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AGENCY:
Office of the Secretary, Department of Transportation.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
The Department is publishing a notice to inform U.S. and certain foreign air carriers of inflation adjustments to liability limits of air carriers and foreign air carriers under the Montreal Convention.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Maegan Johnson, Senior Trial Attorney, Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, at maegan.johnson@dot.gov or 202-366-9342.
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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
This notice informs U.S. and certain foreign air carriers of inflation adjustments to liability limits of air carriers and foreign air carriers under the Montreal Start Printed Page 3105Convention (Convention).[]
The adjustments affect limits on liability for damages for passenger death or injury, delay in the carriage of passengers, and the loss, delay or damage to baggage or cargo, increasing those limits by nearly 14 percent. This increase became effective on December 28, 2019. The U.S. and foreign air carriers affected by these changes to the Convention include those providing international carriage between countries that, like the United States, are parties to the Convention, and that provide roundtrip foreign air transportation that originates and terminates in the United States.
The liability limits are set out in Articles 21 and 22 of the Convention. Under Article 24 of the Convention, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) reviews the liability limits in Articles 21 and 22 every five years in light of inflation that has occurred during that period.[]
In a June 28, 2019, notice, the Secretary General of ICAO advised parties to the Convention of revisions required pursuant to this review. The revised liability limits effective December 28, 2019 (stated in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)) are as follows: []
| Strict liability for death or bodily injury to passengers | Delay in the carriage of passengers | Destruction, loss, damage or delay of baggage per passenger | Destruction, loss, damage, or delay of cargo |
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Limit as of Dec. 28, 2019 | 128 821 SDRs | 5 346 SDRs | 1 288 SDRs | 22 SDRs. |
Pursuant to the terms of Article 24 in the Convention, the increased limits become effective six months following the June 28 notice referred to above, or December 28, 2019. Carriers should, therefore, revise their contracts of carriage, tariffs, required notices, and practices to conform to the Convention's requirements. Failure to implement in a timely manner the revised liability limits and required notices would, in the view of the Department's Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, constitute an unfair []
or deceptive []
practice and unfair method of competition in violation of 49 U.S.C. 41712. This disclosure notice also extends to ticket agents and indirect air carriers.[]
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Issued this 10th day of January, 2020, in Washington, DC.
Blane A. Workie,
Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, U.S. Department of Transportation.
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[FR Doc. 2020-00713 Filed 1-16-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P