60 Day Federal Register Notice

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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 54 / Wednesday, March 22, 2017 / Notices

Frequency: The survey frequency is
prescribed by Section 7308(d) of the
FAST Act. Specifically, this section
requires the Secretary to conduct the
survey under Section 7308(c) annually
until May 1, 2029.
Public Comments Invited: Interested
parties are invited to send comments
regarding any aspect of this information
collection, including, but not limited to:
(1) The necessity and utility of the
information collection for the proper
performance of the functions of the
DOT; (2) the accuracy of the estimated
burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, clarity and content of the
collected information; and (4) ways to
minimize the collection burden without
reducing the quality of the collected
information. Comments submitted in
response to this notice will be
summarized and/or included in the
request for OMB’s clearance of this
information collection.
Issued in Washington, DC, on March 9,
2017.
Patricia S. Hu,
Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics,
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research
and Technology.
[FR Doc. 2017–05644 Filed 3–21–17; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
[Docket ID Number DOT–OST–2014–0031]

Agency Information Collection:
Activity Under OMB Review; Report of
Traffic and Capacity Statistics—The T–
100 System
Bureau of Transportation
Statistics (BTS), DOT.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:

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 U.S. and foreign air
carriers to file traffic and capacity data
pursuant to 14 CFR 241.19 and Part 217,
respectively. These reports are used to
measure air transportation activity to,
from, and within the United States.
DATES: Written comments should be
submitted by May 22, 2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jennifer Rodes, Office of Airline
Information, RTS–42, Room E34–420,
OST–R, BTS, 1200 New Jersey Avenue
SE., Washington, DC 20590–0001,

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SUMMARY:

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Telephone Number (202) 366–8513, Fax
Number (202) 366–3383 or EMAIL
[email protected].
Comments: Comments should identify
the associated OMB approval #2138–
0040 and Docket ID Number DOT–OST–
2014–0031. 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
#2138–0040, Docket—DOT–OST–2014–
0031. The postcard will be date/time
stamped and returned.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
identified by DOT Docket ID Number
DOT–OST–2014–0031 by any of the
following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
online instructions for submitting
comments.
Mail: Docket Services: U.S.
Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
Washington, DC 20590–0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., between
9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: 202–366–3383.
Instructions: Identify docket number,
DOT–OST–2014–0031, at the beginning
of your comments, and send two copies.
To receive confirmation that DOT
received your comments, include a selfaddressed stamped postcard. Internet
users may access all comments received
by DOT at http://www.regulations.gov.
All comments are posted electronically
without charge or edits, including any
personal information provided.
Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search
the electronic form of all comments
received into any of our dockets by the
name of the individual submitting the
comment (or signing the comment, if
submitted on behalf of an association,
business, labor union, etc.). You may
review DOT’s complete Privacy Act
Statement in the Federal Register
published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR
19477–78) or you may visit http://
DocketInfo.dot.gov.
Docket: For access to the docket to
read background documents or
comments received, go to http://
www.regulations.gov. or the street
address listed above. Follow the online
instructions for accessing the dockets.
Electronic Access
You may access comments received
for this notice at http://
www.regulations.gov, by searching
docket DOT–OST–2014–0031.

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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Approval No. 2138–0040.
Title: Report of Traffic and Capacity
Statistics—The T–100 System.
Form No.: Schedules T–100 and T–
100(f).
Type of Review: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Respondents: Certificated, commuter
and foreign air carriers that operate to,
from or within the United States.
T100 Form
Number of Respondents: 119.
Number of Annual Responses: 1,428.
Total Burden per Response: 6 hours.
Total Annual Burden: 8,568 hours.
T100F Form
Number of Respondents: 190.
Number of Annual Responses: 2,280.
Total Burden per Response: 2 hours.
Total Annual Burden: 4,560 hours.
Needs and Uses:
Airport Improvement
The Federal Aviation Administration
uses enplanement data for U.S. airports
to distribute the annual Airport
Improvement Program (AIP) entitlement
funds to eligible primary airports, i.e.,
airports which account for more than
0.01 percent of the total passengers
enplaned at U.S. airports. Enplanement
data contained in Schedule T–100/T–
100(f) are the sole data base used by the
FAA in determining airport funding.
U.S. airports receiving significant
service from foreign air carriers
operating small aircraft could be
receiving less than their fair share of
AIP entitlement funds. Collecting
Schedule T–100(f) data for small aircraft
operations will enable the FAA to more
fairly distribute these funds.
Air Carrier Safety
The FAA uses traffic, operational and
capacity data as important safety
indicators and to prepare the air carrier
traffic and operation forecasts that are
used in developing its budget and
staffing plans, facility and equipment
funding levels, and environmental
impact and policy studies. The FAA
monitors changes in the number of air
carrier operations as a way to allocate
inspection resources and in making
decisions as to increased safety
surveillance. Similarly, airport activity
statistics are used by the FAA to
develop airport profiles and establish
priorities for airport inspections.
Acquisitions and Mergers
While the Justice Department has the
primary responsibility over air carrier
acquisitions and mergers, the
Department reviews the transfer of

