Supporting Statement B
Air Taxi and Commercial Operator Airport Activity Survey (FAA Form 1800-31)
OMB Control Number 2120-0067
B. Statistical Methods
1. Describe the potential respondent universe.
The FAA knows the respondent universe because we oversee air carriers and airports as part of the integrated, regulated air system in the United States.
This FAA form is used by small non-scheduled on demand air taxi operators certificated under 14 CFR 135 (air taxis) that are subject to the passenger transportation tax to report their annual enplanements numbers. This data is not collected by the U.S. Department of Transportation. This non-scheduled revenue passenger data is not collected or made available through any other source. There is no assurance of confidentiality given to respondents. The data collected each year is not publicly posted but is considered public information.
The respondent universe is the approximately 100 Part 135 on-demand operators. The respondent universe is the sample frame. The FAA sends a copy of Form 1800-31 along with instructions to visit the Airports External Portal (AEP) to all Part 135 on-demand operators with a request that they voluntarily submit their data. On average, only 70 operators return the form annually for a 70-percent response rate.
The FAA’s goal is a 75-percent response rate (75 respondents), which will increase the current approximately 85-percent confidence level to a 90-percent confidence level with a ±5 percent margin of error.
Describe the procedures for the collection of information.
Historically, the FAA Airports Organization has had our database contractor (Booz Allen Hamilton, (BAH)) send the FAA Form 1800-31 to active Part 135 operators (list of operators supplied by FAA Flight Standards) that have reported data in any of the last three years. The form was sent in February and respondents were given until April to complete the form and mail it back in the self-addressed stamped envelope. The form was also available online (FAA Form 1800-31) and an operator could print the form and submit the completed form to the FAA. The operator could also email the signed and scanned form to the FAA. However, the FAA Airports Organization will now only provide the on-demand operators with a cover letter and password to submit to the FAA their data electronically.
Submitted data is reviewed to ensure that the operator submitting data was valid and the form was complete. The data is entered into FAA’s System of Airports Reporting (SOAR) database and reviewed by FAA personnel. It also contains enplanement data collected by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) from certified and commuter air carriers and foreign air carriers. Enplanement data are consolidated into a report for each airport that lists each air carrier and their annual enplanements. In July, each airport manager receives his/her airport’s report and is asked to review the data. If an air carrier is missing or appears not to have reported accurately, the airport notifies the FAA and we follow-up with BTS or the non-scheduled air taxi. FAA spends the summer working with airports, air carriers, and BTS to resolve issues and on October 1, the data is considered final. The final validated enplanement data is used by FAA to calculate Airport Improvement Program funding.
The FAA began accepting data electronically in 2020, via the Airports External Portal (AEP). The FAA has met the OMB terms of clearance to allow electronic submissions, including the use of e-signature. This new process was in place for the submission of calendar year 2020 data that began in February 2020. Third party e-signature software has been in place since December 30, 2019, for use in voluntary submission of FAA Form 1800-31 data. We continue to accept hard copies for those operators unable or unwilling to submit data electronically. Last cycle we did not receive any hard copies, the submittals were all completed through email or AEP.
The enplanement data collected through FAA 1800-31 (which does not contain personal identifying information) reside in the FAA’s SOAR database. A Privacy Threshold Assessment was adjudicated for SOAR in December 2020.
Describe methods to maximize response rates.
FAA uses a list of active Part 135 operators that have reported data in any of the last three years.
FAA sends the Form and instructions to all active operators, posts the Form on the FAA public website, and makes it available on the Airports External Portal (AEP) (https://aep.airports.faa.gov/Default.aspx) to ensure it is widely available to the universe of operators.
The primary way the FAA works to maximize response rates is to publish and publicize a preliminary report of enplanement and all-cargo data. Each summer, the FAA posts this preliminary report to the FAA website. The report includes data reported on Form 1800-31 as well as that reported to DOT on Form 41 Schedule T-100, U.S. Air Carrier Traffic and Capacity Data by Nonstop Segment and On-Flight Market. We announce the availability of this preliminary report to more than 6500 subscribers, which include many airports. Airports look at this preliminary report closely as their Airport Improvement Program entitlements are based on the number of enplanements for the most recent calendar year. As part of this review, they may also look at the 1800-31 data in AEP to confirm that all operators who fly in and out of their airports have reported data. If the airports do not see an operator at their facility on the FAA report, they often contact the operator to submit the form because without the inclusion of this data, many airports would not be able to reach the passenger thresholds necessary to qualify for Airport Improvement Program passenger entitlement funds.
Describe tests of procedures and methods to be undertaken.
This procedure has been in place and used successfully for approximately 23 years.
Provide the names of consultants and the person who will collect and analyze the information.
FAA Airports Organization has their database contractor, BAH, send out the form, receive and review the responses, and enter the data into the database. A Senior FAA Airport Planner oversees this process and is the point of contact for the respondents and the contractor. FAA staff analyzes the data and makes any necessary feedback from data review.
Luis Loarte Christina Nutting
Senior Airport Planner Airport Planner
FAA FAA
Washington, DC Washington, DC
Luisa Medrano Cheryl Thorpe
Analyst Program Manager
BAH BAH
Washington, DC Washington, DC
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Taylor CTR Dahl |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2024-09-12 |