.

The weights are then used in standard weighted ratio estimation formulas
for calculating the distribution, means, and medians found in the
published tables in the OTTI National Reports, as needed. The contractor
is responsible for ensuring statistical reliability, validity and
integrity of the survey data. The contractor is responsible for
implementing this methodology, so careful attention should be given to
this attachment.

[Processing: IT System Requirements]{.underline}

The following is a description of the computer system and software that
have been developed for the current program to load, edit, and process
the survey data (this equipment is not required, but is provided to
illustrate the bidders of the magnitude of this program and to ensure
they have the computing capability to handle this project):

1\. For the sampling procedure, a series of FORTRAN and DCL programs are
used on a HP DS10 AlphaServer.

2\. Currently, the coded questionnaires are keypunched interactively
using an error and editing program written in FORTRAN. This program
checks for permissible ranges, codes, skip patterns, logical
consistency, etc.

3\. After data quality assurance, the necessary tables are generated
using a VAX/ALPHA 3600 computer using VMS 6.2. Statistical processing,
cross tabulations, and weighted estimates are performed using the SAS
version 6.12. To process one quarter of data, with year‑to‑date tables
(i.e., third quarter, 1995 nonresidents), at least 300 to 400 megabytes
of disc storage and 35 hours of CPU time are required. In contrast, in
2003, after data quality assurance, the necessary tables are generated
using an HP DS10 AlphaServer computer using VMS 7.3. Statistical
processing, cross tabulations, and weighted estimates are performed
using the SAS version 6.12. To process one quarter of data, with
year‑to‑date tables (i.e., third quarter, 1995 nonresidents), at least
300 to 400 megabytes of disc storage and 25 hours of CPU time are
required.

**F. Information/Data Outputs**

OTTI is able to make the information/data, processed from the In-Flight
Survey program, available in a hierarchical approach: 1) Summary level
profiles, published on the OTTI website which are a 'roll-up' of
information found in 2) standardized "reports" and a 3) database that
can be "mined" on an ad-hoc basis for specialized inquiries.

### Profile of International Travelers

OTTI annually publishes the following two summary profiles on its
website in html format, available to the public at no charge:

-   Profile of the Overseas Travelers to the U.S.- Inbound (2003)
    <http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2003-07-001/index.html>

-   Profile of U.S. Travelers to Overseas Countries -- Outbound (2003)
    [http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2003-101-001/index.html](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/view/f-2002-101-001/index.html)

### Standard Reports

OTTI also publishes a much more detailed version of the above, following
a standardized format and available in both print and Excel versions,
for a fee. Both national reports provide information about international
visitors to the U.S. and American residents traveling abroad,
respectively. These reports are produced quarterly and annually with the
same format. Confidential information is only released to the
appropriate parties (see below). Currently, only annual reports are made
available to the public.

Click on the links underlined in this sentence to view the introduction
and appendices the [Non-resident]{.underline}
[1](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/2003 INTRO & USERS GUIDE NON RES.pdf)
[&]{.underline}
[2](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/2003 APPENDIX NON RES.pdf) and
[Resident]{.underline}
[1](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/2003 RES INTRO.pdf)[&]{.underline}
[2](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/2003 RES Appendix.pdf) reports.
Examples of an annual
[country](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/German IFS 1996-2004 report format.xls)
and the
[inbound](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/2003 inbound column headings.xls)
and
[outbound](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/US Leisure to Europe 2002 Example Report.xls)
national reports are available on the OTTI website. Both the non‑U.S.
resident and U.S. resident reports are offered as separate reports on
travel to/from Mexico.

Each participating airline receives a 'Confidential Airline Report'
presenting information specific only to the respective carrier with all
other participating carriers grouped and their summary data presented as
"all other".

### Customized Reports

A customized report is a non‑standard request for special data profiles
based upon a subset of, or a specified data relationship within the
In-Flight Survey database. It varies in length and specifications
depending on the needs of a user. A sample of some of the [column
headings](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/OTTI example banners.xls)
selected for custom reports can be found on the OTTI website. The custom
reports are generally similar in format to the published national
reports and the quarterly OTTI reports, although they can take any form.
Usually, the task starts with a sample size query of the contractor, and
then the client selects the 12 columns they wish to use based upon the
sample and their data needs. Individuals requesting a special run are
charged at a rate determined by OTTI.

Currently, the main clients of custom reports are the state tourism
offices and city convention and visitors bureaus. On occasion certain
airlines look to expand their understanding of an origin-destination
(O&D) market through use of the custom reports. It is possible to design
a custom run for a hotel chain. OTTI always keeps specific competitor
data confidential. The [types of
clients](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/Types of clients.xls) for the OTTI
In-Flight Survey have been posted to the OTTI web site.

To learn more about obtaining custom reports view here.

<http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/research/programs/ifs/customized.html>

OTTI expects to expand its reach to other businesses, including other
federal government agencies. The goal is to increase the number of users
so that OTTI has a broader base of support for this program. Included
could be: US-VISIT, Customs & Border Protection, State Department,
National Park Service, Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation
Administration, and others.

**The Contract Structure**

For information on OTTI's contractor, CIC Research, Inc., view this
link:

<http://www.cicresearch.com/newhome2/AviationAndAirlines/OTTI_Info.asp>

**Base Program**

All of the information provided above comprises the base contract, with
the exception of custom reports/data files, which are described in the
information that follows. Since 1990, the program sample has ranged from
59,000 surveys to more than 94,000 surveys per calendar year.

In addition to the base program, there are numerous contract options
that may be purchased if funding is available and OTTI determines there
is a need to implement them. Below is a summary of the contract options
available. All of the items below are to assist OTTI in dealing with
changes to the program or to implement options to improve it. Their
implementation is solely dependent upon the availability of funds to
conduct the program. Included in these options are:

**1. Sample Size Increases**

As a result of discussions with different government agencies, airlines,
travel industry users, there is a strong interest in obtaining
additional survey responses. To accommodate this, OTTI has built in a
series of options that allows for the purchase of additional
respondents. OTTI's goal, as well that of the airline advisory board,
when active, was to obtain a sample of 1% of total overseas and Mexican
air passengers. In 2003, a one percent sample was approximately 484,000
travelers. To achieve the one percent (1%) sample goal today OTTI would
have to dramatically increase the Survey of International Air Travelers
respondent base, which has never exceeded 95,000 surveys. OTTI would
like to systematically increase the sample size on an annual basis over
several years to reach this goal. Increasing the sample size will enable
OTTI to provide all interested parties with more accurate and reliable
data. Tied to this increase would be the need to survey additional
international airlines. The additional airlines would improve world
regional representation.

**2. Industry Investment Program**

OTTI has been approached by a number of industry groups to enhance the
sample for their state, city, airline, airport, etc. In the past, OTTI
implemented this program as a pilot test with Ohio, Minnesota, and
Illinois State Division of Tourism offices, as well as another attempt
with the Capital Region, USA. OTTI expanded this program to increase the
sample so other travel businesses/groups can obtain the sample required
to provide quality estimates for visitation to their destinations. In
addition, the increased sample would also allow these businesses to
better understand the international traveler so they can improve the
services and products offered to the visitor. A more detailed
[description of the investment
program](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/Investment Program Background.pdf)
may be found on OTTI's web site. This program was implemented in 2001
and 2002.

**3. Custom Reports/Data Files**

OTTI makes available special reports and data files for users based upon
a fixed price scale for each request. Orders are placed for the custom
reports and/or data via email files. These reports/files are sub-sets of
the entire database as requested by individual clients. The sale of
custom reports was also described in the data output section. Sales of
the reports are used to generate revenue for this program to increase
the sample or implement improvement options for this program.

Due to declining sample sizes for the overall program, OTTI has started
to pool multiple years of the data to increase sample sizes for a
particular destination, airline, airport, etc. It is also possible to
pool like regions to gain an improved sample size. The pooled data is
weighted to the current year, or the year requested. The benefit of the
pooled data comes from larger sample sizes that tend to provide more
statistically reliable estimates. There is no additional cost for
combined year data. Custom reports have been purchased every year.

**4. Adjustments to the Weighting Procedures**

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) I-92 and I-94 databases have
had problems over the years. Adjustments to the weighting procedures
have been or may be required to correct problems that occur with these
two data bases. In addition, DHS is currently looking into developing an
electronic collection of the international traveler data. As DHS changes
the information collected, OTTI will adjust the methodologies to
accommodate these changes. OTTI staff will provide guidance and support
to the contractor to work through the corrections that may be needed.
OTTI will approve the final corrections and defend work required to
ensure accurate total population data is issued to weight the survey
data collected.

