Part 244 - Reporting of Tarmac Delay Data (Revised)

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Department of Transportation
Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Office of Airline Information
Accounting and Reporting Directive

No. 303 A
Issue Date: August 10, 2011
Effective Date: August 23, 2011

This Accounting and Reporting Directive updates and replaces Accounting and Reporting Directive 303 that was issued on June 10, 2011. The updates are: (1) rescission of the requirement to submit an initial Tarmac Delay Report for the period August 23 through September 30, 2011; (2) clarification of the reporting responsibilities in joint service operations; (3) guidance for e-submit registration; (4) example for submitting a transmittal letter; and (5) example of reporting a fly return.

Reporting carriers for purposes of submitting tarmac delay data are all U.S and foreign air carriers that operate scheduled passenger or public charter service  to or from a U.S. non-hub, small hub, medium hub, or large hub airport with at least one aircraft having an original manufacturer's design capacity of 30 seats or more.

All carriers described in the previous paragraph must register by August 26, 2011, with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to submit tarmac delay data. To register, you must log into the eSubmit web application: http://esubmit.rita.dot.gov. If a carrier's representative is already a registered eSubmit user, then he or she will need to log into the eSubmit web application to select and add the new Part 244 Tarmac Delay Data to the list of reports that the carrier submits. For new users, once logged in, the system will allow you to create a new user account.

1. U.S. air carriers that submit Airline Service Quality Performance Reports pursuant to 14 CFR Part 234 must now submit a secondary report under Part 244 for any domestic public charter flight or any international scheduled passenger or public charter flight that is on the tarmac at any U.S. large hub airport, medium hub airport, small hub airport or non-hub airport for more than 3 hours. . Tarmac delays experienced at foreign airports are not reported. Also, flights that are reported under the requirements of Part 234 Airline Service Quality Performance Reports are not reported under Part 244.

2. Commuter air carriers that operate at least one aircraft having an original manufacturer's design capacity of 30 seats or more must report tarmac delay data for all scheduled passenger or public charter operations that experience a tarmac time of more than 3 hours at a U.S. airport. Tarmac delays experienced at foreign airports are not reported.

3. Certificated air carriers that do not submit Airline Service Quality Performance Reports and operate at least one aircraft having an original manufacturer's design capacity of 30 seats or more must report tarmac delay data for all scheduled passenger and public charter operations that experience a tarmac delay of more than 3 hours at a U.S. airport. Tarmac delays experienced at foreign airports are not reported.

4. Foreign air carriers that operate at least one aircraft having an original manufacturer's design capacity of 30 seats or more must report tarmac delay data for all scheduled passenger and public charter operations that experience a tarmac delay of more than 3 hours at a U.S. airport. Tarmac delays experienced at foreign airports are not reported. Also, a charter flight by a foreign air carrier is not subject to this rule if the flight is operating from a foreign airport to a U.S. airport and returns to a foreign airport and did not enplane any new passengers in the United States.

5. Joint Service Operations The Department will not dictate which carrier has the reporting responsibility for joint service operations. Both the marketing and operating carriers will be held legally responsible if data for a reportable tarmac delay are not timely or accurately filed. Joint service operations are operations such as code-share services, wet lease services, or substitution of services.

Reporting Frequency

With the exception of the initial report, Part 244 data submissions are based on calendar months; and the reports are due 15 days after the end of the calendar month. Due dates falling on Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays are automatically extended to the next federal work day. Carriers are only required to submit reports for the periods where at least one - tarmac delay of more than 3 hours occurred.

The initial reporting period will cover the period from August 23 through September 30, 2011; and will be due on October 17, 2011, as October 15 falls on a Saturday.

Record Format:

The Tarmac Delay Data reports must be created as an electronic "comma separated values" file, using ASCII text character encoding, for uploading via the "eSubmit" application.

The comma separated values file MUST BE indicated when naming the file, by using the letters [CSV] or [csv] following the file name, as the file name extension.

The file name is flexible and may be determined by the individual carrier, but the comma separated values (csv) file format is required, as outlined in the rule entitled, Submitting Airline Data via the Internet.

The fields in the sample record shown below follow the same order as the above record description, separated by commas, and saved with the file name extension of .csv.

Suggested file name: XX201003-244Tarmac.csv

For the months where a carrier submits a Tarmac Delay Data Report, the carrier must also submit a Tarmac Delay Transmittal Letter.

The transmittal letter must identify the carrier, a responsible official, month and year for which the Tarmac Delay Data are being submitted. The certification statement will read:

I, (Name) and (Title), of the above-named air carrier, certify that the BTS Form 244 "Tarmac Delay Data Report" is to the best of my knowledge and belief, true, correct, and a complete report for the period stated.

