Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping Requirements Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping Requirements Agency Information

Collection Activity Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44

U.S.C. Chapter 3501, et seq.) this notice announces that the

Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been

forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and

comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and

it's expected cost and burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-

day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of

information was published in 62 FR 41462, August 1, 1997.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received on or before January 9,

1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jack Schmidt, Office of Aviation and

International Economics, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Aviation

and International Affairs, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of

Transportation, 400 Seventh St. SW, Washington, DC 20590 at (202) 366-

5420 or (202) 366-7638 (FAX).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Office of the Secretary

Title: Information Collection of Data on Passenger Travel by Air.

OMB Control Number: 2105-0535.

Affected Public: All U.S. airlines providing scheduled passenger

service and all computer reservations systems (CRSs) operating in the

United States.

Abstract: The requested extension of the information collection

contained in approved control number 2105-0535 covers the data

necessary to complete the Study of Rural Air Fares that was required by

the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 1996 (Pub.

L. 104-264). This study, among other things, was to analyze air fares

paid between small communities and large hub airports with fares

between large hub airports.

[[Page 65121]]

Need: Currently, DOT collects air fare data from certain air

carriers as part of the Passenger Origin and Destination Survey

(``Survey''). This Survey is based on a ten percent sample of passenger

tickets and is reported to the Department on a quarterly basis by the

large certificated air carriers. In the course of analyzing these data

with reference to the small communities, the Department has tentatively

concluded that because of the small size of the sample and the absence

of smaller carriers from the database, the current data are

unrepresentative and inadequate for providing proper analysis. The

Department is therefore developing an alternative database to meet its

needs.

The Department is requiring airlines and CRSs to provide these

data. In order to minimize the burden of providing these data, the

Department has suggested the use of the Ticket Control Number (TCN)

files or similar data sources. In the process of making reservations

and ticketing airline passengers, airlines and CRSs electronically

record most transactions in TCN files for various accounting,

reconciliation and control purposes. Each TCN file contains

approximately 150 individual data items including the data elements of

carrier identification, passenger itinerary and fare needed by the

Department. Under a current data interchange program, most airlines and

CRSs routinely submit the TCN data to the Airline Tariff Publishing

Company (ATPCO). The Department believes that these files, as submitted

to ATPCO, provide an ideal source of the type of comprehensive data

that it is seeking. To the extent that airlines do not use CRSs for

reservations, the Department is taking whatever steps are necessary to

provide as complete a database as possible.

Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 888.

Send comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Office of Management and Budget, 725-17th Street, NW, Washington, DC

20503, Attention DOT Desk Officer.

Comments are invited on: whether the proposed collection of

information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of

the Department, including whether the information will have practical

utility; the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of the

proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility

and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize

the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including

the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of

information technology.

Issued in Washington, DC, on December 3, 1997.

Vanester M. Williams,

Clearance Officer, United States Department of Transportation.

[FR Doc. 97-32263 Filed 12-9-97; 8:45 am]

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