The following provides examples of corrections that were made to deal
with are with the DHS I-94 database. OTTI processes a subset of this
database for non-residents. DHS also collects citizenship, visa type,
port-of-entry, age and gender on the form. In 1996, the Immigration &
Naturalization Service (INS), (now DHS) delivered tapes to OTTI that had
2 million missing residency records. An analysis was performed to
correct for the missing residency data. An analysis was implemented
using the citizenship and historical data to produce estimates that
correctly allocated the country of residency and port-of-entry to the
missing records. A similar problem occurred in 2001. Because of a change
in DHS policy, transit passengers were added to the arrival counts.
Additional steps were required to delete the transit passengers from the
arrival figures. Acquiring authorization to obtain access to records
that would allow OTTI to determine the extent of the influence of these
transit passengers proved to be extremely time consuming. Data users
were understandably anxious to determine the impacts of 9-11 on their
markets. OTTI made the decision to run and release \"preliminary\" data
inclusive of the transit passengers. Once a valid methodology for
excluding the transit passenger data was implemented, OTTI re-ran and
re-released all of the 2001 data and most of the 2002 data. As a result,
all of the 2001 and most of the 2002 data had to be re-run to exclude
these travelers. Since that time, the data quality and timeliness of
these programs have improved dramatically. The lag time has been reduced
to less than 3 months after the reported month. This means OTTI's
international travel data is now released at the same time or before the
major vendors of domestic data issue their data on domestic travelers.

**Monthly I-94 data processing**

Each month, the government supplies two data files to the contractor for
processing the I-94 arrivals data. The raw data file sent to the
contractor is processed to provide monthly arrivals to the country,
which are used in the non-resident weighting system for this program. To
process the monthly data, the contractor must review the data file for
duplicate records and search for missing codes. These records cannot be
used. Then, a match is performed using the arrivals records and
departures records for the monthly I-94 data received. The contractor
removes all records with 0 or 1 night stay based upon the raw data file.
The remaining data processed by residency to provide country specific
data that is sent to OTTI to review. This file also includes any unknown
country codes. OTTI works with DHS to try to identify any of these codes
and add them to the database. Additionally, a port-of-entry run is
issued that includes all known and unknown codes. The data with known
codes will be used and the others will be put an unknown code area. OTTI
will work to resolve the missing codes as possible. Once the data has
been approved by OTTI, the contractor adds the Canadian arrivals summary
data that usually is received by the third week each month. This
information is added to the database to create a report file for OTTI.
The format will follow the format developed in 1996. In addition to the
print file, an excel file of this report is also provided. The database
is maintained and used monthly to create a monthly and year-to-date
report and file. The numbers of records processed each month are around
2.1 to 3.6 million.

**5. IFS Airline Users Group and Workshop**

Beginning in late 1991, the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries
(OTTI) met with a core group of the airlines that participate in the
In-Flight Survey.

Why an Airline Users Group?

The OTTI In-Flight Survey is a partnership between the U.S. Government
and the airline industry to foster the development of travel to and from
the United States. Because of the heavy reliance upon the airlines for
cooperation and support to collect this data, OTTI wants to ensure they
continue to receive useful information in return for the effort. The
Group allows the airline industry input on how the survey is conducted,
and a means to exchange ideas on how to improve this research program.

Duties of the Airline Users Group:

The Group was used as a consultant for ideas OTTI had for this program.
It was used to receive airline input on ideas before all of the airlines
in the survey were informed of any changes. The Group was also used to
guide both participants and non-participants on the survey. The
composition of the Group tried to have representatives from the
different world regions: the North Atlantic, the Pacific, Latin America,
and the United States. The work included helping OTTI find ways to
improve the administration and participation rates for each carrier.
With regard to non-participants, OTTI requested advice on enticing these
airlines into the program. The overall goal is to cooperatively work
together to improve the In-Flight Survey.

The Group met up to two times per year, dependent upon the airlines,
OTTI, and the availability of funding. The meetings covered selected
topics related to In-Flight Survey (IFS) performance and activities.
Meetings were usually held in Washington, DC and at the contractor\'s
home city of San Diego, California.

After developing the Airline Users Group in 1991, Commerce held several
Users Group Meetings/Conferences. These conferences were held to help
inform the industry of OTTI\'s largest research program, the In-Flight
Survey. In addition, OTTI also featured presentations on the aviation
and travel industry related to the international travel market to and
from the U.S. Due to budget cuts, the last In-Flight Survey Users
Conference was held on March 30, 1998.

Current Status of the Airline Group:

Due to budget cuts for the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries
(OTTI), the airline users group has not met since early 1999. While OTTI
would have liked to rejuvenate this group, a very difficult decision had
to be made. The choice was to continue to meet with the airlines to
improve the program, or to devote the resources available to survey as
many travelers as possible. Given that the sample size is crucial to
providing a representative, reliable sample to the industry, OTTI had no
choice but to suspend the meetings. OTTI would be very interested in
resuming regularly scheduled meetings with the airlines.

**6. Expanded Foreign Market Coverage**

Airlines agreeing to participate in the survey currently total over 60,
with the potential of additions in the future. The new carriers added to
the survey would be used to help expand world coverage so all regions
have proportionally appropriate representation.

The mix of flights for airlines currently in the survey would also be
examined to ensure appropriate representation of world travel patterns.

To ensure the survey is representative of international travel to and
from the United States, both in-flight and boarding area methodologies
are used. Certain critical airlines prefer not to participate in this
research program using the in‑flight methodology. Thus, the boarding
area methodology was developed.

To enlist carriers, the program budget was developed to cover the travel
required to meet with the airline home office staffs to instruct them of
the merits of this program. This program component was completed several
times, but has not been active for the last several years due to budget
considerations.

**7. Airline Participation Enhancement Program**

OTTI believes that if the airlines fully fathom all the benefits of the
In‑Flight Survey and use it to complement their own research, some of
the challenges with response rates and cooperation would be eliminated.

This program entails domestic travel to meet with the corporate
headquarters staff of the U.S. based airlines and the USA offices for
foreign flag carriers. Meetings have been held with airline staff that
represented different functional areas within each airline. This program
component was implemented several times, but again, has not been active
for the last several years due to cost considerations.

**8. Gateway Manager Appreciation/Education Program**

The gateway or station manager at each airport is a key link to the
success of the Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT) distribution
and return of the questionnaires to the contractor. The gateway manager
is responsible for receiving the flight kits, ensuring they get on the
selected flights, working with the contractor to ensure the flight kits
are returned to the United States and then mailing them to the
contractor for processing. Two areas in this respect require closer
scrutiny: the return of flight packages with completed questionnaires,
and the return of the flight packages for flights not surveyed.

This program was developed to show OTTI's, and the industries',
appreciation for the gateway managers' efforts. At the meetings, the
gateway managers were provided with information on the importance of the
survey. Obtaining support from the travel industry to implement this
program is part of this option. At the meetings, the airline stations
managers were informed why their airline participated, how the
government as well as the industry used the data in an effort to impress
upon the gateway managers that their efforts were crucial to the success
of the program. Where possible, airport specific results were presented
to the gateway managers. Another element of these meetings was to
explore any issues, concerns or challenges regarding survey compliance.
Numerous issues were resolved as a result of these meetings. In years
when funding was available for this program, meetings were arranged at
each airlines\' airport office with available staff. Because of DHS
security measures following 9-11, alternate arrangements would now have
to be made.

**9. Flight Crew Appreciation/Education Program**

This program focuses on the flight attendant\'s portion of the process.
An educational seminar on the IFS would be developed for flight
attendants. It would include information on who the flight crew should
distribute the survey to, why they are distributing it, when they should
be distributing it, how they should return it, and what uses their
airline makes of this data. Additionally, it would include an element to
improve the instructions on the flight packages and the message
delivered to the passenger, develop information pieces on the In-Flight
Survey for airlines to use in flight attendant newsletters, and develop
a better tracking system for each flight being surveyed so OTTI knows
who was supposed to be responsible for its administration. The emphasis
here is to streamline the process to ensure maximum cooperation from the
passengers. OTTI is looking for useful creative ideas that can also be
used in this area. Lack of funding has prevented this program from ever
being fully developed and implemented.

**10. Questionnaire Re-Designs**

The survey instrument has been re-designed numerous times, most recently
in 1996. With the last revision, OTTI developed a list of users, mailed
information on the questionnaire to them, and then asked for input on
the survey related to what changes they would like to see implemented.
For the last revision, work started towards the end of 1994. Significant
lead-time was needed to obtain industry input and approval of various
"in progress" versions of the survey by the advisory users group and
others developing a proposed survey. The proposed survey was sent to the
Census Bureau's Administration and Publications Services Division. This
team of professional survey designers assisted OTTI in developing the
layout and appearance of the current survey. The survey was pre-tested
in English only, and as a result of the pre-test data, changes were
made. The survey was then translated into each of the languages and
translated back into English to check the translation for accuracy, and
then each foreign language was pre-tested as well. Once the final format
was obtained, the final negatives were developed. OTTI submitted its
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance package for the new
questionnaire. The time required for the OMB process was approximately
150 days. Once the approval was obtained, Commerce printed the surveys
and they were then shipped to the contractor.