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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 54 / Wednesday, March 22, 2017 / Notices
international routes involved to
determine if they would substantially
reduce competition, or determine if the
transaction would be inconsistent with
the public interest. In making these
determinations, the proposed
transaction’s effect on competition in
the markets served by the affected air
carriers is analyzed. This analysis
includes, among other things, a
consideration of the volume of traffic
and available capacity, the flight
segments and origins-destinations
involved, and the existence of entry
barriers, such as limited airport slots or
gate capacity. Also included is a review
of the volume of traffic handled by each
air carrier at specific airports and in
specific markets which would be
affected by the proposed acquisition or
merger. The Justice Department uses T–
100 data in carrying out its
responsibilities relating to airline
competition and consolidation.
Traffic Forecasting
The FAA uses traffic, operational and
capacity data as important safety
indicators and to prepare the air carrier
traffic and operation forecasts. These
forecast as used by the FAA, airport
managers, the airlines and others in the
air travel industry as planning and
budgeting tools.
Airport Capacity Analysis
The mix of aircraft type are used in
determining the practical annual
capacity (PANCAP) at airports as
prescribed in the FAA Advisory
Circular Airport Capacity Criteria Used
in Preparing the National Airport Plan.
The PANCAP is a safety-related measure
of the annual airport capacity or level of
operations. It is a predictive measure
which indicates potential capacity
problems, delays, and possible airport
expansions or runway construction
needs. If the level of operations at an
airport exceeds PANCAP significantly,
the frequency and length of delays will
increase, with a potential concurrent
risk of accidents. Under this program,
the FAA develops ways of increasing
airport capacity at congested airports.

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Airline Industry Status Evaluations
The Department apprizes Congress,
the Administration and others of the
effect major changes or innovations are
having on the air transportation
industry. For this purpose, summary
traffic and capacity data as well as the
detailed segment and market data are
essential. These data must be timely and
inclusive to be relevant for analyzing
emerging issues and must be based

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upon uniform and reliable data
submissions that are consistent with the
Department’s regulatory requirements.
Mail Rates
The Department is responsible for
establishing international and intraAlaska mail rates. International mail
rates are set based on scheduled
operations in four geographic areas:
Trans-border, Latin America, operations
over the Atlantic Ocean and operations
over the Pacific Ocean. Separate rates
are set for mainline and bush Alaskan
operations. The rates are updated every
six months to reflect changes in unit
costs in each rate-making entity. Traffic
and capacity data are used in
conjunction with cost data to develop
the required unit cost data.
Essential Air Service
The Department reassesses service
levels at small domestic communities to
assure that capacity levels are adequate
to accommodate current demand
System Planning at Airports
The FAA is charged with
administering a series of grants that are
designed to accomplish the necessary
airport planning for future development
and growth. These grants are made to
state metropolitan and regional aviation
authorities to fund needed airport
systems planning work. Individual
airport activity statistics, nonstop
market data, and service segment data
are used to prepare airport activity level
forecasts.
Review of IATA Agreements
The Department reviews all of the
International Air Transport Association
(IATA) agreements that relate to fares,
rates, and rules for international air
transportation to ensure that the
agreements meet the public interest
criteria. Current and historic summary
traffic and capacity data, such as
revenue ton-miles and available tonmiles, by aircraft type, type of service,
and length of haul are needed to
conduct these analyses: To (1) develop
the volume elements for passenger/
cargo cost allocations, (2) evaluate
fluctuations in volume of scheduled and
charter services, (3) assess the
competitive impact of different
operations such as charter versus
scheduled, (4) calculate load factors by
aircraft type, and (5) monitor traffic in
specific markets.
Foreign Air Carriers Applications
Foreign air carriers are required to
submit applications for authority to

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operate to the United States. In
reviewing these applications the
Department must find that the requested
authority is encompassed in a bilateral
agreement, other intergovernmental
understanding, or that granting the
application is in the public interest. In
the latter cases, T–100 data are used in
assessing the level of benefits that
carriers of the applicant’s homeland
presently are receiving from their U.S.
operations. These benefits are compared
and balanced against the benefits U.S.
carriers receive from their operations to
the applicant’s homeland.
Air Carrier Fitness
The Department determines whether
U.S. air carriers are and continue to be
fit, willing and able to conduct air
service operations without undue risk to
passengers and shippers. The
Department monitors a carrier’s load
factor, operational, and enplanement
data to compare with other carriers with
similar operating characteristics.
Carriers that expand operations at a high
rate are monitored more closely for
safety reasons.
International Civil Aviation
Organization
Pursuant to an international
agreement, the United States is
obligated to report certain air carrier
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.
Issued on March 15, 2017.
William Chadwick, Jr.,
Director, Office of Airline Information,
Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2017–05643 Filed 3–21–17; 8:45 am]
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