Family Seating in Air Transportation, 80435-80436 [2024-22632]
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 192 / Thursday, October 3, 2024 / Proposed Rules
26, 1979); and (3) does not warrant
preparation of a regulatory evaluation as
the anticipated impact is so minimal.
Since this is a routine matter that will
only affect air traffic procedures and air
navigation, it is certified that this
proposed rule, when promulgated, will
not have a significant economic impact
on a substantial number of small entities
under the criteria of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act.
That airspace extending upward from 700
feet above the surface within a 7-mile radius
of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Airport.
*
*
*
*
*
Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on September
26, 2024.
Martin A. Skinner,
Acting Manager, Operations Support Group,
ATO Central Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2024–22574 Filed 10–2–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
Environmental Review
This proposal will be subject to an
environmental analysis in accordance
with FAA Order 1050.1F,
‘‘Environmental Impacts: Policies and
Procedures’’ prior to any FAA final
regulatory action.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71
Office of the Secretary
14 CFR Parts 259 and 261
[Docket No. DOT–OST–2024–0091]
RIN No. 2105–AF15
Airspace, Incorporation by reference,
Navigation (air).
Family Seating in Air Transportation
The Proposed Amendment
AGENCY:
In consideration of the foregoing, the
Federal Aviation Administration
proposes to amend 14 CFR part 71 as
follows:
PART 71—DESIGNATION OF CLASS A,
B, C, D, AND E AIRSPACE AREAS; AIR
TRAFFIC SERVICE ROUTES; AND
REPORTING POINTS
1. The authority citation for 14 CFR
part 71 continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 106(g); 40103,
40113, 40120; E.O. 10854, 24 FR 9565, 3 CFR,
1959–1963 Comp., p. 389.
§ 71.1
[Amended]
2. The incorporation by reference in
14 CFR 71.1 of FAA Order JO 7400.11J,
Airspace Designations and Reporting
Points, dated July 31, 2024, and
effective September 15, 2024, is
amended as follows:
■
Paragraph 5000
Class D Airspace
*
*
*
*
*
AGL OH D Youngstown/Warren, OH
[Amended]
Youngstown/Warren Regional Airport, OH
(Lat 41°15′42″ N, long 80°40′49″ W)
That airspace extending upward from the
surface to and including 3,700 feet MSL
within a 4.5-mile radius of the Youngstown/
Warren Regional Airport.
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
*
*
*
*
*
Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas
Extending Upward From 700 Feet or More
Above the Surface of the Earth.
*
*
*
*
*
AGL OH E5 Youngstown/Warren, OH
[Amended]
Youngstown/Warren Regional Airport, OH
(Lat 41°15′42″ N, long 80°40′49″ W)
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:16 Oct 02, 2024
Jkt 265001
Office of the Secretary (OST),
Department of Transportation (DOT or
the Department).
ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of
comment period.
The U.S. Department of
Transportation (Department or DOT) is
extending the comment end date for
interested persons to submit comments
to its proposed rule on Family Seating
in Air Transportation from October 8,
2024, to November 7, 2024.
DATES: The comment period for the
proposed rule published August 9,
2024, at 89 FR 65272 is extended.
Comments should be filed by November
7, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may file comments
identified by the docket number DOT–
OST–2024–0091 by any of the following
methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and follow
the online instructions for submitting
comments.
• Mail: Docket Management Facility,
U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Ave. SE, West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
Washington, DC, 20590–0001.
• Hand Delivery or Courier: West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington,
DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
• Fax: (202) 493–2251.
Instructions: You must include the
agency name and docket number DOT–
OST–2024–0091 or the Regulatory
Identification Number (RIN 2105–AF15)
for the rulemaking at the beginning of
your comment. All comments received
will be posted without change to
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
80435
https://www.regulations.gov, including
any personal information provided.
Privacy Act: Anyone can search the
electronic form of all comments
received in any of our dockets by the
name of the individual submitting the
comment (or signing the comment, if
submitted on behalf of an association,
business, labor union, etc.). You may
review DOT’s complete Privacy Act
statement in the Federal Register
published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR
19477–78), or you may visit https://
www.transportation.gov/privacy.