**11. Translation Service**

This contract option required that the contractor work with a firm that
could translate the English version into the numerous languages used for
the program. The contractor would provide the translation service
company with the final English version of the survey instrument. The
firm then translated and typeset the questionnaire into each language.
All of the questions and responses were to be in the exact same format
and location as found on the English version. Once translated, the
contractor then worked with OTTI to have the translations reviewed to
ensure they matched the English version. If the translation needed any
changes, the original firm secured to produce the typeset-ready
translations was informed of what needed to be changed. The firm then
provided OTTI with a set of negatives so the survey could be printed.

**12. Programming and Report Changes Required to Accommodate New
Questionnaire**

This contract option was available to change the report formats when the
questionnaire was redesigned. This option was needed because a new
survey instrument would collect different data points. The new
programming was implemented to accommodate modifications that must be
made to the coding procedures, data entry, processing, and data outputs
for each report issued.

**13. Development of a Short Questionnaire/Supplemental Survey**

Response rates for surveyed flights of less than two hours duration are
far lower than the average rate for all of the data collected. OTTI
developed this option for use in developing, pre-testing and using a
shorter version of the survey instrument for flights under two hours
long.

OTTI tested and implemented a shorter version of the survey.
Unfortunately, at the time, the airlines missed the data that had been
eliminated in the shorter version of the survey. Therefore, the effort
was abandoned. This could be reinstituted, however, if it is deemed
valuable for destination use.

**14. Data Analysis to Develop Executive Summaries for Country Reports
and Customized Reports**

OTTI has historically issued reports that only provide cross-tab tables.
No data analyses have been offered. Several clients have approached OTTI
for this information, but due to the workloads of all staff, no time is
available to develop analyses for the client. OTTI would like to offer a
data analysis consulting service to clients who are willing to pay for
customized analysis of the data findings. The analysis would include
text, graphs and tables, and comparative and complementary data sources
to explain the results of the survey. Ideally, the client would pay a
fee for the analysis above and beyond the fee paid for the data. Revenue
collected from the analyses would be used to help fund the program and
pay the contractor for their work. Potential clients are airlines,
airports, tourism regions, states, cities, foreign national tourism
offices, and others. This option has never been implemented.

**15. CD ROM/Electronic Delivery of the Data as Excel files**

This option was developed to offer clients an alternative to standard
paper report copies. The hard copy reports were converted into an Excel
format, and then sold to the clients along with a paper copy of the
report for an additional fee. This option has been used numerous times
for a majority of the reports issued by OTTI.

## Section 2A: QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE CURRENT PROGRAM

OTTI also has questions for the travel and tourism industry related to
the program. The questions have been structured in this section to ask
specific questions to the airlines, and then questions for the rest of
the industry, including airlines in some cases. Please review the
questions and provide Commerce with your comments. The responses
obtained from the industry to these questions will be used to assist
OTTI to determine the future direction of this program. Please respond
to the following questions:

**Questions for Airlines**

**A. Introductory Questions on Airline Contacts/Functional
Areas/Awareness:**

1\. If you are a participating carrier in the IFS, do you know who your
current key airline representative (to the US DOC and its contractor)
is?

2\. Other than your airline key representative do you know which
functional areas in your airline use, or should use, the information
your carrier receives back from the IFS? If yes, please provide us with
information on how you use the data.

3\. Are you aware of the type of information that your carrier receives
from the IFS system?

4\. Do you perceive that the information received is of potential value
for your airline? If so, how?

5\. Do you view it as a 'corporate' system with information that could
help different areas of the airline company: international planning,
route/schedule planning, consumer research, product planning, in-flight
services, pricing, alliance planning, distribution, etc.?

6\. For most airlines, Commerce only has one contact. How could we
improve the awareness of this program for the numerous areas that may
benefit from this program, for your airline?

7.  What else could OTTI do to entice your airline to continue
    participating in the program?

8\. Are there any questions you have for OTTI that would help you better
understand the program?

**B. Reports/Data Outputs:**

1.  Currently, in return for an airline's participation, they receive a
    paper confidential airline report, and if requested, the quarterly
    national inbound and outbound reports issued in a printed report
    from the data collected. Is this sufficient? Yes \_\_\_\_ No
    \_\_\_\_. Should OTTI provide more to the airlines in return for
    their participation in the program? Yes \_\_\_\_ No \_\_\_\_. If
    Yes, what?

2.  One option would be to provide the existing reports in a more useful
    medium, i.e. excel files. Would you prefer this format? Or, would
    you prefer some other format and, if so, please let us know what
    this would be.

3\. Are you aware that your carrier can access the IFS database for
special inquiries on an adhoc basis? For example, would demographic
information on a true O&D basis (origin-destination) be useful? Would a
fee be acceptable for ad-hoc inquiries? Would a bartering arrangement be
viable (i.e. OTTI data in exchange for airlines tickets, or something
else)?

4\. Would you be interested in knowing more about how non-airline groups
use the IFS data (note: they do not have access to an airline's
Confidential Report) and how it actually may benefit your carrier?

5a.Would there be any interests in having the contractor for this
program have staff that would be assigned to a select number of airlines
to help the carriers use the data?

5b.Would the airlines use this service?

6\. Are you aware of other sources of information that could supplement
the IFS to enhance the usefulness of both? If so, would you please
provide OTTI with information on these resources?

**C. Survey Instrument/Questionnaire Enhancements:**

1.  Currently, the questionnaire has 29 questions. In your experience
    what is the optimum number of questions to ask on an international
    traveler survey?

2.  OTTI would like to request that you review the current survey
    instrument. Upon reviewing the survey instrument, does OTTI ask too
    many questions, too few? What is the rationale for your assessment?
    (Please note: This is a tourism survey as well as a survey to assist
    the airlines).

3.  Are the questions asked on the Survey pertinent?

4.  Are there questions you feel OTTI does not need to ask? If so,
    please indicate which questions are not needed. (Again, please note,
    there are questions for the U.S. government as well).

5.  Are there other questions you would like to add?

**D. Ideas to Improve Data Collection by Crew**

1.  Currently, the flight crews distribute and collect the surveys. Do
    you have any ideas on how to increase the crew\'s participation in
    the survey process?

2a. OTTI has often thought of meeting with the flight crew unions to
talk to them about the importance of the survey and to ask that they
inform their members that when asked to conduct the Commerce
international traveler survey, that the crew distribute and collect
them.

2b. Do you think this would work? If so, what types of information would
Commerce need to present to the flight attendants unions?

2c. Would your airline assist Commerce in developing such a
presentation?

3\. Are there other mechanisms that could be used to educate the flight
crews about the program to enlist them to support it?

4a. Do you have a flight crew-training seminar on conducting in-flight
surveys for your airline?

4b. Could a component related to the survey be added to your program?

4c. Or, do you have a flight crew newsletter that OTTI could use to
provide information on the program to the crews?

4d. Or, are their meetings in which airline management meets with the
crews to provide information in which Commerce could provide the airline
management with text for their use and their crews?

5\. Do you have any other ideas you would be willing to provide OTTI to
improve flight crews' participation in the survey program?

E.  **Improve Response Rates/Cooperation:**

    1.  Many airlines conduct their own in-flight surveys, or survey
        their passengers. Would your airline be willing to provide OTTI
        with in-depth information on how you conduct your own passenger
        surveys so that OTTI could learn from them?

    2.  Improved response rates are a goal of this program. Would you
        please provide OTTI with ideas you have used for your airline
        that have allowed you to improve response rates for your own
        survey efforts?

    3.  Would you let OTTI know what other surveys your carrier
        participates in (on-line and/or and the scope of those surveys
        compared to what you know about the IFS?

4\. What do you think the trade-offs are in using the current approaches
(in-flight vs. boarding area) vs. a possible 'airport-intercept'
approach?

5\. What actions should OTTI take to improve the response rate to the
IFS?

5a. Distribution of survey kits to gateway airports?

5b. Flight crew administration of Survey on-board, or by boarding area
interviewer?

5c. Collection and return of completed survey kits from the airports to
contractor?

5d. Show of appreciation by OTTI for airline participation and
cooperation?

5e. Training programs for airport and flight crews?

6a. If you received a letter from each of the gateway cities you served
asking your airline to participate in the Commerce survey, would it mean
anything?

6b. Would the letters from industry partners have any influence on
whether or not you participated in the program?

7\. Do you have comments on OTTI's surveying/sampling methodologies?

**F. Meetings with Airlines:**

1.  Would representatives from your airline be interested in meeting
    with OTTI staff and/or the contractor for the program to learn more
    about it?

2\. What could OTTI do to make these meetings effective?

3\. OTTI has a program in which the contractor/OTTI staff would meet
with the airlines at their corporate headquarters. But, the cost of
airfare has proven to be an impediment to implementing this program.
Would your airline be willing to swap free data for free airline tickets
and hotel rooms for meetings between Commerce/the contractor and your
airline?

