Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 242 / Friday, December 17, 2004 / Notices 75601

data to the International Civil Aviation 

Organization (ICAO). The traffic data 

supplied to ICAO are extracted from the 

U.S. air carriers’ Schedule T–100 

submissions. 

The Confidential Information 

Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act 

of 2002 (44 U.S.C. 3501 note), requires 

a statistical agency to clearly identify 

information it collects for non-statistical 

purposes. BTS hereby notifies the 

respondents and the public that BTS 

uses the information it collects under 

this OMB approval for non-statistical 

purposes including, but not limited to, 

publication of both Respondent’s 

identity and its data, submission of the 

information to agencies outside BTS for 

review, analysis and possible use in 

regulatory and other administrative 

matters.

Donald W. Bright, 

Assistant Director, Airline Information.

[FR Doc. 04–27588 Filed 12–16–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–FE–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Bureau of Transportation Statistics 

Agency Information Collection; 

Activity Under OMB Review; Report of 

Financial and Operating Statistics for 

Small Aircraft Operators

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation 

Statistics (BTS), DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104–13, the Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics invites the 

general public, industry and other 

governmental parties to comment on the 

continuing need for and usefulness of 

BTS collecting financial, traffic and 

operating statistics from small 

certificated and commuter air carriers. 

Small certificated air carriers (operate 

aircraft with 60 seats or less or with 

18,000 pounds of payload capacity or 

less) currently must file the two 

quarterly schedules listed below:

F–1 Report of Financial Data, 

F–2 Report of Aircraft Operating 

Expenses and Related Statistics, 

and Commuter air carriers must file 

the Schedule F–1 Report of 

Financial Data. 

Commenters should address whether 

BTS accurately estimated the reporting 

burden and if there are other ways to 

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 

of the information collected.

DATES: Written comments should be 

submitted by February 15, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be 

directed to: Office of Airline 

Information, K–14, Room 4125, Bureau 

of Transportation Statistics, 400 Seventh 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590–

0001, fax no. 366–3383 or e-mail 

bernard.stankus@bts.gov. 

Comments: Comments should identify 

the OMB #2138–0009. Persons wishing 

the Department to acknowledge receipt 

of their comments must submit with 

those comments a self-addressed 

stamped postcard on which the 

following statement is made: Comments 

on OMB #2138–0009. The postcard will 

be date/time stamped and returned.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bernie Stankus, Office of Airline 

Information, K–14, Room 4125, Bureau 

of Transportation Statistics, 400 Seventh 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590–

0001, (202) 366–4387.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB 

Approval No: 2138–0009. 

Title: Report of Financial and 

Operating Statistics for Small Aircraft 

Operators. 

Form No.: BTS Form 298–C. 

Type of Review: Extension of a 

currently approved collection for the 

financial data. 

Respondents: Small certificated and 

commuter air carriers. 

Number of Respondents: 80. 

Estimated Time per Response: 4 hours 

per commuter carrier, 12 hours per 

small certificated carrier. 

Total Annual Burden: 1,600 hours. 

Needs and Uses: Program uses for 

Form 298–C financial data are as 

follows: 

Mail Rates

The Department of Transportation 

sets and updates the Intra-Alaska Bush 

mail rates based on carrier aircraft 

operating expense, traffic, and 

operational data. Form 298–C cost data, 

especially fuel costs, terminal expenses, 

and line haul expenses are used in 

arriving at rate levels. DOT revises the 

established rates based on the 

percentage of unit cost changes in the 

carriers’ operations. These updating 

procedures have resulted in the carriers 

receiving rates of compensation that 

more closely parallel their costs of 

providing mail service and contribute to 

the carriers’ economic well-being. 

Essential Air Service 

DOT often has to select a carrier to 

provide a community’s essential air 

service. The selection criteria include 

historic presence in the community, 

reliability of service, financial stability 

and cost structure of the air carrier. 

Carrier Fitness 

Fitness determinations are made for 

both new entrants and established U.S. 

domestic carriers proposing a 

substantial change in operations. A 

portion of these applications consists of 

an operating plan for the first year (14 

CFR part 204) and an associated 

projection of revenues and expenses. 

The carrier’s operating costs, included 

in these projections, are compared 

against the cost data in Form 298–C for 

a carrier or carriers with the same 

aircraft type and similar operating 

characteristics. Such a review validates 

the reasonableness of the carrier’s 

operating plan. 

The quarterly financial submissions 

by commuter and small certificated air 

carriers are used in determining each 

carrier’s continuing fitness to operate. 

Section 41738 of Title 49 of the United 

States Code requires DOT to find all 

commuter and small certificated air 

carriers fit, willing, and able to conduct 

passenger service as a prerequisite to 

providing such service to an eligible 

essential air service point. In making a 

fitness determination, DOT reviews 

three areas of a carrier’s operation: (1) 

The qualifications of its management 

team, (2) its disposition to comply with 

laws and regulations, and (3) its 

financial posture. DOT must determine 

whether or not a carrier has sufficient 

financial resources to conduct its 

operations without imposing undue risk 

on the traveling public. Moreover, once 

a carrier begins conducting flight 

operations, DOT is required to monitor 

its continuing fitness. 

Senior DOT officials must be kept 

fully informed and advised of all 

current and developing economic issues 

affecting the airline industry. In 

preparing financial condition reports or 

status reports on a particular airline, 

financial and traffic data are analyzed. 

Briefing papers prepared for senior DOT 

officials may use the same information. 

Air Transportation Safety and System 

Stabilization Act 

DOT is using financial data reported 

by small certificated and commuter air 

carriers to establish benchmarks to 

assess the reasonableness of air carrier 

claims under the Stabilization Act. 