Docket: For access to the docket to
read background documents and
comments received, go to https://
www.regulations.gov or to the street
address listed above. Follow the online
instructions for accessing the docket.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Maegan Johnson, Nicole Smith, or Blane
A. Workie, Office of Aviation Consumer
Protection, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave.,
SE, Washington, DC, 20590, 202–366–
9342 (phone), Maegan.johnson@dot.gov,
nicole.smith@dot.gov, or blane.workie@
dot.gov (email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August
9, 2024, the Department published in
the Federal Register a Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that
proposes to require airlines to seat
children aged 13 and under adjacent to
at least one accompanying adult at no
additional cost beyond the fare, subject
to limited exceptions. Under the NPRM,
the specific requirements that airlines
would be required to follow to ensure a
young child is seated adjacent to an
accompanying adult at no additional
cost differ depending on the carrier’s
seating method. There are different
requirements for an open seating carrier
and an assigned seating carrier.
However, in both cases, airline that fail
to provide family seating as proposed
would be required to mitigate the harm
to passengers by offering them a choice
of rebooking at no additional cost on the
next available flight with family seating,
transport of the young child or young
children and an accompanying adult on
the flight without adjacent seats, or a
prompt refund of the fare paid for the
child and other persons on the same
reservation. In addition, the proposal
explains that the Department considers
family seating to be a basic service that
must be included in the advertised fare
and seeks comment on what services
beyond adjacent family seating should
be considered a basic service. The
NPRM provided for a comment period
of 60 days after publication of the
NPRM in the Federal Register, i.e.,
October 8, 2024.
E:\FR\FM\03OCP1.SGM
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ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1
80436
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 192 / Thursday, October 3, 2024 / Proposed Rules
On August 29, 2024, Airlines for
America, the International Air Transport
Association, the National Air Carrier
Association, and the Regional Airline
Association (collectively, ‘‘Members’’)
filed a joint request to extend the public
comment period on the family seating
NPRM for an additional 60 days. The
Members state that additional time is
needed to collect data and submit
comprehensive comments to help the
Department make an informed decision
on a final rule. Specifically, the
Members assert that the Department has
not sufficiently considered the impact of
its proposal on foreign airlines which
means that the airline industry must
collect, analyze, and submit information
regarding this impact. According to the
Members, this is a significant task that
will take time to complete. Furthermore,
the Members state that airlines need
additional time to fully consider and
analyze the proposed procedures for
mitigating harm to passengers who are
not provided adjacent family seating,
including time to determine the
proposals impact on their operations
and propose potential alternatives that
meet the Department’s goals but are less
disruptive to airlines. The Members also
note that the expert report that the
Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) relied
on was placed in the docket two weeks
after the NPRM was published which
reduced the time available to review
this important report and negatively
impacted their ability to assess the
Department’s proposal and its potential
impacts and submit well informed
comments. Finally, the members point
to the Department’s request for
comments regarding fees charged by
airlines for ‘‘basic services’’ as a broad
request for which additional time is
needed to respond.
On September 3, 2024, Southwest
Airlines (Southwest) also filed a request
to extend the public comment period on
the family seating NPRM for an
additional 60 days. In addition to
expressing support for the Member’s
request to extend the comment period,
Southwest states in its request that the
comment period for the NPRM should
be extended because the airline is
currently transitioning from an open
seating model to a carrier that assigns
seat and unlike other carriers must
evaluate and comment on both the
assigned seating carrier and open
seating carrier provisions in the NPRM.
On September 11, 2024, the American
Economic Liberties Project, the
Consumer Action, the Consumer
Federation of America, the National
Consumers League, and the U.S. PIRG
(collectively ‘‘consumer advocacy
groups’’) filed an opposition to the
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:16 Oct 02, 2024
Jkt 265001
Members’ request for an extension to the
public comment period for the family
seating NPRM. The consumer advocacy
groups urge the Department to stay on
its current rulemaking trajectory and
argue that an extension is unnecessary
since the Department has provided
ample time for relevant stakeholders to
respond to a proposed rule that has been
years in the making, especially since the
proposals in the NPRM are modeled
after draft legislation that the
Department made public before the
NPRM was issued.