**G. Airline Advisory Users Group:**

1\. Would your carrier be interested in participating in an Airline
Users Group, the purpose being to enhance the survey methodology and
increase the usefulness of the information to all carriers?

2.  How often would you want the Users Group to meet?

3.  Who from your airline would be involved? (In-flight services, market
    research, international planning, route planning, marketing,
    others)?

4.  What would Commerce need to do to obtain your involvement in an
    Airline Users Group?

**H. Alliances**

1.  If your carrier is a member of a global airline alliance several
    other members of that alliance most likely are participants in the
    IFS. Would you find an 'alliance report' or information accessible
    about alliances useful?

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1.  There are several major alliances worldwide. If a majority of the
    alliance partners participate in OTTI's survey, would the other
    alliance partners assist OTTI to enlist the cooperation of the other
    alliance partners who do not participate?

2.  Would the airlines that are part of an alliance be interested in an
    alliance report they could develop for their alliance?

**I. Sample and World Regional Representativeness**:

1.  With the goal of conducting a survey program that is representative
    of world travel patterns, would airlines be willing to assist OTTI
    enlist other carriers?

2.  OTTI has a goal of surveying one percent of all international
    flights. Would your airline cooperate if OTTI requested that OTTI
    survey one percent of your international flights?

**J. Final Airline Specific Questions:**

1.  Is there anything else OTTI could do to improve the participation
    from your airline?

2.  If your airline does not participate, what would it take to enlist
    your participation in this program?

3.  Would you be interested in having OTTI present the IFS program to
    members of your airline and recommend ways to for your carrier to
    find more value in its information?

4.  Does your airline have any performance measures it uses to assess
    the usefulness or value of your own internal In-Flight Survey? If
    so, would you be willing to share them with OTTI? Conducting
    research programs with performance measures is a new area the
    government is moving toward.

**PART II: QUESTIONS FOR THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY (this may include the
airlines)**

**Sample:**

1a. The current sample has been around 60,000-90,000 travelers for the
past 10 years. Is this too many? Too few?

1b. What would you consider the optimum sample size for this program to
be?

2\. For which markets would you like to have a statistically reliable
visitation estimate? Please be sure when you respond to provide OTTI
with the state or city you represent.

**Questionnaire**

1a. Please take a look at the current questionnaire. What questions do
you think OTTI should cut?

1b. Are there questions you think OTTI should add? If so, what would
they be?

2\. How many questions do you think Commerce should ask?

3\. If the questionnaire was to be revised, would the industry be
willing to provide funding support to pay for the redesign, pre-test,
new translations (if needed), and the programming costs that would be
incurred to accommodate the new questionnaire?

4a. OTTI collects data that provides the name of the hotel chain a
visitor stayed at while within the USA. In addition, data is collected
on rental car firms used and the name of the credit card used to
purchase items while on the trip is also collected. Should this data be
released to the public? Or, should OTTI stop collecting this data?

4b. Should OTTI require specific limitations be put on who could obtain
this type of data (i.e. Would hotels, credit card companies, or rental
car firms want their competitors or partners to have access to this type
of data)?

**Reports**

1\. Currently, OTTI relies upon the sale of data from this program to
assist in funding it. The current prices for reports are on the web
site. Knowing this, do you feel OTTI prices for the printed reports are
too high, too low, or about right?

2\. What do you feel OTTI should charge for reports and/or data?

3\. OTTI also develops custom reports for clients that are specific to a
destination or sector. The current price for this report in 2004 was
\$3,575 (for a 12 column, 35 table report). Is this price too high, too
low, or just about right?

4\. What do you feel OTTI should charge for custom reports and/or data?

5\. For clients who have purchased a custom report. What could OTTI do
to improve them?

6\. Are there other types of reports you would like to see OTTI release?
If so, please describe them.

7a. Would there be any interest in having the contractor for this
program (or a group of consultants) is available to analyze the data
from the custom report(s) for your destinations for a fee? If so, what
would you like this report to look like, what would be included?

7b. How in-depth would you want the analysis to be?

7c. What would be a fair price for this service (above and beyond the
cost of the custom report)?

7d. Would your organization use this service?

**In-Flight Survey Users Meeting**

1\. OTTI has hosted industry user meetings for this program in the past.
The costs of hosting these meetings have prevented us from doing more of
them. So, to help OTTI reduce the costs to host a meeting to inform
users about the program and how they could make better use of the data,
etc. Would your business be willing to sponsor parts of the meeting (the
meals, AV equipment, the meeting space, provide hotel rooms for
speakers, provide airline tickets for sponsors, copies of the handouts,
badges, etc.)?

2\. What would your business want in return for sponsorship?

3\. Would a representative from your business be willing to speak to the
group on how you have used the OTTI data?

4\. How long should this meeting be? (One-half day, a full day, a day
and a half)?

5\. Should OTTI charge a registration fee to assist in paying for the
cost of the meeting to educate users on how the program may help them?

6\. What do you feel would be a fair registration fee for this type of
meeting?

7\. Would you, or a representative from your business attend this type
of meeting?

**Response rates**

1.  Do you have any suggestions on what OTTI could do to improve
    response rates for the program?

2.  OTTI has used letters from the industry to entice airlines to join
    or to not drop out of the survey. If asked, would the industry be
    willing to send a letter to targeted airline staff to ask for their
    cooperation?

3.  Letters to the airlines may be more effective if they were received
    from all of the gateways the airline serves. Would your organization
    be willing to assist OTTI entice the other destinations served by a
    targeted airline to write letters to a designated contact?

**Meetings with airlines**

1.  Would the state tourism offices or CVB staff be willing to attend
    meetings with airlines to help Commerce and its contractor entice
    the carrier to participate or improve its cooperation?

2.  In the airport education and/or improvement program section of this
    document, OTTI proposes meeting individually with port authorities.
    If Commerce/the contractor visited an airport in your area, would
    you be willing to assist Commerce and/or the contractor for this
    program to facilitate meetings with the airport authority staff?

3.  Do you have special arrangements with the airlines that serve your
    city and hotels that provide complimentary airline tickets or rooms,
    which could be shared with Commerce staff to facilitate meetings
    with the airport in your area and the contractor in trade for data?

4.  Would you be willing to attend these meetings with OTTI to either
    learn more about the program, or if you are a user of the data, to
    help impress upon the port authority contacts the need for this
    survey?

5.  OTTI has proposed setting meetings with the airport authorities. If
    Commerce held a meeting in your city, would you be willing to obtain
    meeting space for OTTI and the contractor, if needed?

6.  For Hotel chains: To improve this program, there are several
    programs in which travel is required and staying in a hotel is
    needed. Would your hotel be interested in exchanging free hotel
    rooms for free data on international travelers who stayed in
    hotels/motels?

**Travel Industry Users Group**

1.  The Federal Advisory Committee Act restricts formations of Advisory
    Boards. Would you support the formation of an Industry Users Group?

2.  Or, can you suggest a way in which Commerce could obtain industry
    input at no cost to the government?

**Final Industry Questions:**

1\. Do you have ideas that you feel would help OTTI improve this
program?

2\. Do you have any questions on the current program?

3\. Obtaining funds to run this program has always been a major problem.
Do you have any ideas on how funds could be obtained to support this
program?

4\. Do you have any other ideas on how Commerce could reduce costs for
the program?

### THANK YOU!

OTTI would like to thank the industry members who have reviewed this
information. The responses you provide to Commerce will be used to guide
us in the development of the next contract for this program.

**Again, please provide your responses and comments to:**

**Ron Erdmann, <ron_erdmann@ita.doc.gov>**

**Phone: 202-482-4554; Fax: 202-482-2887**

**Richard Champley, <Richard_champley@ita.doc.gov>**

**Phone: 202-482-4753; Fax: 202-482-2887**

**Rubie B. King, Contracting Officer, <Rubie.B.King@noaa.gov>**

**Also, please put "Response to RFI" in the subject line.**

# Section 3: Ideas to Improve the Current Survey of

**International Travelers Program**

OTTI hopes you have had a chance to review the background section on
this program that covered problem areas, challenges, concerns and other
issues related to the program. OTTI has numerous ideas that may help
improve the existing in-flight survey and details a potential airport
intercept methodology (see section 3) to be used for this program. OTTI
would like the industry to review these ideas. Additionally, OTTI would
like to encourage the industry to submit their ideas to help improve the
quality of this program. A major area of interest for OTTI is in
reducing the costs to the government or for the program. If you feel you
have any ideas that may help reduce the costs of this program, or
generate additional revenue for it, OTTI would like to hear from you.
Finally, along with the ideas to improve the program, OTTI also has some
questions for the industry.

