E8-7620. National Task Force To Develop Model Contingency Plans To Deal With Lengthy Airline On-Board Ground Delays

AGENCY:

Office of the Secretary (OST), Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION:

Notice of meeting of advisory committee.

SUMMARY:

This notice announces a meeting of the National Task Force to Develop Model Contingency Plans to Deal with Lengthy Airline On-Board Ground Delays.

DATES:

The Task Force meeting is scheduled for April 29, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Time.

ADDRESSES:

The Task Force meeting will be held at the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, in the Oklahoma City Conference Room on the lobby level of the West Building.

For Further Information or to Contact the Department Concerning the Task Force:

Livaughn Chapman, Jr., or Kathleen Blank-Riether, Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., W-96-429, Washington, DC 20590-0001; Phone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; E-mail: [e-mail], or [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App.2, and the General Services Administration regulations covering management of Federal advisory committees, 41 CFR Part 102-3, this notice announces a meeting of the National Task Force to Develop Model Contingency Plans to Deal with Lengthy Airline On-Board Ground Delays. The Meeting will be held on April 29, 2008, between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, in the Oklahoma City Conference Room on the lobby level of the West Building.

DOT's Office of Inspector General recommended, in its audit report, entitled “Actions Needed to Minimize Long, On-Board Flight Delays,” issued on September 25, 2007, that the Secretary of Transportation establish a national task force of airlines, airports, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to coordinate and develop contingency plans to deal with lengthy delays, such as working with carriers and airports to share facilities and make gates available in an emergency. To effectuate this recommendation, on January 3, 2008, the Department, consistent with the requirements of the FACA, established the National Task Force to Develop Model Contingency Plans to Deal with Lengthy Airline On-Board Ground Delays. The first meeting of the Task Force took place on February 26, 2008.

The agenda topics for the April 29, 2008, meeting will include the following: (1) A presentation by FAA's Air Traffic Control on its perspective on air traffic holds and ground delays and uncertainties in the system; (2) a presentation on the regional airline perspective of tarmac delays; (3) one or more presentations on recent tarmac delay events and efforts to avoid them; (4) a briefing by the Passenger Needs Working Group, the working group that studied the common needs of significantly delayed passengers on aircraft and passengers who returned to the terminal after disembarking from such aircraft; (5) a briefing by the Delays Causes Working Group, the working group that examined the possible causes of lengthy tarmac delays; and (6) a discussion of whether additional working groups should be established to achieve the objectives of the Task Force and if so, what the purpose of these working groups should be.

Attendance is open to the public, and time will be provided for comments by members of the public. Since access to the U.S. DOT headquarters building is controlled for security purposes, any member of the general public who plans to attend this meeting must notify the Department contact noted above ten (10) calendar days prior to the meeting. Attendance will be necessarily limited by the size of the meeting room.

Members of the public may present written comments at any time and, at the discretion of the Chairman and time permitting, oral comments at the meeting. Any oral comments permitted must be limited to agenda items and will be limited to five (5) minutes per person. Members of the public who wish to present oral comments must notify the Department contact noted above via email that they wish to attend and present oral comments at least ten (10) calendar days prior to the meeting. For this April 29, 2008, meeting, no more than one hour will be set aside for oral comments. Although written material may be filed in the docket at any time, comments regarding upcoming meeting topics should be sent to the Task Force docket (10) calendar days prior to the meeting. Members of the public may also contact the Department contact noted above to be placed on the Task Force mailing list.

Persons with a disability requiring special accommodations, such as an interpreter for the hearing impaired, should contact the Department contact noted above at least seven (7) calendar days prior to the meeting.

Notice of this meeting is provided in accordance with the FACA and the General Service Administration regulations covering management of Federal advisory committees.

Issued on: April 7, 2008.

Samuel Podberesky,

Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement & Proceedings, U.S. Department of Transportation.