The Department has carefully
considered both requests to extend the
comment period on the family seating
NPRM filed by the Members and
Southwest, and the consumer advocacy
groups opposition to an extension
request. After considering the arguments
presented, the Department has decided
to extend the comment period of the
proposed rule for 30 days from October
8, 2024, to November 7, 2024. In doing
so, the Department acknowledges that
the NPRM raises important issues which
require in-depth analysis and
consideration by stakeholders. At the
same time, the Department agrees with
the consumer advocacy groups that the
proposals in the NPRM are modeled
after draft legislation that Department
submitted to Congress and should not
be a surprise to the stakeholders. The
Department believes that granting a 30day extension of the original 60-day
comment period, is sufficient to allow
stakeholders to conduct a thorough and
careful consideration of all potential
impacts and prepare comments. Latefiled comments will be considered to
the extent practicable.
Signed in Washington, DC, under authority
delegated at 49 CFR 1.27(n).
Subash Iyer,
Acting General Counsel, U.S. Department of
Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2024–22632 Filed 10–2–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Coast Guard
33 CFR Part 117
[Docket No. USCG–2024–0412]
RIN 1625–AA09
Drawbridge Operation Regulation;
Hackensack River, Little Snake Hill, NJ
Coast Guard, DHS.
Notice of proposed rulemaking.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
The Coast Guard proposes to
modify the operating conditions of the
Amtrak Portal Bridge across the
Hackensack River, mile 5.0, at Little
Snake Hill, New Jersey. This action is
necessary to facilitate the construction
of the new replacement Portal Bridge
North, adjacent to the current Amtrak
Portal Bridge. This proposed rulemaking
would limit the extent of the opening of
the Amtrak Portal Bridge in the
horizontal position to prevent the swing
span from striking the new Portal Bridge
North during construction. We invite
your comments on this proposed
rulemaking.
SUMMARY:
Comments and related material
must reach the Coast Guard on or before
November 4, 2024. The Coast Guard
anticipates that this proposed rule will
be effective on or about February 1,
2025.
DATES:
You may submit comments
identified by docket number USCG–
2024–0412 using the Federal Decision
Making Portal at https://
www.regulations.gov. See the ‘‘Public
Participation and Request for
Comments’’ portion of the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
below for instruction on submitting
comments. This notice of proposed
rulemaking with its plain-language, 100word-or-less proposed rule summary
will be available in this same docket.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If
you have questions on this proposed
rule, call or email Ms. Judy Leung-Yee,
First Coast Guard District, Project
Officer; telephone 212–514–4336, email
Judy.K.Leung-Yee@uscg.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ADDRESSES:
I. Table of Abbreviations
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
DHS Department of Homeland Security
FR Federal Register
OMB Office of Management and Budget
NPRM Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
(Advance, Supplemental)
§ Section
U.S.C. United States Code
II. Background, Purpose and Legal
Basis
The Amtrak Portal Bridge is a swing
bridge across the Hackensack River, at
mile 5.0, in Little Snake Hill, NJ. The
bridge has a vertical clearance of 23 feet
at mean high water in the closed
position and 102 feet at mean high
water in the open position. When
closed, the Amtrak Portal Bridge allows
trains to transit across the river. When
marine traffic needs to transit down the
waterway, the bridge swings open from
a central pivot to create horizontal
clearance for vessels. The waterway
E:\FR\FM\03OCP1.SGM
03OCP1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 192 (Thursday, October 3, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 80435-80436]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-22632]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary
14 CFR Parts 259 and 261
[Docket No. DOT-OST-2024-0091]
RIN No. 2105-AF15
Family Seating in Air Transportation
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), Department of Transportation
(DOT or the Department).
ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation (Department or DOT) is
extending the comment end date for interested persons to submit
comments to its proposed rule on Family Seating in Air Transportation
from October 8, 2024, to November 7, 2024.
DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule published August 9,
2024, at 89 FR 65272 is extended. Comments should be filed by November
7, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may file comments identified by the docket number DOT-
OST-2024-0091 by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, Washington, DC, 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room
W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: (202) 493-2251.
Instructions: You must include the agency name and docket number
DOT-OST-2024-0091 or the Regulatory Identification Number (RIN 2105-
AF15) for the rulemaking at the beginning of your comment. All comments
received will be posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov,
including any personal information provided.