To make this program more useful to the airlines, OTTI feels that it may
need to provide additional items to the airlines in return for their
participation. Currently, the airlines receive quarterly confidential
reports for the responses from passengers on their flights compared to
all travelers surveyed. The airlines are also provided with the option
to obtain free quarterly national reports for inbound and outbound
travel based upon the survey. Is this sufficient, or should OTTI offer
more to the airlines in return for participation? Please note, that this
program is administered by a contractor. All reports generated from this
database require programming to develop them. This means that with each
report developed, there is a cost to the program to pay the contractor.

**Ideas for the Airlines related to the data from this program**:

1.  Instead of providing printed reports only, the reports could be
    provided as an excel file that could be e-mailed to the designated
    airline contact. Or, the reports could be provided on CD-ROM disks,
    or diskettes.

2.  Currently, there is only one confidential airline report developed
    by the airline advisory board and sent to the participant airlines.
    But, this report probably only meets the needs of a select group of
    airline staff. OTTI feels other reports could be developed for the
    airlines to meet the needs of other operating units for each
    airline.

3.  Another method would be to deliver a data file of the airline's
    specific responses about the airline in return for their
    participation. If the airline wanted aggregate results of travelers
    who flew the same city pairs, or other ways of sub setting the data
    for the other airlines, OTTI would propose this could be
    accommodated based upon the agreement of the participating airlines.
    OTTI would also like to suggest that a fee be charged and set by the
    airlines for the aggregate data to generate additional revenue to
    the program.

4.  At one time, OTTI provided regional reports to the airlines for a
    fee. The regional reports were developed by representatives of the
    airlines within each region. They chose the variables that would be
    included in the report. These reports were different from all of the
    other airline reports in that airline specific data was shared by
    those carriers who agreed to show their data to others within their
    region. OTTI would like to know if the airlines would be interested
    in this type of report again.

5.  Another report that could be developed from this database would be
    an alliances report. This report would be developed for each of the
    major alliances. The airline partners within the alliance would
    design the report and it would be sent to the alliance headquarters
    for distribution to the partners, or sent directly to a designated
    contact at each airline. For the alliance reports to work, the
    alliance partners would need to entice non-participants to cooperate
    in this survey program.

Which of these ideas would the airlines be interested in, or are there
other things the airlines would like from this program?

**Possible Mandatory Participation:**

Participation in the program has been and is a challenge. If certain
airlines or airports are not part of the program, Commerce's ability to
provide a truly representative sample of the travel population is be
compromised. There are numerous mandatory federal government surveys
conducted by the Bureau of the Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics and
others. OTTI would like the industry to consider a mandatory survey of
international travelers. The mandatory survey approach would assist this
program in that all airlines and airports must allow the government to
survey international travelers at departure gates. It does not mean
Commerce would want to survey every flight or from every airport. A
systematic, representative sample of the travel population, dependent
upon funding, would be selected each month for surveying. OTTI does not
anticipate this would ever exceed one percent of the travel population
or flights. OTTI would also work with the industry to develop the
mandatory survey status ruling. In fact, to obtain a mandatory survey
would require action by Congress. It is anticipated it may take several
years to obtain. So, before investigating this possibility, OTTI would
like to hear from the industry about pursuing a mandatory survey
program. What do the airlines feel about this idea? What about the rest
of the industry? Would the industry support this idea?

**Access to Airports:**

Obtaining access to U.S. international airports has been obtained as
needed, but, if OTTI were to expand the number of airports it would use
to conduct airport intercept surveys, OTTI may need the industry's help
to ensure the Transportation Security Administration, and the airport
authorities understand the need for this program and work with Commerce
to ensure OTTI has access to the departure gates and international
travelers. OTTI feels that it may need to approach TSA and selected
airports to obtain permission to survey at U.S. airports. If either TSA
or an airport is not receptive to this request, OTTI would like to ask
that the industry would write letters, or possibly accompany OTTI on
meetings to see TSA or a specific airport authority. Another possible
source of assistance would be to work with OTTI to enlist the
cooperation of other industry partners to write, call or meet with who
ever is needed to obtain permission to survey travelers. It is felt that
if a large cross section of the industry supports this initiative, it
will be much harder for TSA or an airport to deny Commerce access to the
international travelers. Would the industry support OTTI in these
efforts?

**Funding Issues:**

The lack of adequate federal funding has always been a problem for this
program. It has limited the sample size and it has prevented OTTI from
implementing program options written for this project that can help
Commerce improve the quality of the data. Other than federal funding,
money for this program could be raised several ways. One, OTTI could
increase the sales of the data for this program. This could come from
increased prices, an increase in the types of products available, or the
movement to other clients who have not traditionally purchased this data
in the past. Potential federal government agencies who may be able to
use the OTTI data by purchasing the data set include: the Department of
Homeland Security (US-VISIT & Customs & Border Protection), the State
Department, National Park Service, Federal Aviation Administration,
Department of Transportation, Amtrak, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and
others. OTTI would be interested in hearing from the industry on how
OTTI could increase sales. Have any of the state agencies had success in
enticing other state agencies to use data the state may have been able
to collect? We would also like to hear from the federal partners. Is
there data on the international market that would be of use and interest
to you? How would OTTI go about approaching your agency to enlist their
support and purchase of the data from this program?

**Potential Industry Partnerships:**

OTTI would also be interested in knowing if any of the travel related
associations would be willing to work with OTTI to educate their members
of the data that is available from Commerce. Another possible joint
venture with associations would be the development of sector reports
from this data. Are there associations that would be interested in a
joint report from the database (IACVB -- a city report, AH&LA -- a hotel
report, USTOA -- a package traveler report, ACI-NA & AAAE -- an airport
report, IAAPA -- an attractions report, etc.)? TIA has produced sector
reports with industry partners for the domestic market. OTTI would be
interested in learning how they developed these partnerships. Is there
data on the international market that would be of use and interest to
you? How would OTTI go about approaching your association to enlist
their support and purchase of the data from this program?

**Potential Industry Investment:**

OTTI launched an
"[invest](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/research/programs/ifs/invest.html)
in your international travel estimates program" in 2001-2002. What could
OTTI do to improve this program? Would the industry be interested in
working with Commerce like they do with TIA's domestic traveler survey
program, TravelScope, to help Commerce increase the sample size?

**Improved Cooperation from Flight Crews:**

Cooperation from flight crews to administer, collect, and return
in-flight surveys are an industry issue. OTTI would like to work with
the airline industry to develop a Flight Crew Education Program. This
program would develop an education program to show why the federal
government and industry need the cooperation of the flight crews. It
would also focus on how their own airline uses the data, and answer
typical questions the flight crew may have about this program. OTTI
hopes that airlines that conduct their own in-flight surveys would share
with Commerce ideas that have worked and not worked. It is also hoped
that airlines would provide OTTI with information on how they conduct
their own surveys and send us copies of their questionnaires so OTTI may
learn from their programs on additional ways to improve IFS. Does the
industry feel this program would work? Would they support it?

**Adding Airlines with Industry Support:**

OTTI would like to investigate ideas on how it could work closer with
the industry to add airlines (scheduled and charter) to the program and
improve participation of existing airlines. Ideas OTTI has thought of
include working closer with the Air Transport Association or other
international airline associations to see if the data Commerce has would
be of interest to the members. OTTI would like to know if the airline
associations would be interested in assisting us. OTTI would also be
interested in learning what the associations would want in return for
their assistance to enlist the participation of carriers in their sphere
of influence. OTTI would also like to explore other ideas with the
numerous international airline associations to see if there are ways
OTTI could help each other. Does the industry feel this program would
work? Would they support it?

OTTI would like to investigate other ideas on how it could work closer
with the industry to add airlines (scheduled and charter) to the program
and improve participation of existing airlines. OTTI has used letters
from the destinations that are served by specific airlines to convince
them not to drop out of the survey. We have also had industry clients
accompany OTTI and the contractor on visits to the airline station
managers at selected airports. We have had airline alliance partner's
talk to non-participants from their alliance to entice other carriers in
the group to join the program. Would the industry be willing to work
with OTTI to formalize these ideas or others to improve airline
participation in the program?

**Potential Support from the Commerce Travel & Tourism Team:**\
OTTI has also worked with the Commerce Commercial Service staff in
country to present the survey program idea to that country's carrier on
the U.S. government's behalf. The Commerce Travel & Tourism Team (within
the USA, and around the globe), may also be able to assist OTTI obtain
the participation of airlines in their market. OTTI would also like to
explore other ideas in which the Commerce Travel & Tourism Team could
assist OTTI improve the survey. Would the Team members be willing to
assist in selling the data? Would the Team members be interested in
assisting OTTI disseminate the results via presentations, expand the
purchase of the survey data for their own use with clients in their
market, or pursue other ways in which Commerce could save money, improve
the program, and provide better services to the mutual clients Commerce
shares? OTTI would hope to hear from the Team related to ideas they may
have concerning this program, and what they would like in return for
their assistance.

**Potential Cooperation with other National Tourism Offices:**

OTTI has worked with National Tourism Offices from other countries to
enlist the participation of their flag airline. OTTI would be interested
in ideas the industry may have to further these kinds of ideas into a
more formal process. Or, if clients have other ideas on what they think
they could do to assist Commerce in obtaining the support of the
airlines, please send them to OTTI. Would the industry support these
ideas?

