[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 46 (Thursday, March 11, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13964-13965]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05014]


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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 10, 2021.

ADDRESSES: 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,

[[Page 13965]]

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).
    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.

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 jeff.gorham@dot.gov.

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, 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 1, 2021.
William Chadwick, Jr.,
Director, Office of Airline Information, Bureau of Transportation 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2021-05014 Filed 3-10-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P