Privacy Act: Anyone can search the electronic form of all comments
received in any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting
the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an
association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's
complete Privacy Act statement in the Federal Register published on
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78), or you may visit https://www.transportation.gov/privacy.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents and
comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov or to the street
address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the
docket.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maegan Johnson, Nicole Smith, or Blane
A. Workie, Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, Washington, DC, 20590, 202-
366-9342 (phone), [email protected], [email protected], or
[email protected] (email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 9, 2024, the Department published
in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that
proposes to require airlines to seat children aged 13 and under
adjacent to at least one accompanying adult at no additional cost
beyond the fare, subject to limited exceptions. Under the NPRM, the
specific requirements that airlines would be required to follow to
ensure a young child is seated adjacent to an accompanying adult at no
additional cost differ depending on the carrier's seating method. There
are different requirements for an open seating carrier and an assigned
seating carrier. However, in both cases, airline that fail to provide
family seating as proposed would be required to mitigate the harm to
passengers by offering them a choice of rebooking at no additional cost
on the next available flight with family seating, transport of the
young child or young children and an accompanying adult on the flight
without adjacent seats, or a prompt refund of the fare paid for the
child and other persons on the same reservation. In addition, the
proposal explains that the Department considers family seating to be a
basic service that must be included in the advertised fare and seeks
comment on what services beyond adjacent family seating should be
considered a basic service. The NPRM provided for a comment period of
60 days after publication of the NPRM in the Federal Register, i.e.,
October 8, 2024.
[[Page 80436]]
On August 29, 2024, Airlines for America, the International Air
Transport Association, the National Air Carrier Association, and the
Regional Airline Association (collectively, ``Members'') filed a joint
request to extend the public comment period on the family seating NPRM
for an additional 60 days. The Members state that additional time is
needed to collect data and submit comprehensive comments to help the
Department make an informed decision on a final rule. Specifically, the
Members assert that the Department has not sufficiently considered the
impact of its proposal on foreign airlines which means that the airline
industry must collect, analyze, and submit information regarding this
impact. According to the Members, this is a significant task that will
take time to complete. Furthermore, the Members state that airlines
need additional time to fully consider and analyze the proposed
procedures for mitigating harm to passengers who are not provided
adjacent family seating, including time to determine the proposals
impact on their operations and propose potential alternatives that meet
the Department's goals but are less disruptive to airlines. The Members
also note that the expert report that the Regulatory Impact Analysis
(RIA) relied on was placed in the docket two weeks after the NPRM was
published which reduced the time available to review this important
report and negatively impacted their ability to assess the Department's
proposal and its potential impacts and submit well informed comments.
Finally, the members point to the Department's request for comments
regarding fees charged by airlines for ``basic services'' as a broad
request for which additional time is needed to respond.
On September 3, 2024, Southwest Airlines (Southwest) also filed a
request to extend the public comment period on the family seating NPRM
for an additional 60 days. In addition to expressing support for the
Member's request to extend the comment period, Southwest states in its
request that the comment period for the NPRM should be extended because
the airline is currently transitioning from an open seating model to a
carrier that assigns seat and unlike other carriers must evaluate and
comment on both the assigned seating carrier and open seating carrier
provisions in the NPRM.
On September 11, 2024, the American Economic Liberties Project, the
Consumer Action, the Consumer Federation of America, the National
Consumers League, and the U.S. PIRG (collectively ``consumer advocacy
groups'') filed an opposition to the Members' request for an extension
to the public comment period for the family seating NPRM. The consumer
advocacy groups urge the Department to stay on its current rulemaking
trajectory and argue that an extension is unnecessary since the
Department has provided ample time for relevant stakeholders to respond
to a proposed rule that has been years in the making, especially since
the proposals in the NPRM are modeled after draft legislation that the
Department made public before the NPRM was issued.
The Department has carefully considered both requests to extend the
comment period on the family seating NPRM filed by the Members and
Southwest, and the consumer advocacy groups opposition to an extension
request. After considering the arguments presented, the Department has
decided to extend the comment period of the proposed rule for 30 days
from October 8, 2024, to November 7, 2024. In doing so, the Department
acknowledges that the NPRM raises important issues which require in-
depth analysis and consideration by stakeholders. At the same time, the
Department agrees with the consumer advocacy groups that the proposals
in the NPRM are modeled after draft legislation that Department
submitted to Congress and should not be a surprise to the stakeholders.
The Department believes that granting a 30-day extension of the
original 60-day comment period, is sufficient to allow stakeholders to
conduct a thorough and careful consideration of all potential impacts
and prepare comments. Late-filed comments will be considered to the
extent practicable.
Signed in Washington, DC, under authority delegated at 49 CFR
1.27(n).
Subash Iyer,
Acting General Counsel, U.S. Department of Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2024-22632 Filed 10-2-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P