## Questionnaire changes

The OTTI questionnaire has not changed since 1996. As a government
agency, Commerce does have limitations on what we can do, ask, and the
time it takes to change the survey instrument. The last time OTTI
changed the survey; it worked with its Airline User Groups and obtained
input from over 100 industry clients on what they would like to see
Commerce ask international travelers. OTTI would like to expand on the
past efforts to enlist the cooperation of the travel industry to take an
even greater role in the Work with the industry to redesign the
program's questionnaire. OTTI would like to hear from the industry how
OTTI should obtain this cooperation, what types of things would the
industry be willing to do to assist Commerce and what they would like in
return. What would the industry like OTTI to do related to the
questionnaire? Would there be industry interest in working with Commerce
to change the survey? Would there be industry support to pay for the
changes?

**Gateway Managers Program**

In the past, OTTI has implemented a successful **Gateway Managers
Program.** Commerce is interested in working with the industry to expand
the successful program. The problem OTTI faces is funding this program.
With the reductions in the budget available for the program, OTTI has
not implemented this option in years. In addition, with the new security
regulations in place, the meetings that took place beyond security pose
a severe challenge, that could be overcome with cooperation from the
industry. OTTI would like to explore how to obtain additional industry
support for this successful program. OTTI envisions an expanded gateway
mangers program would encompass the following:

> A. Each year visit top parts on a rotation basis
>
> B. OTTI would require the contractor to set-up a report on response
> rate by port program so the return rates by airline, by airport could
> be monitored.

C.  OTTI would hope that City/State tourism office and/or port authority
    staff people would go with OTTI on visits to airports. At the
    meetings there would be a discussion of how OTTI uses of the data,
    what the gateway manager's role is in the program, and their
    airline's use of the data. The industry representative would address
    their uses of this data. The meeting would also be used to thank
    them for past cooperation, and ask for increased participation.

> D. OTTI would also like to work with members of the group to offer
> thank you gifts for the gateway managers. This could include: tourism
> guides, attraction tickets, hats, pens, other promo items, vouchers
> for meals at restaurants, etc. Or, OTTI would be interested in
> obtaining industry input on ideas they have to assist in this effort.

**Airline Appreciation/Education Program:**

OTTI would also like to develop an **Airline Appreciation/Education
Program** to improve airline response rates for the program. This
program would be similar to the gateway managers program, but target a
different group of airline executives. With almost 30 questions in the
existing survey, OTTI feels there is data to assist route planners,
in-flight service managers, the alliance's division, marketing staff,
flight schedulers, strategic planners for the airlines, and so forth.
With a small staff, and extremely limited funds for the contract,
contact with numerous areas within each airline has proven impossible.
OTTI would like to explore how to change this dilemma. It is hoped OTTI
would be able to work with the travel industry to assist the agency in
obtaining the attention of the airlines. At a very minimum, OTTI would
like to see a coordinated effort in which the industry writes letters to
each of the airline's Airline Service Manager to thank them for their
past participation and encourage them to continue to work with OTTI to
collect the IFS data. In the future, this could be expanded to involve
having OTTI, and/or OTTI\'s contractor and private sector partners
developing a schedule to meet with the key airline contacts to thank
them for their past cooperation and to ask them to continue their
participation. The private industry partners could stress their need for
the OTTI's In-Flight Survey data, and ask the airlines to cooperate so
they can put more people on that carrier's flights. This could occur
around quarterly or annual report releases to the airlines. OTTI would
also be interested in hearing from the airlines, airports and industry
users how they think this program could be expanded at minimum or no
cost to the government. Would the industry support this idea?

**Expanded Market Coverage Program:**

OTTI has also implemented an **Expanded Market Coverage Program** for
the current contract. This program entails having the contractor visit
the foreign airlines at their headquarters to improve the participation
of currently participating carriers and to enlist the participation on
non-participating carriers. A way to expand upon this program would be
to involve the Commercial Service officers in the market country as well
as the Visit USA Committees in country. Would the industry support this
idea?

**Brand Data Releases:**

For years, OTTI has collected brand data on hotels, rental cars, and the
methods they use to pay for travel. OTTI has never released this data,
but would like to work with the industry to determine if there would be
any interest in this type of information by users. What limitations
would companies want on what is released and how it is released? One
mechanism to do this would be to issue a federal register notice to
discuss how, what and when OTTI would issue the brand data collected on
the survey. The brand data could be used to assist OTTI dramatically
increase sales and value-added for the program users. Prices for the
brand data could be more than the existing data to raise additional
funds for the program. OTTI would be interested in learning if there is
any interest from the industry related to this issue. Would the industry
support this idea?

**Again, please submit your comments, responses and suggestions to:**

**Ron Erdmann, <ron_erdmann@ita.doc.gov>**

**Phone: 202-482-4554; Fax: 202-482-2887**

**Richard Champley, <Richard_champley@ita.doc.gov>**

**Phone: 202-482-4753; Fax: 202-482-2887**

**Rubie B. King, Contracting Officer, <Rubie.B.King@noaa.gov>**

**Also, please put "Response to RFI" in the subject line.**

# Section 4: An Alternative Methodology of Data Collection

**The Airport Intercept Method**

As referred to in the Background section, OTTI's Survey of International
Air Travelers (SIAT) was administered in the airport gate boarding areas
on behalf of 70% of the participating carriers in 2003. This is a
reversal from 1996 when flight crews administered the Survey on-board
the aircraft, during flight, for 70% of the participating carriers. The
origin of the nickname, 'In-Flight Survey' was derived from having the
survey administered in-flight. While the number of airlines using the
boarding area survey method has increased, the number of surveys
collected using the in-flight survey method was 48,500 in 2003, or 73%
of the surveys collected. Given the program has two methodologies
already; one option to consider would be to switch to an airport
intercept method exclusively. Before making the switch, OTTI would need
some additional information from the industry.

The on-board survey method even in its reduced state still saves the
U.S. Government and the federal taxpayer a considerable amount of money
since the carriers disseminate and collect the surveys, during flight,
on behalf of the federal government. Many, but not all of the
participating airlines have requested OTTI to shift to a 'boarding area'
approach. Consequently, this has increased the program costs since OTTI
has had to hire contractors to administer the surveys in specific
airport boarding areas.

The Airport Intercept Alternative Methodology appears to offer several
improvements to the IFS program. However, OTTI estimates that by
switching to a boarding area only survey methodology may double the
direct labor costs of administering the program at current respondent
levels (OTTI would be required to hire additional survey contractors to
administer the surveys). Also, the airlines would be minimized in their
participation in the IFS program. This could mean that the survey
questions, which focus on airlines, could be reduced and replaced with
airport-centric questions. Several ideas will be presented in this
document to reduce this potential doubling of costs, but industry may be
called upon to provide services or financial support to reduce program
costs.

To ensure improved participation in the program, OTTI recommends that
its survey contractors be allowed access to airport international gate
boarding and departure areas, for the purpose of surveying international
travelers on an as needed basis. A systematic, representative sample of
the travel population would be selected each month to be surveyed. OTTI
does not anticipate this would ever exceed one percent of the travel
population or flights. Essentially this assumes that any airline,
airport, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), or any other
group, will not prevent OTTI, or its contractors, from having access to
departing international passengers, nor establish barriers to access.
Security clearances will be obtained and rules established by individual
airport authorities and/or TSA will be complied with as they are
currently in boarding areas.

As mentioned, under an airport-intercept approach, the current Survey
could be modified to reflect airport and security related questions
rather than airline-centric questions. For details, refer to section 8
below, Revisions to Questionnaire, and Pre-Tests.

As with the existing program, the airport intercept approach will have a
base program and optional elements of the program to be implemented
based upon need and the availability of funds.

**Base Program of Survey Collection.** This will entail most of the
elements currently asked in the current contract. The only change will
be the switch from an in-flight and boarding area mix to an entire
boarding area survey methodology. So, if you have not reviewed the
background section, to understand the basics of this program, one will
need to go though this document as well. A goal of the program using
either method would be to increase the sample to at least 0.25% of the
travel population (or 121,000 respondents in 2003) and then over several
years increase the base to a 1% sample of the [travel
population](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/POPULATION ESTIMATES.XLS). To
fund the program, OTTI would rely upon government appropriations and
proceeds from the sale of data, as is currently the case. To increase
the sample, an investment program may be offered. To find out more about
this potential program, please view the write-up on the investment
program to this methodology on the website
<http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/research/programs/ifs/invest.html>.

