18306 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 59 / Tuesday, March 27, 2012 / Notices 

Transportation Statistics invites the 

general public, industry and other 

governmental parties to comment on the 

continuing need for and usefulness of 

BTS collecting reports on the number of 

passengers holding confirmed 

reservations that voluntarily or 

involuntarily give up their seats when 

the airline oversells the flight. 

Comments are requested concerning 

whether (a) the collection is still needed 

by the Department of Transportation, (b) 

BTS accurately estimated the reporting 

burden; (c) there are other ways to 

enhance the quality, utility and clarity 

of the information collected; and (d) 

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 May 29, 2012. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Cecelia Robinson, Office of Airline 

Information, RTS–42, Room E34, RITA, 

BTS, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 

Washington, DC 20590–0001, 

Telephone Number (202) 366–4405, Fax 

Number (202) 366–3383 or email 

cecelia.robinson@dot.gov. 

Comments: Comments should identify 

the associated OMB approval # 2138– 

0018 and Docket ID Number RITA 

2008–0002. 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 

# 2138–0018, Docket–RITA 2008–0002. 

The postcard will be date/time stamped 

and returned. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

OMB Approval No. 2138–0018 

Title: Report of Passengers Denied 

Confirmed Space. 

Form No.: BTS Form 251. 

Type of Review: Reinstatement of an 

expired approved collection. 

Respondents: Large certificated air 

carriers. 

Number of Respondents: 14. 

Number of Responses: 56. 

Total Annual Burden: 560 hours. 

Needs and Uses: BTS Form 251 is a 

one-page report submitted four times 

per year, on the number of passengers 

denied seats either voluntarily or 

involuntarily, whether these bumped 

passengers were provided alternate 

transportation and/or compensation, 

and the amount of the payment. U.S. air 

carriers that account for at least 1 

percent of domestic scheduled-service 

passenger revenues must report 

oversales on all operations with 30 seats 

or larger aircraft that depart a U.S. 

airport. 

Carriers do not report data from 

inbound international flights to the 

United States because the protections of 

14 CFR Part 250 Oversales do not apply 

to these flights. The report allows the 

Department to monitor the effectiveness 

of its oversales rule and take 

enforcement action when necessary. 

The involuntarily denied-boarding rate 

has decreased from 4.38 per 10,000 

passengers in 1980 to 0.71 for the 

quarter ended December 2011. Without 

Form 251, determining the effectiveness 

of the Department’s oversales rule 

would be impossible. The publishing of 

the carriers’ individual denied boarding 

rates has diminished the need for more 

intrusive regulation. The rate of denied 

boarding can be examined as a 

continuing fitness factor. This rate 

provides an insight into a carrier’s 

customer service practices. A rapid 

sustained increase in the rate of denied 

boarding may indicate operational 

difficulties. Because the rate of denied 

boarding is released quarterly, travelers 

and travel agents can select carriers with 

lower incidences of bumping 

passengers. This information is 

available in the Air Travel Consumer 

Report at: http://airconsumer.ost.dot.

gov/reports/index.htm. The Air Travel 

Consumer Report is also sent to 

newspapers, magazines, and trade 

journals. The public availability of this 

information deters carriers from setting 

unreasonable overbooking rates—a 

market-based mechanism that is more 

efficient than direct regulation of those 

rates. 

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. 

Issued in Washington, DC on March 20, 

2012. 

Patricia Hu, 

Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 

Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7303 Filed 3–26–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–HY–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Research & Innovative Technology 

Administration 

[Docket ID No. RITA 2008–0002] 

Agency Information Collection; 

Activity Under OMB Review; Airline 

Service Quality Performance 

AGENCY: Research & Innovative 

Technology Administration (RITA), 

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 

DOT requiring large certificated air 

carriers to file ‘‘On-Time Flight 

Performance Reports’’ and 

‘‘Mishandled-Baggage Reports’’ 

pursuant to 14 CFR 234.4 and 234.6. 

These reports are used to monitor the 

quality of air service that larger air 

carriers are providing the flying public. 

The Federal Aviation Administration 

uses the On-Time Flight Performance 

Reports to identify problem areas within 

the air traffic control system. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

submitted by May 29, 2012. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Cecelia Robinson, Office of Airline 

Information, RTS–42, Room E34, RITA, 

BTS, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 

Washington, DC 20590–0001, 

Telephone Number (202) 366–4405, Fax 

Number (202) 366–3383 or email 

cecelia.robinson@dot.gov. 

Comments: Comments should identify 

the associated OMB approval #2138– 

0041 and Docket ID Number RITA 

2008–0002. 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 

# 2138–0041, Docket—RITA 2008–0002. 

The postcard will be date/time stamped 

and returned. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

OMB Approval No. 2138–0041. 

Title: Airline Service Quality 

Performance Reports—Part 234. 

Form No.: BTS Form 234. 

Type of Review: Reinstatement of an 

expired approved collection. 

Respondents: Large certificated air 

carriers that account for at least 1 

percent of the domestic scheduledservice passenger revenues. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 59 / Tuesday, March 27, 2012 / Notices 18307 

Number of Respondents: 14. 

Number of Responses: 168. 

Total Burden per Response: 20 hours. 

Total Annual Burden: 3,360 hours. 

