DOT Fines Airtrade for Violation of Code-Share Disclosure Rules

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. DOT 135-12 Friday, November 30, 2012 Contact: Bill Mosley Tel.: (202) 366-4570  DOT Fines Airtrade for Violation of Code-Share Disclosure Rules  The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), in its continuing effort to protect airline consumers, has assessed a $150,000 penalty against the online ticket agent Airtrade for failing to properly disclose to consumers when flights were being operated under a code-sharing arrangement and ordered the company to cease and desist from future violations. It was Airtrade’s second violation of the code-share disclosure rule in the past two years.  “When passengers book air travel, they have the right to know which airline will be operating their flight,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We will continue to take enforcement action when an airline or ticket agent violates our code-share disclosure rule.”  Under code-sharing, an airline will sell tickets on flights that use its designator code but are operated by a separate airline. DOT’s rule requires airlines and ticket agents to disclose to consumers, before they book a flight, if the flight is operated under a code-sharing arrangement. The disclosure must include the corporate name of the transporting carrier and any other name under which the flight is offered to the public. When tickets are purchased on the internet, code-share information must be easily viewable on the first display of a website following a search for flights corresponding to a desired itinerary.            In a consent order issued on April 26, 2011, the Department assessed a $50,000 penalty against Airtrade for violating the code-share disclosure rule on its Internet web site. At that time, the company appeared to have corrected its web site to comply with the rule. However, a follow-up investigation by DOT’s Aviation Enforcement Office found that, for a period of time after the first violation, Airtrade once again failed to properly disclose code-sharing arrangements when advertising code-share flights operated on behalf of a major air carrier by a regional air carrier. Airtrade did not display the corporate names of the transporting carriers or any other names under which those flights were sold to the public during the flight selection and booking process. As a result, consumers were unable to immediately learn the identity of the airline that would actually operate the aircraft on which they would be flying.  The Airtrade consent order is available on the Internet at www.regulations.gov, docket DOT-OST-2012-0002.  ###   You are subscribed to DOT News for Department of Transportation. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. You are subscribed to DOT email updates. Subscriber Services: Manage Preferences Questions for DOT? Contact DOT  STAY CONNECTED             U.S. Department of Transportation | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington DC 20590 | 202-385-HELP (4357)

BTS Releases September Passenger Airline Employment Data

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. BTS 56-12 Thursday, November 29, 2012 Contact: Dave Smallen Tel: 202-366-5568  BTS Releases September Passenger Airline Employment Data; September 2012 Employment Down 0.6 Percent from September 2011    U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 386,372 workers in September 2012, 0.6 percent less than in September 2011, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today. Scheduled passenger airline categories include network, low-cost, regional and other airlines. This was the first time since October 2010, a period of 22 months, that full-time equivalent (FTE) employee levels for U.S. scheduled passenger carriers have been lower than the same month of the previous year.  BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the September 2012 FTE total of 386,372 for scheduled passenger carriers, 2,269 fewer than in September 2011, is the lowest monthly total since June 2011.  Historical employment data can be found on the BTS web site.  The five network airlines that collectively employ two-thirds of the scheduled passenger airline FTEs reported 0.8 percent fewer FTEs in September, the second consecutive decline for the group. Delta Air Lines, eliminating positions following its merger with Northwest Airlines, reduced FTEs by 1.8 percent from September 2011. American Airlines, which filed for bankruptcy in November 2011, reduced FTEs by 4.4 percent. United Airlines reported a post-merger total of 82,137 FTEs in September 2012, 1,933 or 2.4 percent more FTEs than the 80,204 United and Continental Airlines reported separately in September 2011. Network airlines operate a significant portion of flights using at least one hub where connections are made for flights to down-line destinations or spoke cities.  Among the six low-cost carriers, Allegiant Airlines, Virgin America Airlines, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways reported an increase in FTEs. Frontier Airlines was the only low-cost carrier reporting fewer FTEs. Southwest Airlines reported 46,048 FTEs in September 2012 in a joint report following its merger with AirTran Airways. The combined total was 988, or 2.2 percent, more than the 45,060 FTEs the two airlines reported separately in September 2011. Low-cost airlines operate under a low-cost business model, with infrastructure and aircraft operating costs below the overall industry average.  See Passenger Airline Employment press release for summary tables and additional data.  -end-   You are subscribed to DOT News for Department of Transportation. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. You are subscribed to DOT email updates. Subscriber Services: Manage Preferences Questions for DOT? Contact DOT  STAY CONNECTED             U.S. Department of Transportation | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington DC 20590 | 202-385-HELP (4357)

