Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 47 / Tuesday, March 11, 2014 / Notices 13733 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Order Limiting Scheduled Operations 

at John F. Kennedy International 

Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark 

Liberty International Airport; High 

Density Rule at Reagan National 

Airport 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT 

ACTION: Notice of limited waiver of the 

slot usage requirement. 

SUMMARY: This action announces a 

limited waiver of the requirements to 

use slots at Washington’s Reagan 

National Airport and Operating 

Authorizations (slots) at John F. 

Kennedy International Airport, 

LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Liberty 

International Airport. This policy is 

effective on selected dates from January 

5, 2014, through March 3, 2014. 

DATES: Effective Date: March 6, 2014. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Lorelei Peter, Senior Attorney, 

Regulations Division, AGC–200, Federal 

Aviation Administration, 800 

Independence Avenues SW., 

Washington, DC 20591; telephone 

number 202–267–3134. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Recent weather in the East Coast has 

severely disrupted aviation and other 

modes of transportation. Multiple 

storms have resulted in substantial 

amounts of snow and ice in widespread 

areas and resulted in airport closures, 

reduced airport capacity due to snow 

removal from runways and taxiways, 

and aircraft deicing programs. Carriers 

responded by cancelling flights and 

FAA used traffic management programs 

as needed to reroute traffic and utilize 

available airspace and airport capacity. 

Carriers instituted network operational 

recovery plans during this time 

including proactive flight cancellations 

in advance of the most severe weather 

to position aircraft and crews needed to 

resume scheduled operations. 

The disruption to the National 

Airspace System caused by snowstorms 

and adverse weather forced the 

cancellation of many flights as carriers 

made decisions based on safety and 

other operational criteria. However, the 

flight disruptions were not limited to 

the slot controlled airports. Operations 

at other airports were likewise 

impacted, including severe winter 

weather events in the mid-west and 

southern areas of the U.S. Recovery of 

normal operations took several days 

after the initial storms and was 

exacerbated by subsequent snow storms 

and other adverse conditions. 

Under the FAA’s High Density Rule at 

Washington’s Reagan National Airport 

and orders limiting scheduled 

operations at the Kennedy International 

Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark 

Liberty International Airport, slots must 

be used at least 80 percent of the time. 

Slots not meeting the minimum usage 

rules will be withdrawn or not receive 

historic precedence for the following 

scheduling season, depending on the 

airport. The FAA may grant a waiver 

from the minimum usage requirements 

for highly unusual and unpredictable 

conditions that are beyond the control 

of the carrier and affect carrier 

operations for a period of five 

consecutive days or more. 

American Airlines, Inc., Delta Air 

Lines, Inc., United Airlines, Inc., and 

US Airways, Inc. individually requested 

waivers from the minimum slot usage 

rules at the airports for January 5, 6, 7, 

21, and 22 and February 3, 4, 5, 12, 13 

and 14. Each carrier stated there was 

significant disruption to its planned 

scheduled due to weather on those days. 

The carriers indicated that they 

expected to meet the minimum usage 

requirement and that the higher than 

normal level of flight cancellations was 

highly unusual and beyond their 

control. Other carriers at the airports 

have advised the FAA that they intend 

to seek similar relief for some or all of 

the same dates. 

Statement of Policy 

The FAA has determined that the 

facts described above met the criteria for 

a limited waiver of the minimum slot 

usage requirement. The operational 

disruptions impacted many carriers and 

the FAA has determined that a general 

waiver of the usage policy is warranted 

in these circumstances rather than 

individual carrier relief. The FAA will 

treat as used, any slot or Operating 

Authorization held by a carrier on 

January 5, 6, 7, 21, and 22, 2014; 

February 3, 4, 5, 12, 13, and 14, 2014; 

and March 2 and 3, 2014. The FAA does 

not intend to routinely grant general 

waivers to the usage requirements. 

Rules allow for up to 20 percent nonuse, 

including planned and unplanned 

cancellations. This is expected to 

accommodate routine weather and other 

cancellations under all but the most 

unusual circumstances. 

Issued in Washington, DC on March 6, 

2014. 

Mark Bury, 

Assistant Chief Counsel for International Law, 

Legislation and Regulations Division. 

[FR Doc. 2014–05191 Filed 3–6–14; 11:15 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. NHTSA–2014–0028; Notice 1] 

Toyota Motor Engineering & 

Manufacturing North America, Inc., 

Receipt of Petition for Decision of 

Inconsequential Noncompliance 

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration (NHTSA), 

Department of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Receipt of petition. 

SUMMARY: Toyota Motor Engineering & 

Manufacturing North America, Inc., on 

behalf of Toyota Motor Corporation and 

certain Toyota manufacturing entities 

(collectively referred to as ‘‘Toyota’’) 

have determined that specific model 

year (MY) 2013–2014 Toyota vehicles 

do not fully comply with paragraph S4 

of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety 

Standard (FMVSS) No. 302, 

Flammability of Interior Materials. 

Toyota has filed an appropriate report 

dated January 29, 2014 as amended on 

February 20, 2014 pursuant to 49 CFR 

part 573, Defect and Noncompliance 

Responsibility and Reports. 

DATES: The closing date for comments 

on the petition is April 10, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written data, views, 

and arguments on this petition. 

Comments must refer to the docket and 

notice number cited at the beginning of 

this notice and be submitted by any of 

the following methods: 

• Mail: Send comments by mail 

addressed to: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, M– 

30, West Building Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 

Washington, DC 20590. 

• Hand Deliver: Deliver comments by 

hand to: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, M– 

30, West Building Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 

Washington, DC 20590. The Docket 

Section is open on weekdays from 10 

a.m. to 5 p.m. except Federal Holidays. 

• Electronically: Submit comments 

electronically by: logging onto the 

Federal Docket Management System 

(FDMS) Web site at http://

www.regulations.gov/. Follow the online 


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