Needs and Uses: 

Consumer Information 

Part 234 gives air travelers 

information concerning the on-time 

performance history of flights that they 

are considering booking and the rate of 

mishandled baggage for each reporting 

carrier. The reports are filed by the 14 

largest scheduled-service U.S. passenger 

carriers. 

On July 15, 2011 the Department 

published a Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing to 

change the manner in which baggage 

data are reported (see 76 FR 41726). The 

proposed rule would require carriers to 

report, (1) the number of mishandled 

checked bags (as opposed to the current 

requirement to report the number of 

mishandled baggage reports filed by 

passengers), (2) the total number of 

checked bags (as opposed to the current 

requirement to report the total number 

of enplaned passengers), (3) the number 

of mishandled wheelchairs and scooters 

used by passengers with disabilities that 

were carried in the cargo compartment, 

and (4) the total number of wheelchairs 

and scooters used by passengers with 

disabilities that were carried in the 

cargo compartment. In the preamble to 

that notice the Department stated that 

the change in the matrix to mishandled 

bags per unit of checked bags would 

give consumers more reliable 

information on the air carriers’ 

performance regarding the treatment of 

baggage within their control. Under the 

current system, there is no direct 

relationship between the number of 

mishandled bags and the number of 

checked bags. With the institution of 

baggage fees, the number of checked 

bags at some carriers has declined by 40 

to 50 percent. There has been a 

corresponding 40 percent decline (i.e. 

improvement) in the industry 

mishandled baggage rates. A large part 

of the improvement in the mishandled 

baggage rate appears to be related to the 

decrease in checked baggage, although 

the current matrix hides this fact. The 

proposed matrix would have a direct 

correlation between mishandled baggage 

and checked baggage. 

Separate breakout of mishandled 

wheelchairs/scooters would assist 

passengers with mobility disabilities in 

selecting air carriers with high 

probabilities in meeting their special 

needs. There is a gap in the 

Department’s data regarding the 

mishandling of wheelchairs and 

scooters. The proposed data will 

provide information to passenger with 

disabilities on which air carriers best 

meet their special needs. Thus, this 

pending rulemaking may impact this 

information collection. 

Reducing and Identifying Traffic Delays 

The Federal Aviation Administration 

uses Part 234 data to pinpoint and 

analyze air traffic delays. Wheels-up 

and wheels-down times are used in 

conjunction with departure and arrival 

times to show the extent of ground 

delays. Actual elapsed flight time, 

wheels-down minus wheels-up time, is 

compared to scheduled elapsed flight 

time to identify airborne delays. The 

reporting of aircraft tail number allows 

the FAA to track an aircraft through the 

air network, which enables the FAA to 

study the ripple effects of delays at hub 

airports. The data can be analyzed for 

airport design changes, new equipment 

purchases, the planning of new runways 

or airports based on current and 

projected airport delays, and traffic 

levels. The identification of the reason 

for delays allows the FAA, airport 

operators, and air carriers to pinpoint 

delays under their control. 

Administrative Issues 

The Confidential Information 

Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act 

of 2002 (44 U.S.C. 3501) 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. 

Issued in Washington, DC on March 20, 

2012. 

Patricia Hu 

Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 

Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7298 Filed 3–26–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–HY–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

United States Mint 

Update to the January 6, 2012, Federal 

Register Notice on Prices for 2012 

Products Featuring $1 Coins 

AGENCY: United States Mint, Department 

of the Treasury. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: On January 6, 2012, the 

United States Mint announced 2012 

prices for nine products featuring $1 

coins, including a $1 Coin Five-Coin 

Set, priced at $12.95. This notice is to 

announce that a Presidential $1 FourCoin Set, priced at $9.95, will be offered 

instead of the $1 Coin Five-Coin Set. All 

of the other $1 coin products and their 

prices announced on January 6, 2012, 

will remain as United States Mint 

offerings. The complete $1 coin product 

list with prices is as follows: 

Product Retail 

price 

Presidential $1 Four-Coin Set ...... $9.95 

Presidential $1 Coin & First 

Spouse Medal SetTM ................ 9.95 

Presidential $1 Coin Uncirculated 

SetTM (P&D) .............................. 16.95 

Presidential $1 Coin Proof SetTM 18.95 

American Presidency $1 Coin 

Cover Series ............................. 19.95 

Native American and Presidential 

$1 Coin Rolls ............................ 32.95 

$1 Coin 100-Coin Bags ................ 111.95 

$1 Coin 250-Coin Box .................. 275.95 

$1 Coin 500-Coin Box .................. 550.95 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: B. B. 

Craig, Associate Director for Sales and 

Marketing, United States Mint, 801 9th 

Street NW., Washington, DC 20220; or 

call 202–354–7500. 

Authority: 31 U.S.C. 5111, 5112, and 9701. 

Dated: March 21, 2012. 

Richard A. Peterson, 

Deputy Director, United States Mint. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7258 Filed 3–26–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses Task 

Force Report 

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Secretary Department of 

Veterans Affairs (VA) established the 

Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses Task Force 

(GWVI–TF) in August 2009 to conduct 

a comprehensive review of VA policies 

and programs addressing 1990–1991 

Gulf War Veterans’ illnesses. The 

GWVI–TF published its first annual 

report in September 2010. 

The GWVI–TF posted a draft of its 

2011 annual report for public comment 

on October 20, 2011. VA published the 

report in the Federal Register (76 FR 

65321) and posted it on a social media 

Web site created specifically to elicit 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES