83 FR 13341 - Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Part 249 Preservation of Records

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 60 (March 28, 2018)

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 BTS requiring certificated air carriers to preserve accounting records, consumer complaint letters, reservation reports and records, system reports of aircraft movements, etc. Also, public charter operators and overseas military personnel charter operators are required to retain certain contracts, invoices, receipts, bank records and reservation records.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 60 (Wednesday, March 28, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13341-13342]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-06204]


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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; Part 
249 Preservation of Records

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology 
(OST-R), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Department of 
Transportation.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: 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 BTS requiring certificated air 
carriers to preserve accounting records, consumer complaint letters, 
reservation reports and records, system reports of aircraft movements, 
etc. Also, public charter operators and overseas military personnel 
charter operators are required to retain certain contracts, invoices, 
receipts, bank records and reservation records.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by May 29, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Gorham, Office of Airline 
Information, RTS-42, Room E34, OST-R, BTS, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001, Telephone Number (202) 366-4406, Fax Number 
(202) 366-3383 or Email [email protected].

ADDRESSES: 
    Comments: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID 
Number DOT-OST-2014-0031 OMB Approval No. 2138-0006 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 self-addressed 
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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Approval No.: 2138-0006.
    Title: Preservation of Air Carrier Records--14 CFR part 249.
    Form No.: None.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved recordkeeping 
requirement.
    Respondents: Certificated air carriers and charter operators.
    Number of Respondents: 89 certificated air carriers, 280 charter 
operators.
    Estimated Time per Response: 3 hours per certificated air carrier, 
1 hour per charter operator.
    Total Annual Burden: 547 hours.
    Needs and Uses: Part 249 requires the retention of records such as: 
general and subsidiary ledgers, journals and journal vouchers, voucher 
distribution registers, accounts receivable and payable journals and 
ledgers, subsidy records documenting underlying financial and 
statistical reports to DOT, funds reports,

[[Page 13342]]

consumer records, sales reports, auditors' and flight coupons, air 
waybills, etc. Depending on the nature of the document, the carrier may 
be required to retain the document for a period of 30 days to three 
years. Public charter operators and overseas military personnel charter 
operators must retain documents which evidence or reflect deposits made 
by each charter participant and commissions received by, paid to, or 
deducted by travel agents, and all statements, invoices, bills and 
receipts from suppliers or furnishers of goods and services in 
connection with the tour or charter. These records are retained for six 
months after completion of the charter program.
    Not only is it imperative that carriers and charter operators 
retain source documentation, but it is critical that DOT has access to 
these records. Given DOT's established information needs for such 
reports, the underlying support documentation must be retained for a 
reasonable period of time. Absent the retention requirements, the 
support for such reports may or may not exist for audit/validation 
purposes and the relevance and usefulness of the carrier submissions 
would be impaired, since the data could not be verified to the source 
on a test basis.
    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 March 20, 2018.
William Chadwick, Jr.,
Director, Office of Airline Information, Bureau of Transportation 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2018-06204 Filed 3-27-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P