[Federal Register: February 27, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 39)]
[Notices]
[Page 9109]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27fe03-120]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
High Density Traffic Airports; Notice of Slot Usage Waiver
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of temporary slot usage waiver at high density traffic
airports.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces a five-day waiver of the minimum slot
usage requirement at New York's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia Airports
and Washington's Reagan National Airport for the period February 15,
2003 through February 19, 2003, due to extended airport closures and
the operational recovery from a major snow storm impacting much of the
northeastern United States.
DATE: February 27, 2003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lorelei Peter, Operations and Air
Traffic Law Branch, Regulations Division, Office of the Chief Counsel,
Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20591; telephone number 202-267-3073.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On February 15, 2003, a major winter storm including snow and
freezing rain began to impact operations at many airports in the
eastern part of the United States, including the three high density
traffic airports. This storm moved up the East Coast bringing
significant snowfalls and resulted in airport closures or reduced
airport capacity through Monday, February 17, 2003. On Tuesday,
February 18, 2003, the airport authorities reopened all three high
density airports and regular operations were resumed and on Wednesday,
February 19, 2003, air traffic activity approached normal levels.
However, on these two days, some airlines were unable to operate
scheduled flights since aircraft or crews were not in position to
operate the flights as scheduled.
Statement of Policy
The regulations governing slots and slot allocation provide that
any slot not utilized at least 80 percent of the time over a 2-month
period shall be recalled by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
(14 CFR 93.277(a)). Additionally, paragraph (j) of that section
provides that the Chief Counsel may waive the slot usage requirement in
the event of a highly unusual and unpredictable conditions that is
beyond the control of the slot holder and exits for nine days or more
(14 CFR 93.227(j)). These two provisions are also applicable to slot
exemptions.
The FAA has determined the conditions described above warrant a
temporary waiver of the minimum slot usage requirement for the period
of February 15, 2003, through February 19, 2003, even though the
conditions did not exceed eight days. Therefore, the FAA will treat as
used any slot that was scheduled to operate during the period of the
waiver regardless of whether the flight actually was operated. In the
bi-monthly slot usage reports required by 14 CFR 93.227(i), slot
holders/operators should indicate whether a flight was scheduled to
operate in an allocated slot and whether the flight actually operated.
Canceled flights should not be listed as operated unless they did in
fact operate. Carrier may indicate that a flight was scheduled to
operate in a particular slot, but was subsequently canceled during this
period, by using the ``Z'' code that is normally applied to flights
canceled due to airport deicing programs.
Alternatively, carriers may list impacted slots/flights in a
separate report. The FAA will then apply the usage waiver as
appropriate to slots meeting the conditions.
Issued on February 20, 2003, in Washington, DC.
James W. Whitlow,
Deputy Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 03-4644 Filed 2-26-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M