77 FR 110 pg. 33808 - Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review: Report of Passengers Denied Confirmed Space—BTS Form 251
Type: NOTICEVolume: 77Number: 110Page: 33808
Docket number: [Docket ID Number RITA 2008-0002]
FR document: [FR Doc. 2012-13802 Filed 6-6-12; 8:45 am]
Agency: Transportation Department
Sub Agency: Research & Innovative Technology Administration
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Research & Innovative Technology Administration
[Docket ID Number RITA 2008-0002]
Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review: Report of Passengers Denied Confirmed Space-BTS Form 251
AGENCY:
Research & Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), DOT.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. ), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below is being forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for re-instatement of an expired collection. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on March 27, 2012 (77 FR 18305). There were no comments.
DATES:
Written comments should be submitted by July 9, 2012.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Cecelia Robinson, Office of Airline Information, RTS-42, Room E34-410, 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: Send comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725-17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention: RITA/BTS Desk Officer.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
OMB Approval No. 2138-0018
Title: Report of Passengers Denied Confirmed Space.
Form No.: BTS Form 251.
Type of Review: Re-instatement of an expired 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 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 passenger service must report all operations with 30 seat or larger aircraft that depart a U.S. airport.
Carriers do not report data from inbound international flights 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. The publishing of the carriers' individual denied boarding rates has negated 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. Without Form 251, determining the effectiveness of the Department's oversales rule would be impossible.
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 May 31, 2012.
Patricia Hu,
Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Research and Innovative Technology Administration.
[FR Doc. 2012-13802 Filed 6-6-12; 8:45 am]
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