The Confidential Information 

Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act 

of 2002 (44 U.S.C. 3501 note), requires 

a statistical agency to clearly identify 

information it collects for non-statistical 

purposes. BTS hereby notifies the 

respondents and the public that BTS 

uses the information it collects under 

this OMB approval for non-statistical 

purposes including, but not limited to,

75602 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 242 / Friday, December 17, 2004 / Notices 

publication of both Respondent’s 

identity and its data, submission of the 

information to agencies outside BTS for 

review, analysis and possible use in 

regulatory and other administrative 

matters.

Donald W. Bright, 

Assistant Director, Airline Information, 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

[FR Doc. 04–27589 Filed 12–16–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–FE–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Bureau of Transportation Statistics 

Agency Information Collection; 

Activity Under OMB Review; 

Submission of Audit Reports—Part 248

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation 

Statistics (BTS), DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104–13, the Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics invites the 

general public, industry and other 

governmental parties to comment on the 

continuing need for and usefulness of 

BTS requiring U.S. large certificated air 

carriers to submit a true and complete 

of its annual audit that is made by an 

independent public accountant. If a 

carrier does not have an annual audit, 

the carrier must file a statement that no 

audit has been performed. Comments 

are requested concerning whether the 

audit reports are needed by BTS and 

DOT; BTS accurately estimated the 

reporting burden; there are other ways 

to enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information collected; and 

there are ways to minimize reporting 

burden, including the use of automated 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology.

DATES: Written comments should be 

submitted by February 15, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be 

directed to: Office of Airline 

Information, K–14, Room 4125, Bureau 

of Transportation Statistics, 400 Seventh 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590–

0001, fax no. 366–3383 or e-mail 

bernard.stankus@bts.gov. 

Comments: Comments should identify 

the OMB # 2138–0004. Persons wishing 

the Department to acknowledge receipt 

of their comments must submit with 

those comments a self-addressed 

stamped postcard on which the 

following statement is made: Comments 

on OMB # 2138–0004. The postcard will 

be date/time stamped and returned.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bernie Stankus Office of Airline 

Information, K–14, Room 4125, Bureau 

of Transportation Statistics, 400 Seventh 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590–

0001, (202) 366–4387.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

OMB Approval No.: 2138–0004. 

Title: Submission of Audit Reports—

Part 248. 

Form No.: None. 

Type Of Review: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Respondents: Large certificated air 

carriers. 

Number of Respondents: 84. 

Number of Responses: 84. 

Total Annual Burden: 21 hours. 

Needs and Uses: BTS collects 

independent audited financial reports 

from U.S. certificated air carriers. 

Carriers not having an annual audit 

must file a statement that no such audit 

has been performed. In lieu of the audit 

report, BTS will accept the annual 

report submitted to the stockholders. 

The audited reports are needed by the 

Department of Transportation as (1) a 

means to monitor an air carrier’s 

continuing fitness to operate, (2) 

reference material used by analysts in 

examining foreign route cases (3) 

reference material used by analyst in 

examining proposed mergers, 

acquisitions and consolidations, (4) a 

means whereby BTS sends a copy of the 

report to the International Civil Aviation 

Organization (ICAO) in fulfillment of a 

United States treaty obligation, and (5) 

corroboration of a carrier’s Form 41 

filings. 

The Confidential Information 

Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act 

of 2002 (44 U.S.C. 3501 note), requires 

a statistical agency to clearly identify 

information it collects for non-statistical 

purposes. BTS hereby notifies the 

respondents and the public that BTS 

uses the information it collects under 

this OMB approval for non-statistical 

purposes including, but not limited to, 

publication of both Respondent’s 

identity and its data, submission of the 

information to agencies outside BTS for 

review, analysis and possible use in 

regulatory and other administrative 

matters.

Donald W. Bright, 

Assistant Director, Airline Information, 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

[FR Doc. 04–27590 Filed 12–16–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–FE–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Bureau of Transportation Statistics 

Agency Information Collection; 

Activity Under OMB Review; Reporting 

Required for International Civil 

Aviation Organization (ICAO)

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation 

Statistics (BTS), DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104–13, the Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics invites the 

general public, industry and other 

governmental parties to comment on the 

continuing need and usefulness of BTS 

collecting supplemental data for the 

International Civil Aviation 

Organization (ICAO). Comments are 

requested concerning whether the 

supplemental reports are needed by BTS 

to fulfill the United States treaty 

obligation of furnishing financial and 

traffic reports to ICAO; BTS accurately 

estimated the reporting burden; there 

are other ways to enhance the quality, 

utility and clarity of the information 

collected; and there are ways to 

minimize reporting burden, including 

the use of automated collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology.

DATES: Written comments should be 

submitted by February 15, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be 

directed to: Office of Airline 

Information, K–14, Room 4125, Bureau 

of Transportation Statistics, 400 Seventh 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590–

0001, FAX NO. 366–3383 or EMAIL 

bernard.stankus@bts.gov.

Comments: Comments should identify 

the OMB # 2138–0039. Persons wishing 

the Department to acknowledge receipt 

of their comments must submit with 

those comments a self-addressed 

stamped postcard on which the 

following statement is made: Comments 

on OMB # 2138–0039. The postcard will 

be date/time stamped and returned.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bernie Stankus, Office of Airline 

Information, K–14, Room 4125, Bureau 

of Transportation Statistics, 400 Seventh 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590–

0001, (202) 366–4387.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

OMB Approval No.: 2138–0039. 

Title: Reporting Required for 

International Civil Aviation 

Organization (ICAO). 

Form No.: BTS Form EF. 

Type Of Review: Extension of a 

currently approved collection.