OTTI proposes to keep the same survey population, U.S. to/from
international destinations/origins, and the sampling methodology would
be very similar, with a focus of selecting flights to be surveyed by
airport. OTTI has posted the [top airport
traffic](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/2003 total airport traffic.xls)
for 2003 on its website. The questionnaire would initially be the same
as the one currently in use. With the input of the industry, the survey
would be re-designed to accommodate the airport intercept method and
focus. The field administration would follow the boarding area survey
methods now employed by the existing program. Data entry, editing,
verification, weighting and processing would not change significantly.
The data outputs would be similar to those provided now, and when the
questionnaire is revised; the outputs would be modified to accommodate
the changes to the new survey instrument. Please review the current
methodology for questions, issues, and/or concerns related to
transferring the process from the [current program](#_Section_2:_).

Like the existing program, the airport intercept would have a base
program and optional elements of the program that would be implemented
based upon need and the availability of funds.

The Optional Elements of the Airport Intercept Method may include:

> **1**. **Sample Size Increases**. This option would enable OTTI to add
> survey respondents to the program, as funds are made available,
> thereby increasing the number of international travelers surveyed.
> OTTI would expect to maintain a respondent level of at least 70,000
> travelers annually, with the goal of building the sample to a 1%
> sample of the travel population over time, dependent upon the
> availability of funds.
>
> **2**. **Custom Reports, Files, Data Tables, Excel Files and/or
> CD-ROM**. Subsets of the data for specific states, cities, airlines,
> airports and other travel businesses is expected to be an ongoing part
> of the program. OTTI will work with the contractor to provide printed
> reports as well as Excel files, the data as an electronic file in
> ASCII, SAS or SPSS files, or printed reports, excel files or reports
> on CD-ROM.
>
> **3a**. **Processing of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) I-94
> Data.** This is part of the current contract and will need to be
> continued. Currently, the I-94 serves as the weighting mechanism to
> expand the survey estimates of the non-resident questionnaire
> responses to the travel population. Each month, the Government
> supplies the required data files to the Contractor for processing. The
> contractor develops a print file, and an excel file of this report.
> The database is maintained and used monthly to create a monthly and
> year-to-date report and file. To learn more about the current
> weighting system, please see the section on the I-94 in the survey
> background part of the RFI.
>
> **3b**. **Revised Weighting System to Accommodate Electronic I-94.**
> Likewise, an option in this contract would be needed to allow the
> contractor to accommodate the changes that would occur once DHS
> implements the electronic version of the I-94 data. To accommodate
> this change, funds will be needed to modify the programming required
> to process and use this data. In addition, it is hoped that other data
> elements obtained may be used to strengthen the weighting system.
> These changes would be made at the same time. This may be a one-time
> cost.

4.  **Improve Passenger Response Rate Program.** To comply with OMB
    requirements on survey response rates for any government collection
    OTTI will embark on an outreach program to educate travelers on why
    it is important to complete the survey. The program would entail
    writing articles for use in airport/airline magazines, for airing
    information segments on the airport TV networks, for informational
    flyers for the flights that would be surveyed if response rates are
    starting to drop at a particular airport, etc. Other methods to
    inform the public would also be developed and used as needed.

5.  **Airport Education and/or Improvement Program**. A plan will be
    developed to meet with airport authorities to illustrate how this
    data can benefit their operations. This program would entail meeting
    with several airport authority contacts each year on a rotational
    basis. Discussions with airport authorities would include discussing
    problems the survey teams have encountered. Many of the airport
    authorities conduct ad hoc surveys at their own airports and OTTI
    should be able to learn from their experiences.

6.  **Federal Government Education Program & Data Access.** OTTI
    currently has clearance, from the Transportation Security
    Administration (TSA), allowing OTTI survey contractors to access
    secure areas (boarding gates) of the respective airports where the
    boarding area methodology is used. Under an airport-intercept
    method, said clearance would need to be extended to all U.S. gateway
    airports. As a result TSA will benefit from feedback information
    gathered from passengers regarding TSA performance. Information
    sharing precedence has been set with other federal agencies, which
    have benefited from IFS data. Agencies include: U.S. Commercial
    Service Officers involved in travel and tourism, Bureau of Labor
    Statistics, Homeland Security, State Department, FAA, Bureau of
    Transportation Statistics, National Park Service, Amtrak, Customs &
    Border Protection, and others.

7.  **Expanded Data Access for the Airports.** OTTI hopes to secure the
    cooperation of the airport authorities so they become advocates for
    this program. It is felt that improved access to the data may assist
    in this effort. OTTI also hopes the airports will assist Commerce in
    collecting the data to reduce the operating costs. So, OTTI would be
    interested in hearing from the airports on what types of data they
    would wish to obtain. Would it be only for their airport? Would
    there be interest in access to other airport's data, or the entire
    data set? Currently, the sales of data are used to provide funding
    for the program. So, some type of agreement would need to be
    developed that would benefit the program as well as the port
    authorities. In fact, depending upon the interest by the airports,
    this may be part of the base program rather than an optional element
    of the program. Please see the questions at the end of this section
    for more on this issue.

8.  **Revisions to Questionnaire and Pre-Tests**. The current survey was
    designed when the in-flight approach was at its peak; hence several
    of the questions are airline-centric. Input is requested from the
    industry regarding the possible re-design of the questionnaire. If
    the airport-intercept approach is adopted the airline-type
    questions, specifically #20 -- 23 could be eliminated and replaced
    with an expanded airport section, currently covered by question #24
    (a. -- j.). Also, question #25, which focuses on "INS processing",
    could be revised/expanded to cover TSA (Transportation Security
    Administration) procedures. OTTI would like to use a team of
    industry specialists to assist in developing a survey that meets the
    needs of the users. When the revised survey is developed and
    formatted, it will be pre-tested to ensure appropriate responses
    from passengers. Once the English version of the survey is final,
    then the survey must be translated into the many different languages
    and pre-tested again. OTTI would like to hear from industry on their
    use of scannable questionnaires and use of hand held devices for
    administering questionnaires.

9.  **Translation of the Surveys.** The contractor would provide the
    translation service company with the final English version of the
    survey instrument. The firm would then translate and typeset the
    questionnaire into each language. All of the questions and responses
    would be in the exact same format and location as found on the
    English version. Once translated, the contractor would work with
    OTTI to have the translations reviewed to ensure they matched the
    English version. If the translation needed any changes, the original
    firm secured to produce the typeset ready translations would be
    informed of what was needed to be changed. The firm would then
    provide OTTI with a set of negatives (digital/electronic) so the
    survey could be printed. This option would pay for the cost of the
    translation and a separate party to proof the translation. This
    extra step is required to ensure the translation obtained provides
    the industry with the data meant to be captured.

10. **Programming Changes to Reports.** Once the questionnaire has been
    changed, the coding sheets developed to assist the data entry
    specialists will need to be revised. The programming to enter and
    verify the data, and the program users to generate the reports or
    data files issued will need to be modified. While this option would
    only be implemented when the questionnaire is changed, over the
    course of the 5-year contract for this program, OTTI feels the
    survey may change more than once over the life of the next contract.
    This is based upon the fact that previous revisions to the survey
    occurred in 1985, 1990, 1993, and 1996.

11. **Airport Users Group and Users Meeting.** A strategy to ensure the
    success of the airport-intercept method, if adopted, would be to
    create an Airport Users Group. The Group would serve as a
    consultative group to OTTI regarding such topics as: questionnaire
    design, and rigorous use of the data/information from the IFS by the
    airport community.

12. **Data Analysis to Develop Executive Summaries for Country and
    Customized Reports.** OTTI historically issues market profiles,
    standard national reports and ad-hoc customized reports, and the
    latter based on customer requests. OTTI offers basic explanations
    and data analyses via TINews, responses to general public inquiries,
    presentations at conferences and seminars, and consulting to custom
    report clients. Several clients have approached OTTI to provide
    in-depth consulting services, but due to budget and personnel
    restrictions, there is no current capability to develop analyses for
    clients. OTTI would like to offer this service to potential clients
    on a fee basis. Potential clients are airlines, airports, tourism
    regions, states, cities, foreign national tourism offices, and
    others. This option has not previously been implemented.

This ends OTTI's write-up on the potential airport intercept method.
Like the background section and improvements section, OTTI again has
questions for the industry so it may decide on which option would be
best suited for the next statement of work issued for this program.
Please review the following questions and respond to as many that apply
or interest you.

## Section 4A: Questions for Alternative Methodology

#### For Airport Authorities

**A. Administrative -- Access:**

1.  What does OTTI need to do to obtain access to your airport? The goal
    is to survey passengers at the departure gate beyond the security
    screening area.

2.  Would Commerce also need TSA clearance to survey at your airport?

3.  Pending clearance from the Transportation Security Administration
    (TSA), what barriers to access do you envision for a survey team
    attempting to survey departing international travelers in or near
    the gate area?

4.  Once OTTI has TSA clearance, if needed, would having a support
    letter from TSA influence a positive decision?

5.  Do you feel OTTI would need airline permission to survey
    international passengers at the airport, or could they simply be
    informed?

