Model Contingency Plans To Deal with air passgr.delays

[Federal Register: April 14, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 72)]
[Notices]
[Page 20083-20084]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14ap08-101]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2007-0108]


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.

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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: (202) 366-9342;
Fax: (202) 366-7152; E-mail: Livaughn.Chapman@dot.gov, or
Kathleen.Blankriether@dot.gov.

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.


[[Page 20084]]


Issued on: April 7, 2008.
Samuel Podberesky,
Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement & Proceedings, U.S.
Department of Transportation.
[FR Doc. E8-7620 Filed 4-11-08; 8:45 am]

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