2013 DOT Random Testing Rates Notice

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. 2013 DOT Random Testing Rates Notice    Please provide widest dissemination within your regulated industries for the 2013 DOT Random Testing Rates Notice.   ODAPC's web site http://www.dot.gov/odapc/random-testing-rates has been updated to reflect the CY 2013 random drug and alcohol testing rates. You can also view the CY 2013 random testing rates in the attached document. Please note the USCG’s annual random drug testing rate will be 25% in 2013.  For all other DOT Agencies, the 2013 annual random testing rates will remain the same as the 2012 rates.  2013 DOT Random Testing Rates Notice.pdf You are subscribed to DOT email updates. Subscriber Services: Manage Preferences Questions for DOT? Contact DOT  STAY CONNECTED           U.S. Department of Transportation | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington DC 20590 | 202-385-HELP (4357)

BTS Releases August 2012 Airline Traffic Data

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. BTS 55-12 Wednesday, November 28, 2012 Contact: Dave Smallen Tel: 202-366-5568  BTS Releases August 2012 Airline Traffic Data; System Traffic Unchanged from August 2011   The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today that U.S. airlines carried 66.3 million scheduled domestic and international passengers in August 2012, 0.2 percent fewer domestic passengers and 1.1 percent more international passengers than in August 2011. There was no systemwide change in air traffic compared to August 2011 but the airlines carried 0.1 percent more system passengers than in August 2010.    Although the number of passengers in the most recent month, August, was unchanged from a year ago, U.S. airlines carried 499.3 million total system passengers during the first eight months of 2012, up 1.0 percent from the same period in 2011. Domestically, the airlines carried 434.1 million passengers, up 1.0 percent from 2011. Internationally, they carried 65.3 million passengers, up 1.6 percent from 2011. See Tables 2, 8 and 14 of Air Traffic Press Releases for previous year numbers. Additional traffic numbers can be found on the BTS website in the Airlines and Airports box.  Click on a link in the column on the right.  For more historical numbers, see Traffic on the BTS website. Load Factor and Capacity Passenger load factors for domestic, international and system passenger traffic were at record levels for the month of August. Following earlier service reductions, domestic capacity, measured by available seat-miles, was up 0.1 percent in August 2012 compared to August 2011. Revenue passenger miles (RPMs) increased by 1.4 percent. The international load factor in August increased as airlines decreased capacity by 0.2 percent while RPMs increased by 0.7 percent. Systemwide capacity was unchanged compared to a 1.2 percent increase in RPMs. See Tables 1, 7 and 13 of Air Traffic Press Releases for previous year numbers. Top Airlines Monthly: In August, the combined Southwest Airlines-AirTran Airways carried more system and domestic passengers than any other U.S. airline.  United Airlines, following its merger with Continental Airlines, carried the most international passengers. The top 10 U.S. airlines carried 84.3 percent of systemwide passengers, up from 75.6 percent carried by the U.S. airlines that were the top 10 in August 2011.              See Air Traffic Release for summary tables and additional data.  ###   You are subscribed to DOT News for Department of Transportation. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. You are subscribed to DOT email updates. Subscriber Services: Manage Preferences Questions for DOT? Contact DOT  STAY CONNECTED             U.S. Department of Transportation | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington DC 20590 | 202-385-HELP (4357)

BTS Releases North American Surface Trade Numbers for September

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. BTS 54-12 Tuesday, November 27, 2012 Contact: Dave Smallen Tel: 202-366-5568  BTS Releases North American Surface Trade Numbers for September: September 2012 Surface Trade with Canada and Mexico Fell 0.1 Percent From September 2011 Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners, Canada and Mexico, was 0.1 percent lower in September 2012 than in September 2011, totaling $77.7 billion, unadjusted for inflation, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation. This is the first year over year decrease since November 2009. Adjusted for inflation and exchange rates, the September 2012 total was $56.3 billion in 2004 dollars, up 1.4 percent from September 2011.  BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the September 2012 value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico rose 35.6 percent from September 2009, shortly after the end of the last recession. Data in the press release are not adjusted for inflation, except for monthly totals in Figure 1 of the press release.  The value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in September increased by 69.6 percent compared to September 2002, a period of 10 years. Imports in September were up 57.4 percent since September 2002, while exports were up 85.9 percent. See Transborder Press Releases for historical data.  Surface transportation includes freight movements by truck, rail, pipeline, mail, other modes of transport, and goods moving into Foreign Trade Zones. In September, 86.4 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved via land, 9.5 percent moved by vessel, and 4.1 percent moved by air.  U.S.-Mexico September 2012 trade reached $32.0 billion, a 1.2 percent increase from September 2011, while U.S.-Canada trade was $45.7 billion, a 0.9 percent decrease due to a decrease in imports from Canada. For trade statistics by mode, see Table 4 for Canada and Table 6 for Mexico. For the 12-month period ending in September 2012, U.S. trade by surface transportation with Mexico has increased, while U.S. trade with Canada decreased.  See BTS Transborder Data Release for summary tables, state rankings and additional data. See North American Transborder Freight Data for historical data.                                                                                                                                    ###   You are subscribed to DOT News for Department of Transportation. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. You are subscribed to DOT email updates. Subscriber Services: Manage Preferences Questions for DOT? Contact DOT  STAY CONNECTED             U.S. Department of Transportation | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington DC 20590 | 202-385-HELP (4357)