6.  OTTI discussed the possibility of developing an Airport Users Group.
    Is there interest in the development of a Group? Do you have any
    suggestions on alternatives?

7.  In the proposal, OTTI discusses the possibility of implementing a
    mandatory survey. Not all flights or passengers could be surveyed
    but OTTI would survey as many passengers as the budget would allow.
    The goal would be to start with approximately 121,000 surveys and
    increase that number as industry demand warrants and budgets allow.
    The U.S. Government or OTTI does not want certain airports to not
    allow surveying to be done at their airports or for certain airlines
    not to allow their passenger to be surveyed. If this was to occur,
    OTTI would not be able to achieve a truly representative sample of
    the travel population. Would your airport support a mandatory
    survey? Or do you feel this would not be necessary, and why?

**B. Current Airports Surveys**:

1.  What types of data or information does your airport require to help
    you understand the international air travel marketplace? (i.e.,
    surveys, ACI, U.S. government data, etc)

2.  How do you currently collect this data? (i.e., survey teams, third
    party data vendors, airport consultants, etc.). How often are
    surveys conducted and for what purposes?

3.  Does your airport already conduct survey research in the airport?

4.  If yes, would it be possible to become an add-on to your survey
    program if, OTTI provided a list of flights to survey and copies of
    the IFS questionnaire, so that the airport authority's contractor
    would distribute and collect the self-administered surveys for the
    government?

5.  Would it be possible to use your survey team to distribute and
    collect the surveys for this program? This could be cost-shared.
    Would that help?

6.  Does your airport have any performance measures it uses to assess
    the usefulness or value of your own internal airport survey(s)? If
    so, would you be willing to share them with OTTI? Conducting
    research programs with performance measures is a new area the
    government is moving toward.

**C. Information/Data Needs:**

1.  Who are the stakeholders in your airport in addition to the airport
    authority and the air carriers? (taxpayers, traveling public, local
    businesses, convention and visitors bureau, state tourism office,
    vendors, etc.)

2.  Is the data you currently collect and/or receive sufficient for
    decision-making purposes regarding the development of your airport
    in the international market?

3.  Is the data adequate to assist you when your airport undergoes a
    management assessment process by the various bond rating agencies
    (i.e. Fitch)?

4.  Does the information you receive allow you to serve, and enter into
    meaningful dialogue with, your other stakeholders? (i.e., can you
    effectively sell your airport to international carriers at such high
    impact venues as the annual ROUTES airline/airport conference?)

5.  Do you think your airport is getting its fair share of local and/or
    connecting international travelers?

6.  In the expanded data access for the airports program, providing free
    data/reports to the airports is proposed. While this could be done,
    there would be a cost in doing so as the contractor would have to be
    paid to provide these reports to you. If a standard airport report
    for all airports were developed, would your airport be willing to
    pay for other custom subsets of the data set for your own airport?

7.  Would there by any interest in seeing other airports' responses? If
    so, would guidelines have to be developed of what could be released?

**D. Trade Association Assistance:**

1.  Should OTTI try to work with ACI and/or AAAE to develop this idea
    further with airports? Which association do you recommend? What
    approach should be taken?

2.  Do you think your airport, via ACI and/or AAAE, would be willing to
    assist in the development of an airport users group or advisory
    group to the Survey process?

3.  Would you be interested in learning more about the Survey, through a
    program or conference set up via ACI and/or AAAE?

4.  Do you think ACI or AAAE would be willing to develop, administer and
    coordinate an airport users group?

**E. Questionnaire:**

1.  Many airports conduct their own surveys. Would you be willing to
    send a copy of the questionnaires you have used to the U.S.
    Government/OTTI so they could be used to improve the current survey
    instrument?

2.  The Survey has been designed as an in-flight survey. If airline
    questions were replaced with airport specific questions, would your
    airport be willing to work with OTTI to develop the survey
    questions?

3.  Would the airport authorities want specific questions added to the
    survey? If yes, what questions would you like to be added? Before
    submitting questions, please refer to the existing survey instrument
    at
    [www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/research/programs/ifs/question.html](http://www.tinet.ita.doc.gov/research/programs/ifs/question.html)
    .

4.  Based on the results of a cost/benefit analysis do you think
    airports would help to underwrite the expense of questionnaire
    re-design and implementation of survey teams?

**F. Program Support Questions:**

1.  The OTTI program has listed several program options that may or may
    not be funded because they are listed as an option. Do you think any
    of these options should be included as part of the base program for
    the survey? If so, which ones and why?

2.  In the airport education and/or improvement program outlined herein,
    the development of airport reports is discussed. Do you think OTTI
    could work with a core group of airports to develop a standard
    report, or would the reports have to be tailored to each airport?

**G. Response Rate Improvements:**

1.  Please see the ideas outlined in the improved passenger response
    rate program section of this document. Would the airports be willing
    to implement the ideas proposed at no cost to the government?

2.  In reviewing the proposal, do you have any ideas that may save the
    government money so additional travelers may be surveyed, or the
    money from the savings could be invested in the programs outlined?

3.  Are there other things that could be done to improve response rates?

**H. Funding Questions:**

1.  Are there any other funding sources that could be tapped to help
    supplement the funding for this program?

2.  Could part of the money collected from Passenger Facilitation Costs
    (PFCs) be used to help fund surveys at the airport? The data could
    be used to help airports better understand their international
    travelers and thus serve as a planning tool for airport
    improvements.

3.  Would the airports be willing to provide funding to allow OTTI to
    collect more surveys?

4.  In return for funding support, what would the airport authorities
    want from the program?

**END OF AIRPORT SPECIFIC QUESTIONS:**

**This ends the airport authorities specific questions. Airport
Authorities are also encouraged to continue reviewing the other
questions we have of the entire travel and tourism industry and respond
as appropriate.**

**QUESTIONS FOR THE TRAVEL AND TOURIM INDUSTRY:**

1.  In the airport education and/or improvement program section of this
    document, OTTI proposes meeting individually with port authorities.
    Would you be willing to attend these meetings with OTTI to either
    learn more about the program, or if you are a user of the data, to
    help impress upon the port authority contacts the need for this
    survey?

2.  If Commerce/the contractor visited an airport in your area, would
    you be able to facilitate meetings with the airport authority staff
    by offsetting costs using shared complimentary airline tickets
    and/or hotel rooms?

3.  Do you have any other ideas on how Commerce could reduce costs for
    the program without jeopardizing the data quality?

4.  If the questionnaire was to be revised, would the industry be
    willing to provide funding support to pay for the redesign,
    pre-test, new translations (if needed), and the programming costs
    that would be incurred to accommodate the new questionnaire?

5.  OTTI has proposed developing a contract modification in which the
    contractor would not only provide data, but they would analyze the
    data and develop executive summaries to help you understand how to
    use the data. Is this something you would use? How in-depth would
    you want the analysis to be? How do you think this type of analysis
    should be sold?

**Again, please provide your responses and comments to:**

**Ron Erdmann, <ron_erdmann@ita.doc.gov>**

**Phone: 202-482-4554; Fax: 202-482-2887**

**Richard Champley, <Richard_champley@ita.doc.gov>**

**Phone: 202-482-4753; Fax: 202-482-2887**

**Rubie B. King, Contracting Officer, <Rubie.B.King@noaa.gov>**

**Also, please put "Response to RFI" in the subject line.**

## Section 5: Open area for suggestions, comments, concerns,

## issues, questions, etc.

This section is an open area for suggestions, comments, concerns,
issues, questions, other methodologies OTTI should consider using,
and/or ideas to improve the federal government data on international
travel to and from the United States.

In this section, OTTI would like to hear from the industry. Included
could be:

-   The use of CRS data

-   Using the Internet; using kiosks or hand-held survey pads

-   Using international mail panels or a U.S. mail panel for citizen
    surveys

-   The potential integration of destination surveys (Hawaii, Miami,
    Tampa, Alaska, others) into OTTI data

-   Joint cooperation with world organizations such as IATA, AEA, PATA,
    others

-   Other input from industry in which they will provide OTTI with
    guidance on what could be done to improve or replace the existing
    program.

Vendors are also encouraged to provide the Department of Commerce with
information on their company along with detailed information on how they
would approach conducting this program.

Universities are encouraged to provide research methodological
considerations or ideas on how they could assist in this program. Any
ideas the industry may have to assist the government improve the data on
international travel to and from the United States will be considered by
OTTI before writing the next statement of work for its survey program on
international air-travelers.

Please provide your input. We cannot help you or consider your ideas if
you do not provide them to us.

**Again, please provide your responses and comments to:**

**Ron Erdmann, <ron_erdmann@ita.doc.gov>**

**Phone: 202-482-4554; Fax: 202-482-2887**

**Richard Champley, <Richard_champley@ita.doc.gov>**

**Phone: 202-482-4753; Fax: 202-482-2887**

**Rubie B. King, Contracting Officer, <Rubie.B.King@noaa.gov>**

**Also, please put "Response to RFI" in the subject line.**