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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 13, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35465-35466]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-14456]

[[Page 35465]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2012-0087]

Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), Department of Transportation 
(DOT).

ACTION: Notice of first meeting of advisory committee.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the first meeting of the Advisory 
Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection.

DATES: The first meeting of the advisory committee is scheduled for 
June 28, 2012, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the Oklahoma City Room (located 
on the lobby level of the West Building) at the U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC. Attendance 
is open to the public; however, since access to the U.S. DOT 
headquarters building is controlled for security purposes, any member 
of the general public who plans to attend this meeting must notify the 
Department contact noted below at least five (5) calendar days prior to 
the meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To register to attend the meeting, 
please contact Lynora Simmons Kendale, Lynora.SimmonsKendale@dot.gov. 
For other information please contact Nicholas Lowry, Senior Attorney, 
Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and 
Proceedings, nick.lowry@dot.gov, or Blane A. Workie, Deputy Assistant 
General Counsel, Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Aviation 
Enforcement and Proceedings, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 
New Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20590, 202-366-9342 (phone), 202-
366-7152 (fax), Blane.Workie@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 411 of the FAA Modernization and 
Reform Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 112-95, 126 Stat. 11 (2012)) mandates the 
establishment of an advisory committee for the purpose of advising the 
Secretary of Transportation on airline customer service improvements. 
More specifically, the Act requires the advisory committee to evaluate 
and provide recommendations to the Secretary for improving existing 
aviation consumer protection programs and for establishing additional 
such programs if appropriate. The Act also limits the committee's 
membership to four members appointed by the Secretary of 
Transportation--one representative each of airlines, airports, non-
profit public interest groups, and state and local governments. Section 
411 specifies that the advisory committee shall terminate on September 
30, 2015.
    On May 24, 2012, the Secretary established the advisory committee 
and announced those persons appointed as members of the committee. The 
selected members are as follows: (1) Lisa Madigan who is the attorney 
general of Illinois, who will also be the committee chairperson; (2) 
David Berg who is the senior vice president, general counsel and 
corporate secretary for Airlines for America; (3) Deborah Ale-Flint who 
is Oakland International Airport's director of aviation; and (4) 
Charles Leocha who is the founder of the Consumer Travel Alliance. All 
of the committee members have demonstrated experience in dealing with 
consumer protection issues.
    A charter for the committee, drafted in accordance with the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, sets forth 
policies for the operation of the advisory committee. It designates the 
Department's Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and 
Proceedings as the Committee's Designated Federal Official (DFO) to 
help run the meetings of the committee. This charter is available on 
the Department's Web site at http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2012/dot5912.html.
    As noted above, the first meeting of the committee will take place 
on June 28, 2012. The agenda topics for the first meeting will include, 
in a morning session, presentations by staff in the Office of the 
Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings and its Aviation Consumer 
Protection Division regarding organization of the offices, existing 
aviation consumer protection and civil rights statutory and regulatory 
requirements, and on-going and planned enforcement and rulemaking 
activities. In an afternoon session, we expect to provide an 
opportunity for presentations by representatives from organizations 
representing airlines, travel agents, airport operators, state and 
local governments, and consumer and other public interest groups. Those 
organizations wishing to make presentations, which should be limited to 
no more than 10 minutes, should notify the contact person indicated 
above no later than five (5) calendar days before the meeting and 
provide that person a written summary of their presentations to help 
the committee members prepare for the meeting. Efforts will be made to 
accommodate each organization that wishes to make a presentation. 
However, given time constraints, there is no guarantee that all the 
organizations that make such a request will be able to address the 
advisory committee at the June 28th meeting. In order to provide for a 
balanced presentation of views and to facilitate the orderly conduct of 
the meeting, including time for questions from committee members, the 
committee chairperson may impose rules or procedures, including the 
order of organizations that will be making presentations, as she deems 
necessary. If more organizations would like to make presentations than 
the time available permits, a schedule will be developed so that these 
organizations can present at the next advisory committee meeting.
    The committee will meet no more than four times in each 12-month 
period starting after May 24, 2012. It is anticipated that all meetings 
will be held in Washington, DC at the U.S. DOT headquarters building. 
The Department will publish notices in the Federal Register to announce 
the dates, times, and locations of future meetings. Meetings of the 
committee will be open to the public, and time will be provided for 
comments by members of the public. Since access to the U.S. DOT 
headquarters building is controlled for security purposes, we ask that 
any member of the general public who plans to attend the first meeting 
notify the Department contact noted above no later than five (5) 
calendar days prior to the meeting. Attendance will be necessarily 
limited by the size of the meeting room.
    Members of the public may present written comments at any time. The 
docket number referenced above has been established for committee 
documents including any written comments that may be filed. At the 
discretion of the Chairperson and time permitting, after completion of 
the organizational presentations in the afternoon of the first meeting, 
individual members of the public may provide oral comments at the 
meeting. Any oral comments presented must be limited to objectives of 
the committee and will be limited to five (5) minutes per person. 
Individual members of the public who wish to present oral comments must 
notify the Department contact noted above via email that they wish to 
attend and present oral comments at least five (5) calendar days prior 
to the meeting. For this initial meeting, no more than one hour will be 
set aside for oral comments by the general public.
    Persons with a disability who plan to attend the meeting and 
require special accommodations, such as an interpreter for the hearing 
impaired, should contact

[[Page 35466]]

the Department contact noted above at least seven (7) calendar days 
prior to the meeting. Persons attending with a service animal should 
also advise us of that fact so that it can be taken into account in 
connection with space and possible allergy issues.
    Notice of this meeting is being provided in accordance with the 
FACA and the General Services Administration regulations covering 
management of Federal advisory committees. (41 CFR Part 102-3.)

    Issued in Washington, DC, on June 8, 2012.
Samuel Podberesky,
Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement & Proceedings, U.S. 
Department of Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2012-14456 Filed 6-12-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P
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