Date:
Signature:
Name (Please Print or Type):

The name(s) and telephone number(s) of the carrier's staff who can be contacted to resolve problems regarding both carrier data and technical matters.

RECORD FORMAT:

Once signed, the Tarmac Delay Data Transmittal Letter must be published as an electronic "portable document format" file format, for uploading to the eSubmit application.

The portable document format file MUST BE indicated when naming the file, by using the letters [PDF] or [pdf] following the file name, as the file name extension. You must have Adobe software downloaded on your computer in order to "save as/print" your document as a pdf' file.

While the file name is flexible and may be determined by the individual air carrier, the portable document format (pdf) file format is required, as outlined in the rule entitled, Submitting Airline Data via the Internet.

Suggested file name: XX201003-244transmittal.pdf

The web address for data submission is http://esubmit.rita.dot.gov

Please contact Marianne Seguin at marianne.seguin@dot.gov to set up your carrier's account for reporting Part 244 data. This account should be established by August 26, 2011.

Definitions:

1. 'Gate arrival time' is the instant when the pilot sets the aircraft parking brake after arriving at the airport gate or passenger unloading area. If the parking brake is not set, record the time for the opening of the passenger door. Also, carriers using a Docking Guidance System (DGS) may record the official "gate-arrival time" when the aircraft is stopped at the appropriate parking mark.

2. 'Gate departure time' is the instant when the pilot releases the aircraft parking brake after passengers have loaded and aircraft doors have been closed. In cases where the flight returned to the departure gate before wheels-off time and departed a second time, report the last gate departure time before wheels-off time. In cases of an air return, report the last gate departure time before the gate return. If passengers were boarded without the parking brake being set, record the time that the passenger door was closed. Also, carriers using a DGS may record the official "gate-departure time" based on aircraft movement. For example, DGS records gate departure time when the aircraft moves more than 1 meter from the appropriate parking mark within 15 seconds. Fifteen seconds is then subtracted from the recorded time to obtain the appropriate out time.

3. "Gate Return" is when an aircraft leaves the boarding gate only to return to a gate for the purpose of allowing passengers to de-board the aircraft.

4. "Time"- all times are reported in local time using a 24 hour clock; e.g. 3:15 p.m. will be 1515, midnight is 2400, and one minute after midnight is 0001.

This action is taken under authority delegated by 14 CFR 385.19(b).

See below for reporting examples.

Anne Suissa
Director
Office of Airline Information

Reporting Example: A flight with a 308 minute taxi-out time:

RECORD DESCRIPTION:Part 244 - Tarmac Delay Data

Items 13 through 17 are for diverted flights; and items 18 through 22 are for reporting a second diverted flight segment. If there are no diversions use,, to identify nil fields

Sample Record Format:

ZZ,1234,DFW,BNA,20110823,0737,1245,1410,1417,N736ZZ,,,,,,,,,,,,

Reporting Example: Flight was on the tarmac for 201 minutes then returned to the gate to allow passengers to deplane and then after another hour re-departed.

RECORD DESCRIPTION:Part 244 - Tarmac Delay Data

Items 13 through 17 are for diverted flights; and items 18 through 22 are for reporting a second diverted flight segment. If there are no diversions use,, to identify nil fields

Sample Record Format: ZZ,1234,DFW,BNA,20110823,1230,1245,1410,1417,N736ZZ,201,201,,,,,,,,,,

Note: In this case, the flight returned to the departure gate before wheels-off time and departed a second time, therefore, you must report the last gate departure time which is before wheels-off time.

Reporting Example

Flight diverted to an alternate airport and spent 185 minutes on the tarmac.

RECORD DESCRIPTION:Part 244 - Tarmac Delay Data

Sample Record Format:

ZZ,1234,DFW,BNA,20110823,0737,0757,1306,1317,N736ZZ,,,MEM,0914,185,185,1219,,,,,

Reporting Example

Flight experiencing two diversions

RECORD DESCRIPTION:Part 244 - Tarmac Delay Data

Sample Record Format:

ZZ,1234,DFW,BNA,20110823,0737,0757,1650,1657,N736ZZ,,,MEM,0914,185,185,1219,DFW,1359,60,60,1459

Reporting Example

Flight returns to origin airport and is canceled.

RECORD DESCRIPTION:Part 244 - Tarmac Delay Data

Sample Record Format:

ZZ,123,DFW,,20110129,1111,1123,,,N736ZZ,,,DFW,1235,213,213,,,,,,