06-1016. Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Part 249 Preservation of Records

AGENCY:

Research & Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice.

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 April 4, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bernie Stankus, Office of Airline Information, RTS-42, Room 4125, RITA, BTS, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001, Telephone Number [phone], Fax Number [phone] or E-mail [e-mail].

Comments: Comments should identify the associated OMB approval #2138-0006 and Docket 23342. Persons wishing the Department to acknowledge receipt of their comments must submit with those comments a self-addressed stamped postcard on which the following statement is made: Comments on OMB #2138-0006, Docket 23342. The postcard will be date/time stamped and returned.

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: 120 certificated air carriers, 300 charter operators.

Estimated Time per Response: 3 hours per certificated air carrier, 1 hour per charter operator.

Total Annual Burden: 660 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 3 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 6 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 we ensure 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.

Issued in Washington, DC, on January 27, 2006.

Donald W. Bright,

Assistant Director, Airline Information, Bureau of Transportation Statistics.